LeBron: Kyrie had one of the greatest performances I've seen
On the biggest stage of his young NBA career, Kyrie Irving was at his best.
The Cleveland Cavaliers point guard scored 41 points on 17-of-24 shooting while adding six assists and three rebounds in the 112-97 win over the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.
"You have a guy like this that's very special - probably one of the greatest performances I've ever seen live," Cavaliers star LeBron James said.
James also had himself a night. The four-time MVP scored 41 points, as he and Irving became the first teammates in Finals history to score at least 40 points apiece.
After struggling with his shot in the first two games of the series, Irving appears to have turned a corner. Since a 10-point dud in Game 2, Irving is averaging 35 points on 56 percent shooting over the last three games.
"Kyrie was great tonight," Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. "He had my number."
The win helped the Cavaliers stave off elimination and force a Game 6 in Cleveland, where they're 8-1 this postseason.
"This guy was special and we rode him to the victory line," James said.