Quiet down, doubters.
For the last nine days, Kyrie Irving has worked to rehabilitate a balky left knee while hearing how his defensive shortcomings may render the Cleveland Cavaliers incapable of stopping MVP Steph Curry. It's a valid concern. Irving's defense on and off the ball is problematic even when healthy, and the Golden State Warriors offense allows for exactly zero lapses.
For at least one first-quarter possession, Irving showed those concerns may be overstated, and that his defense may be tolerable, after all. On an early Curry drive, Irving briefly lost half a step, recovered, and erased a Curry layup attempt with a fantastic block:
His knee looks to be doing just fine, too, as it didn't slow him down a bit on this steal-and-fastbreak later in the frame:
The Cavs will need Irving at 100 percent to hang with the Warriors over seven games, and the early returns are encouraging. Cleveland will have to hope a full game of running through a never-ending maze of screens won't slow their point guard down any.
