Kyrie Irving admits he had to ‘face the music’ for the Cavs’ recent struggles
Kyrie Irving isn’t pointing fingers at anyone but himself for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ recent struggles, telling reporters Wednesday that he had to “face the music” after the Cavs’ blowout loss to the Spurs on Monday night.
"I had to face it, had to face the music," Irving said Wednesday, via ESPN. "I think we all had to do it. But me more importantly, I had to look in the mirror and just wasn't doing enough. I need to demand more out of myself and do it at a high level."
Irving was so disgusted with his performance Monday – finishing with eight points, three rebounds, two assists and three turnovers on 4-of-13 shooting – that he returned to the court afterward to work on his game.
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The Cavs’ recent slide – having lost four of their past six games – has dropped the defending champs out of first place in the East for the first time since mid-November. Cleveland, which plays the Bulls on Thursday in a nationally televised game, has struggled despite J.R. Smith and Kevin Love returning from injuries after missing extended time.
Irving believes it falls on him as the point guard to blend those two starters back into the lineup with the team not missing a beat.
"I have to do my best as a point guard to integrate J.R. and K-Love and get our starting five back to having the continuity. It hasn't been perfect, to say the least," Irving said. "There's definitely been some ups and downs and disagreements. But as adults and professionals we just have to figure it out. I think it just starts with our practice habits and what we demand out of each other. Just holding each other accountable."
