Cleveland Cavaliers Defeat Houston Rockets 128-120 In Explosive Affair

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Houston Rockets on Tuesday evening in what wasn’t an easy game.

"”I didn’t care, just win,” he said. ”So this game I just circled `Get a win.’ That’s a tough team to play.” – Head Coach Tyronn Lue on the Houston Rockets scoring 120 points on 47.8 percent shooting."

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue preached defense before the start of the game, however, this game he didn’t care. Taking on a Houston Rockets squad spearheaded by legendary offensive mind Mike D’Antoni and the ultra-explosive combo guard James Harden, the Cavs head coach knew the tough road ahead of them.

For the first time this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers trailed following the first quarter as the Houston Rockets got off to a 35-29 lead behind 13 points and 7 assists from Harden and scoreless quarter from the King. The Rockets were consistently in the paint and destroying the Cavs with a ‘1-5’ pick-and-roll. When it wasn’t Capela scoring it was Harden. When Capela was out of the game, Nene picked up right where he left off. Luckily, Kevin Love was aggressive and keeping the Cavs afloat with what was a 10 point performance in the first quarter.

The Cavs might have been in store for a fifth straight loss to the Rockets at The Q, if their defense didn’t tighten up.

To start the second quarter, Lue put LeBron James in at power forward with the second unit and their fortunes changed. Behind sharpshooting from Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Channing Frye, James led a lineup that also consisted of Richard Jefferson and Iman Shumpert, back from the dead.

James was a bully in the paint and earned seven quick points before Kyrie Irving came in the game like a ball of fire a with an 11-point second quarter.

However, James kept going back-and-forth to the locker room during the game for unspecified reasons. In his absence, his Sir Lancelot was more than an able second-in-command.

The third quarter was a different type of offensive attack from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Using James and Irving as the primary facilitator, the Cavs found their stroke from beyond the three-point line. This was also the only other quarter, besides the second, when the Cavs held the Rockets to 25-point total – which is their target max total for any team to score against them in a quarter. While Lue may not necessarily have cared about the defense this fame, it kept them in the lead of a close game with a high-octane opponent.

However, the mark of true champions, the Cavaliers started the 4th quarter on a tear and extended their lead to 8 points by the middle of the final period. Behind the facilitation and straight-line devastation offered by James the Cavs softened up the middle of the floor for Irving. From there, the all-around offensive abilities of Irving put the knife in the heart of Harden and the Rockets. Irving, who played great defense this quarter along with Love (who had two steals in the fourth quarter), delivered a second sensational 11-point quarter.

Irving finished with 32 points on 4-6 shooting from behind the line.

Nonetheless, it was late threes from Smith, James and Irving that kept the Rockets at bay as the Cavs held onto a 128-120 lead. It was a close affair for the Cavaliers. Yet, the team made history with this win. It was their first 4-0 start since the 2000-2001 season. The year before the “Ricky Davis era” of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Davis, as many remember, thought James was drafted first overall to be his sidekick. How ridiculous does that sound right? Ultimately, Davis was traded in James’ rookie season and James’ eventual mentor, Eric Snow, supplanted Davis in the starting lineup.

With this performance Irving just proved, for a second straight night, that he’s vying for the title of James’ most talented teammate ever. That spot is currently occupied by future Hall-of-Famer Dwyane Wade. However, Wade never made James look like what Irving is making James look like. What Davis thought he was. A sidekick.

With his latest performance, Irving is becoming more than an MVP candidate. He’s becoming the face of the franchise.

Related Story: Cleveland Cavaliers player watch: Kyrie Irving's Milestones for 2016-17

What did you think of the Cleveland Cavaliers performance against the Houston Rockets? Do you think that Kyrie Irving is becoming the face of the franchise? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.