Kyrie Irving showing he is made for the playoffs

One of two things happen to a player in the playoffs, when the lights shine the brightest. Either the moment will get to them and a player will falter or the opposite will occur, and the player will step up and perform at a greater level.

For Irving, it’s the latter and he proved this in just 0.7 seconds.

That was the short amount of time remaining on the shot clock, with the Cavs up 95-90 in, with 45.1 seconds left in the game, looking to take a 3-0 series lead over the Pistons. Cleveland had an inbounds pass from the left corner coming out of a timeout. Matthew Dellavedova looked and looked, before finding Irving deep in the left corner with a pinpoint pass.

Irving rose up quickly and drained a three-pointer that could be heard all the way back from Lake Erie. Irving has had plenty of game-winning shots and clutch buckets but this one shines brightest, as the stakes in the playoffs are obviously so much greater than any regular season match.

“It was a great play drawn by [Tyronn] Lue,” Irving said, via cavs.com. “Great, just in the time and in the moment. I belief we had a minute to draw up the play. .7, I think that with the talent we have on this basketball team, we don’t necessarily panic in those situations. Execution is all that matters and we go out and set the hardest screens in that moment. Whoever gets the shot, we want them to shot confidentially and we all belief in it. Luckily I got the shot off and it went in”

Irving shouldn’t need to fall back on luck. He is made for those moments and he proved that, not only with that final shot, but his shown it throughout the entire series thus far. Only a select few have the mindset and capability to go out and play at a higher level than usual when their team needs them to.

It is a skill that is reserved for the Kobe’s and the Michael’s. That killer mentality and innate competence to hit shots, regardless of the amount of pressure aligned with it. Use all the clichés you like- ice water in his veins, big-time player- it doesn’t matter. Irving possesses them all.

“Kyrie’s just being Kyrie,” Lue said, via cavs.com. “We seen it before and we see it all the time.”

While Lue is correct, some legitimate questions were surrounding Irving entering the playoffs.

Coming off major knee surgery, Irving struggled to create any consistency, particularly with his three-point shot, throughout the regular season. Averaging 19.6 points per game, shooting 44.8 percent from the field and connecting on just 32.1 percent of his triples, Irving’s knee seemed to be bothering him more than expected. It became painful to watch Irving at times, as he pressed and over-dribbled his way into attempting to find a rhythm. Instead, he was just being a hindrance to the Cavs offense, even if his intentions were good.

It got so bad, that teams were starting to live with Irving shooting the three, as it clearly was an aspect of his game he couldn’t get going.

“It was more or less a disrespect thing for me,” Irving said about teams letting him shoot, via Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today Sports. “But, I wasn’t shooting it particularly well. The percentage didn’t say that I was shooting it well. But, I didn’t care. It was going to come. I’m not going to ever stop shooting or being who I am. These guys want me to shoot, especially if they’re going under my pick-and-rolls. It’s just continuing to prepare, prepare, prepare and trust my shot, and the regular season didn’t really matter. It’s this season that matters. I just want to continue to try to feed off these guys, and when they pass me the ball, be ready to shoot.”

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Now, when the games truly mean something, Irving was found that magic touch from beyond the arc and has been a key in Cleveland’s early post-season success.

In the first three games against the Pistons, Irving has simply been tremendous. He is averaging 26.3 points per game, shooting 46.8 percent from the field and an excellent 52.2 percent from beyond the three-point line. Irving is also chipping in 4.7 assists per game and while he doesn’t need to average a great number of them, because this Cavs team needs his scoring more than his playmaking, it’s an added bonus.

Irving has been a different player ever since the playoffs tipped off. While it’s tough to point out one exact turning point, Irving mentioned after the game three win how he was annoyed with his poor fourth quarter play in a late regular season loss to the Chicago Bulls. That loss may have been a blessing in disguise, as Irving admitted it was a learning experience and he has played the way Cleveland needs him to ever since.

It isn’t just the scoring and efficiency Irving is playing with. It’s the way he looks so free and comfortable in just his second post-season, after his last one was injury-filled. Irving is controlling the game and has seemed to found that fine line between being aggressive but also playing within the offense and keeping the ball moving.

Irving was calm and cool during his post-game presser, dressed in a casual green hoodie, while LeBron James and Kevin Love were decked out in suits. This represents how Irving is still a kid but watching him in the playoffs, you wouldn’t know it. That relaxed demeanor turns into one of a killer once the ball is tipped and Cleveland wouldn’t have it any other way.