National Basketball Association

Kyrie Irving throws alley-oop off backboard to LeBron James (Video)

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Cleveland Cavaliers are having fun early in 2016-17. Here is point guard Kyrie Irving using the backboard on an alley-oop to forward LeBron James.

The 2016-17 Cleveland Cavaliers face absolutely no pressure this season. Last year’s Cavaliers ended a 52-year championship drought in Cleveland. The Cavaliers aren’t even the favorites to win the NBA Finals this season. That would be Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors.

Cleveland is playing fantastic ball early this season. It looks like the Cavaliers are having a ton of fun. Their most recent hardwood victim is the struggling Boston Celtics. Here is Cavaliers superstar point guard Kyrie Irving using the glass to execute a fast break alley-oop with point forward LeBron James.

Kyrie off-the-backboard alley-oop to LeBron James pic.twitter.com/xBN0T80P2M

— gifdsports (@gifdsports) November 4, 2016

Up 75-57 on the visiting Celtics in the third quarter, Boston Celtics star point guard Isaiah Thomas loses his dribble going to his left. The Cavaliers would recover the turnover and immediately get the ball into Irving’s hands on a quick outlet pass.

Irving would beat the Celtics down the floor and could have had an easy jam for himself. He must have seen James out of the corner of his eye running opposite of him on the floor. Instead up even doing a boring layup, Irving puts the ball high off the glass for James to come down with a thunderous transition jam.

James is clearly letting Irving be the star of this team early, preferring to be the facilitator. This has in turn allowed Irving to be more willful. He could have made the highlight for himself, but decided to set up his on-court mentor for a two-man highlight transition dunk.

Cleveland is without question the best team in the Eastern Conference. The biggest question is if anybody in the East can stop Irving, James, and the 2016-17 Cavaliers?