Kyrie Irving, LeBron James Just Saved Cleveland's Season

With their season on the line and their backs against the wall Kyrie Irving and LeBron James turned in all-time great performances. Irving and James just threw down the gauntlet to the Splash Brothers: top that Steph and Klay.

Irving and James both dropped 41 points during Game 5 on Monday night, becoming the first pair of teammates to score 40 or more points in the same NBA Finals game. The duo led the Cavaliers to a 112-97 win in Oakland and kept Cleveland’s hopes for a championship alive.

Irving and James were unbelievable while the Golden State Warriors were cold, hitting just 14-of-42 shots (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc. Cleveland’s All-Star duo combined to hit 33-of-54 shots (61.1 percent) from the field, and went 9-of-15 (60.0 percent) from 3-point range. James also chipped in 16 rebounds and seven assists.

With Draymond Green suspended, James and Irving threw the Cavs on their backs and carried them to a huge win in Game 5. The series will now return to Cleveland where James and company were 33-8 during the regular season and are 8-1 in the playoffs. You can bet Quicken Loans Arena will be hyped Thursday night, because everyone in Cleveland knows a win in Game 6 means a chance to end the city’s 54-year championship drought in Game 7.

The Warriors will welcome Green back to the fold on Thursday night in Cleveland, but it’s going to take more than that to secure a second-straight championship. Golden State hit just 36.4 percent of its shots from the field Monday night and had no answers for James and Irving defensively. On top of that, starting center Andrew Bogut took an ugly tumble in the third quarter and injured his left knee. While he awaits MRI results, from the look of his fall and reaction, it would be a miracle if he played in Game 6.

Klay Thompson had 37 points Monday night but was a minus-21, and Stephen Curry had 25 points but was just 5-of-14 from beyond the arc. Golden State also got just 15 points from its bench.

If Irving and James play the way they did tonight, the Cavs will be extremely difficult to beat. That said, it’s almost impossible to keep the Warriors contained and it’s going to take every ounce of effort Cleveland has to send this series to a seventh game.