Kyrie Irving Says Talk of Warriors Sweeping in Cleveland Rubbed Him Wrong Way

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving had some additional motivation as he scored 40 points in his team's 137-116 victory over the Golden State Warriors in Friday's Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

"All of it," he said when asked how much of the talk of a Warriors sweep on Cleveland's home floor at Quicken Loans Arena bothered him, per Kevin Jones of KNBR.

Of the talk before the game, comments from Warriors forward Draymond Green stood out.

"It would be very satisfying to do that," he said of winning the series in Cleveland, per Al Iannazzone of Newsday. "Obviously we've won it here before. It's a good feeling. We're celebrating on their floor, celebrating in their locker room, quieting their crowd. As an athlete, one of the best feelings is going into an opponent's and enemy territory and just silencing their crowd."

Irving and LeBron James responded and prevented such a situation.

James tallied a triple-double with 31 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds, while Irving poured in 40 points, grabbed seven boards and hit seven of Cleveland's 24 three-pointers.

Elias Sports (h/t ESPN Stats & Info) noted their place in history:

James and Irving thrived in last year's Finals as well when the Cavaliers overcame a 3-1 deficit and stunned the Warriors. They each scored 41 points in Game 5 at Oracle Arena, James scored 41 and Irving scored 23 in Game 6, and James notched a triple-double while Irving drilled the game-winning three in Game 7.

The duo may need to be even better this time around considering Kevin Durant is on the other side and Green isn't suspended for Game 5.