LOS ANGELES: Kyrie Irving made the most of his playoff debut Sunday, scoring 30 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics 113-100 in the opening game of their first round series.
Guard Irving played with the poise of an NBA veteran as he drained his first five shots from beyond the arc. He was backed up by LeBron James 20 points, seven assists and six rebounds and Kevin Love's 19 point and 12 rebound performance as Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series.
"Having four days of preparation and being with my brothers in the war room going over film, going into the game, you feel prepared," Irving said. "I'm just glad I got game one out of the way."
In other playoff action Sunday, Kyle Korver finished with a game-high 21 points to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a 99-92 win over the Brooklyn Nets in game one of their East series.
In the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 100-86 to open their series and the Los Angeles Clippers surprised the defending league champion San Antonio Spurs 107-92.
Irving scored 20 of his 30 points in the first half. He had 12 in the second quarter, including a buzzer-beater to give the second-seeded Cavs a 62-54 halftime lead after they trailed by eight.
"He's our floor general," said James. "He set the tone early with his ability to shoot the ball and to get in the lane."
Love also got his first taste of the postseason, following 439 regular season games with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Cleveland.
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