CLEVELAND—It’s been almost four years since Kyrie Irving underwent the tedious process of sitting through hours of makeup and costuming to become the senior citizen basketball superhero, Uncle Drew.
In those ads, Irving schools unsuspecting street ball players with his quickness, his slick handle and his natural ability to finish at the rim.
On Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, Irving wore no disguise. The Cleveland Cavaliers point guard had his full bag of tricks on display but the Toronto Raptors wore the same beleaguered looks on their faces as the anonymous extras in the ads did, as Irving led the Cavs to a resounding 115-84 win.