GAME NOTE: Kyrie Irving was named MVP of the 2014 NBA All-Star Game after scoring 31 points and dishing out 14 assists to lead the East to victory. This is the first All-Star MVP for Irving in only his second All-Star Game. He received eight of a possible 13 votes. Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony each received two votes, with LeBron James getting one vote.
(Congrats on MVP. This being your first start, how special is this for you to win the MVP trophy your first start?): “It was definitely special. Just being out here with all these great athletes and playing in front of a great crowd in New Orleans, and then the game got competitive. You think as athletes we all want to make the game competitive, especially as an All-Star Game.”
"It could get out of hand, but both teams competed until the end. And the East wanted to win this one. We took this one personal a little bit.”
"But at the end of the day it was about having fun and the camaraderie and the friendships out there and just being in front of those gracious fans.”
(Did you kind of get a sense during the All-Star festivities a lot of guys, young guys kind of taking over in a sense? Did you feel that the baton in some ways was kind of passed on to guys like you, Kyrie, and others that participated this weekend?)
"I think so. A lot of the guys that, you know, fourth, fifth year in the league, making the All-Star team, and Kyrie, I think -- how old is he? 21 years old? Winning the MVP? I was very happy for him. He's a great, great player."
(Talk about Kyrie winning the MVP?)
"Kyrie is special. It's just that simple. He's a very special basketball player, very smart basketball player. His ability to shoot the ball, get into the lane, make shots around rim, he has a total package."
"And I've always known that. I've always witnessed that, and ever since he was in high school. And I'm extremely happy for him, extremely proud for him to receive this award. It's big time."
(On the Game)
"Good job, Kyrie Irving. Very proud of our East All-Stars for pulling out a come-from-behind win, buckling down on the defensive end when they needed to and just putting on just a spectacular performance offensively, and just showing a little bit of will to go out there and do whatever it takes to get a win."