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NBA ALL-STAR WEEKENDFebruary 16, 2013Kyrie IrvingHOUSTON, TEXAS Q.  You're having quite a weekend, you looked fantastic yesterday and now you come out and win the three‑point shooting contest, what are your thoughts on it? KYRIE IRVING: It feels good.  Add it to the résumé, MVP for Rising Stars, and now Three‑Point Shoot Out champion. Q. What do you have for us tomorrow? KYRIE IRVING: For tomorrow? I'm sleeping. I've got tons of appearances and events. I honestly need rest right now. Q. Talk a little bit about your mentality coming into this weekend. It seems like you were inserted into the starting lineup for the All‑Star Game. KYRIE IRVING: Yeah, this weekend was just basically about earning everybody's respect and getting a chance to people to see me that don't usually see me; we're not nationally televised. This weekend is show my face to the fans and get everybody acclimated to my face in the league. Q. Does this build the excitement? KYRIE IRVING: Absolutely. Every award and everything that I do, the All‑Star Weekend is dedicated to the Cavaliers organization, trying to be a great representative for our team. Q. Can you talk about your mindset going into tomorrow's All‑Star Game and whether you're going to be as aggressive as you were in the rookie game? KYRIE IRVING: Absolutely. Absolutely. I know a couple of guys on the team are competitive and trying to get a win. That's what it's about. It's for the fans but also we're trying to win at the end of the day. Q. Were you surprised at all about how quickly the impact you've had on the league after not even two years? KYRIE IRVING: Sometimes. I just realize when I'm alone and I'm watching SportsCenter or NBA TV or something like that. It's a surreal moment. I do have some surreal moments at times. It's a blessing, and an honor to be recognized as one of the great players in the league. Q. People obviously know you as somebody that's emerging as a star in this league. Do you think you get enough credit for your three‑point shooting, for your perimeter game? KYRIE IRVING: I'm not too sure. I feel like I'm a better off‑the‑dribble shooter than a spot‑up shooter. I'm not sure how many threes I have on the year, but not as many as the guys I was shooting against out there. I try to be as efficient as possible. That's about it. Q. Do you hope that something like this tonight will send a message to the fans or the rest of the league or do you not get caught up in that sort of thing? KYRIE IRVING: I feel like I was a dark house in this competition. I just want to go out and prove a point that I was one of the premiere shooters out here with all these guys. Steve Novak and Matt Bonner, I never thought I'd beat those guys. Q. There was a lot of trash talking between you and Coach Scott, so what would you say to him now? And what's with the sleeve? KYRIE IRVING: I just wore it. That's about it. I can now give myself my own advice. You know what I'm talking about. (Laughter). Q. Would you like to see anybody on the West fall to the ground? KYRIE IRVING: If it happens it happens. But I'm just looking forward to being a part of it and having fun out there. Q. How was the community service yesterday? KYRIE IRVING: It was awesome. I love being around the kids. They wanted me to go to their assembly. The connection I had with them, I'm still a young kid myself. So I enjoy just being around them. Their spirits are awesome; it's just like mine. So it's just an awesome opportunity to give back to the community sponsored by the NBA and the All‑Star Weekend. Q. When you were in Cleveland you said you were going to surprise people in this, was that natural self‑confidence or did you know something the rest of us didn't? KYRIE IRVING: Just believing in myself and believing in my shot, that I had a chance to win this competition. I felt like I was the dark horse in this. Coming out here was about trying to make shots the best I can. Thinking about the guys in this competition it was scary. I honestly thought Stephen Curry was going to be the surprise of this. But I'm just happy that I got this award. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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