Chapter 337: Kyrie Wants Out.
After defeating the Heat, the Cavaliers went on another winning streak.
Nikola Jokić was getting better with each game, and the media coverage around him continued to grow.
But at the same time, tension was brewing between Kyrie Irving and head coach Michael Malone.
Kyrie had started to ignore Malone's play calls—sometimes subtly, sometimes blatantly.
Malone was furious.
But since the team was rolling and in the middle of a winning streak, he didn't push the issue too hard.
Superstars always had some level of on-court autonomy—it came with the territory.
However, Malone's patience only gave Kyrie more room to do as he pleased.
And then it happened.
The Cavaliers lost to the Raptors.
After the game, Malone publicly criticized Kyrie in the press conference.