Irving credits 'Mamba mentality' for aggressive 2nd half

As levelheaded as some players may pride themselves on being, it's hard to imagine there being no jitters during a do-or-die Game 7 of the NBA Finals with so much at stake for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors.

Kyrie Irving's mind was racing a mile a minute in the days leading up to the series finale, which carried over into the first half as he looked to ease into his offense.

"I'm not even going to lie to you. I have barely slept in the last two days. I was up just really, really - I don't think my mind has really contemplated so many scenarios ever in the last 48 hours," Irving said in his postgame media conference following a 93-89 title clincher for the Cavaliers.

"You know, you're thinking about, OK, win-loss, what you're going to do out there. What's the effect you're going to have on the game. What are your teammates going to do? There was so much going on in my mind that when I started out the game, I actually communicated with my teammates, all right, I've got to really just settle into this moment."

The 24-year-old connected on four of his nine shots in the opening two quarters on Sunday as the Cavaliers trailed 49-42 at halftime. During the final moments of the second quarter, something clicked in Irving's head telling him to channel his inner Kobe Bryant and be more aggressive.

"And I think it came, going into almost ending the second quarter, that moment right there happened, and I was like, 'OK, I'm fine.' All I was thinking in the back of my mind was 'Mamba mentality, just Mamba mentality,'" Irving said. "That's all I was thinking."

The three-time All-Star scored 17 of his 26 points in the second half, including a pivotal 3-pointer over Stephen Curry to put Cleveland up by three with under a minute remaining on the game clock.