CLEVELAND, Ohio – Kyrie Irving has finally rid himself of the rationalizations for why he has been a subpar defensive player during his brief NBA career.

No more excuses, he now says.

Yes, in the past, he was asked to shoulder the burden offensively. However, that doesn't mean it is OK to allow opposing point guards to have their way in the lane. That's counterproductive to a winning culture.

This season, he knew things would have to change. The expectations are through the roof and players will be held accountable. In the off-season, Irving came to realize he would need to alter his line of thinking when it came to defending.

"My first three years, it was just making excuses of offensive burdens and all this other stuff and at the end of the day, I just have to do it for the greater good of our team," Irving said after Saturday's 109-97 win over the Pacers.

"In order for our team to win, I have to be that kind of guy on the defensive end. You can only talk about it for so long and at one point it just has to be done."

By manning up, the fourth-year point guard has started to prove he can lock up his assignments. Over the last four games, opposing starting point guards are shooting a combined 40 percent on 16-of-40 from the field.

Irving has been picking up guys full court from start to finish. He is maneuvering around screens and, most importantly, keeping his feet moving. This is what observers have been longing to see. It takes a commitment to each defensive series.

Irving has learned that it is possible to give maximum effort on both offense and defense. He wants to be great at both.

"Going into my fourth year, it was just a conscious effort just to have a better focus level on that end," he said. "It starts with that. No matter whom we are playing against, guys are trying to stop me and I got to try to stop other guys. It's the attitude I have every single night.

"Of the teams, it's their objective to stop me. So in the back of my mind it's like, 'Why can't I be a great defender? I don't understand.' It's just all about effort."

If one desires to be one of the best players in this league, dominating on both sides of the ball is essential. Irving admitted he had let his team down in previous years. Cleveland was in the midst of a rebuild, but there's no telling what could have been if he paid attention to defense.

That rebuilding effort may have been accelerated by the expectations of the 2014-15 season. But it's better late than never. Aside from Irving limiting his guy; he has now shifted to becoming one of the team's best help defenders.

"So it's not as much pressure for other guys to help me," Irving said. "I'd rather help other guys and be in position to help and stop my guy instead of the other way around and always being that guy on film. I was on film a lot for the last three years. You get tired of it after a while. You want to be that guy that your teammates trust on a day in, day out basis."

All those film sessions of being called out look to be coming to a close. Nowadays, he is listening to others get scolded.

Head coach David Blatt and LeBron James have praised Irving's improved defense all along, but now it's evident. When he's locked in, the Cavaliers are a different team. It's all thanks to a renewed approach and the willingness to be great.

Irving is still evolving.

"Just have a consistent effort on that end," he said Saturday. "It starts on that end and it could change a ball game by one possession or two possessions, so I'm going to always have that on my mind."