WASHINGTON, D.C. - Wasn't Kyrie Irving supposed to be on some sort of minute restriction? That plan was scrapped against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, and it could have been due to a video presentation.

Irving played all 12 minutes in the fourth quarter and ripped up the Wizards' defense as if there were no tomorrow. He changed pace, changed directions, twisted ankles, spun defenders around, finished in the lane and popped jumper after jumper in the eye of his opposition.

When the final buzzer sounded and the Cavaliers had topped the Wizards 121-115 to get their fifth straight win, Irving walked off the court having scored 19 of his season-high 32 points in that final quarter.

Where did this performance come from? We revisit recent history.

John Wall made headlines when he said "it's a joke" that Irving had received the second-most votes among guards in the first All-Star returns that were released on Christmas Day. Irving had only appeared in two games at the time, and Wall was recently named the Eastern Conference Player of the Month.

The two have since talked it out and peace was made. They both wanted to move on from the situation. But other people within the Wizards' organization weren't ready to let it go.

In the second quarter during a timeout, the Wizards' in-game entertainment crew presented a spoof that ended up biting them in the rear. It was intended to be lighthearted and humorous, but failed miserably.

On the Jumbotron it showed fans attending the game in Cavaliers apparel being asked in the concourse who belonged in the All-Star Game between Wall and Irving. Every single fan said Wall, and you could tell they were instructed to answer that way.

The bit went on long enough that it got the Cavaliers' attention from their huddle, and they didn't take too kindly to it.

"Nah, we didn't like it as a team. We didn't like it at all," guard J.R. Smith said with a stone face.

"Yeah, I saw it for sure," LeBron James chimed in. "I've been dealing with that my entire career."

It was an awkward few minutes. After the game Wizards personnel were left scratching their heads, furious with the video. "Why would they do that?" one team employee said. "That was stupid."

It was tacky, but most importantly it put Wall in an uncomfortable situation. Here he was thinking his comments about Irving were behind him, and his own franchise brought them back to the forefront.

Plus, he was struggling on the court. At the half, he had two points on 1-of-9 shooting and six turnovers. Irving had 11 points on 5-of-10 from the field and one turnover. The last thing Wall needed was for Irving to have extra motivation.

When asked about how he felt with the Wizards' bit, Irving said he didn't take it personally, but didn't offer much beyond that. "It is what it is," he said. "I really have no comment. Real talk, no comment."

But his backcourt mate spoke on his behalf.

"Me personally, I didn't like it but, I'm sure if I was on the other team I would have liked it," Smith said. I think it's certain things that need to be left alone and that's one of them -- especially somebody who's earned the respect that he's gotten."

This was Wall's opportunity to prove he was worthy of an All-Star spot. He scored 20 points on 8-of-19 from the field and turned it over a game-high seven times. His last three buckets came in the closing seconds when the game was out of reach. He did distribute a game-high 12 assists, but it wasn't enough.

Irving clearly outplayed him.

"If they feel they've got to make a spoof to get some more votes for John Wall, it is what it is," the Cavs' Tristan Thompson said. "Kyrie is playing great for us. Fans are going to vote for whoever they want to see."

That video presentation might have been the fuel that initiated Irving's late-game fire. Irving smiled and then laughed, saying, "Nah," when asked if the video struck a chord.

We'll never know the truth, but there's a lesson to be learned: Don't agitate a snake because you might end up getting bitten. Now Wall, the Wizards and the in-game entertainment crew are left licking their wounds.

"There's no question who the real All-Star is," Smith said.