Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving deserves the bulk of the credit for his recovery, but the assistance his teammates have been during the process of not folding, shouldn't be overlooked, writes Chris B. Haynes.

(AP)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The stage is set for Kyrie Irving to make his long-awaited season debut Sunday afternoon against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Although nothing is official, Irving, 23, has done all that's asked of him.

The team continues to say he needs to pass a few more tests, but sources say the fifth-year point guard has been ready, and his teammates have played a major role to get him there.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, winners of their last four games and sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference, executed their plan to perfection during Irving's recovery from knee surgery: They have played well and kept unnecessary pressure to return from creeping into Irving's head.

It allowed the three-time All-Star to buy more time instead of returning prematurely. It was far from easy. Guys were in and out of the lineup with an assortment of nicks and ailments, but the Cavs still managed to overcome adversity and stay the course.

"We're a resilient group," big man Tristan Thompson said. "We feel like if we got enough guys to take the court, then we should win the game. That's our mindset and it's gotten us this far.

With Irving, Iman Shumpert (groin) and Mo Williams (thumb) sidelined on Thursday night, the Cavaliers overcame two double-digit deficits to squeak out the 104-100 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Aside from LeBron James' usual dominance, players such as Thompson, Richard Jefferson and Jared Cunningham stepped up and delivered. It's pretty much been that way for the first 24 games of the season. Irving has been missed, but in the long run the team is better off. It reassures them they're capable of winning every single game even when able bodies are in short supply.

Head coach David Blatt insisted on Thursday that the opponent has nothing to do with whenever Irving is given the green light.

"Not at all," he said. "We have also have been pretty consistent about wanting to put Kyrie on the floor when he's ready, and we still have some steps to go through before we're confident that he's ready. So, when we get to that point, then we'll put him out there regardless of what team we're playing."

Even though by all accounts Irving's ball handling is breaking down defenders and his jumper is as pure as ever, the opponent he faces in his debut does matter.

Once a player finally gets cleared from a long and tedious rehabilitation, the next order of business is to put him in position to gain confidence. That's not to suggest Irving is lacking in confidence since he has been practicing restriction-free for about a week, but practice and games are drastically different.

A self-assured, healthy player is the objective, and what better way to accomplish that than against the 1-26 Sixers at The Q?

Irving has worked hard to build up the strength in his legs to put himself in position to return. He deserves the bulk of the credit, but the help his teammates have been during the process shouldn't be overlooked.

It has eased Irving's transition. He's walking into an ideal, burden-free situation.