CLEVELAND, Ohio - LeBron James and Kyrie Irving had just made history, becoming the first teammates ever to both score at least 40 points in a Finals game, and they were about to share a funny moment.

The probing questioners who had access to the Cavs' dynamic duo wanted to know when, exactly, it was that James and Irving finally clicked, given their history of fits and starts over their two seasons together.

"I think it was like as soon as I was coming back to the team, I think we clicked right away," James said, after about the fourth question like this.

"Yeah, when he announced he was coming back. I think that's it," Irving added.

All of this was immediately after Game 5 against the Warriors, the game where the series changed. The Cavs were on their way to the largest comeback in Finals history, eventually erasing their 3-1 deficit.

At that same time, Irving was in the midst of one of the greatest personal turnarounds ever (for the purposes of this conversation, anyway).

Before you consider how Irving finished the Finals, remember this: After two games against the Warriors, James was so upset with Irving that he essentially called for his benching.

Irving averaged 27.1 points and shot 40.5 percent from 3-point range for the series. He scored 90 points over the Cavs' last three games. He obviously outplayed his counterpart - two-time reigning NBA MVP Steph Curry (who averaged 22.6 points and committed 30 turnovers to Irving's 18). And, yes, Irving buried one of the greatest shots in NBA history, given the time and the game, that 3-ball in Curry's face with 53 seconds left in Game 7 that proved to be the title clincher.

After two games of the Finals, James was all but done with Irving. It's a reason why, in an interview with cleveland.com last week, James said the team "culture" he was trying to build was not yet complete.

"Culture's not built in one year or two years," James said. "It's a longevity thing. While I'm here, I just want to implement what I've got, what I learned. And then hopefully someone can carry it on when I'm done."

This is not to say that James and Irving are at odds now. Of course they aren't. They just co-piloted an all-time Cleveland sports miracle. James gushes over Irving's MVP-like skills. Irving, awash in modesty, marveled over James' epic Game 7, saying he "watched Beethoven" weave together a triple-double.

James and Irving have had their moments over these past two seasons. They've clashed over how to defend, how to carry one's self off the court, when to pass and how, among other things. Irving had to first cede control of a team that had been his when James returned in 2014, and then learn how to best fill the role of Wingman A. James needed to come to respect Irving's talent and creativity.

All of that was just in Year 1, before James began to question Irving's toughness while he was nagged by injury during the 2015 playoffs. This season was, well, much more of the same.

James was furious with not just Irving, but J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, after the first two games of The Finals for not playing hard enough, not running the offense, and backing down from individual challenges. Irving responded with a performance worthy of a Finals MVP, unless your teammate is James and he's busy leading both teams in most major statistical categories.

"I think Kyrie 'the winner' emerged here," Cavs general manager David Griffin said. "He became far more aware of those moments in games that are winning moments."

Irving is 24, and his growth as a player and professional is evident. At the championship rally last week, he said he'd been watching James' block of Andre Iguodala from Game 7, which preceded his 3-pointer, "because there's no shot without The Block."

"You see a guy chasing down a shot like that and then I get a chance on the biggest stage, Game 7, man, I wouldn't trade it for the world," Irving said.

Irving has always given James his due respect in public, but it came across as more genuine over the past few weeks. James wants Irving to continue to take steps to be the consummate pro, now that his game has exploded, with things like off-season work habits, body maintenance, and even decorum with the press.

Irving will enter the second year of a five-year, $94 million extension in 2016-17. He, like James, has his own signature Nike shoe. While James rests this summer, Irving will chase his first Olympic gold medal with Team USA at the Rio Olympics.

In other words, coming off a shot that immortalized him, Irving's star has a chance to burn even brighter. He also has an opportunity to take those next steps James wants him to take - believes he can and should take - to get closer to winning those MVPs James has predicted for him.

"I think that the trust factor was just a big thing," Irving said. "It's just been continuous and been consistent as we've continued to grow together."