The Cleveland Cavaliers faced a momentous challenge Wednesday night they only overcame after repeated failure.
We’re not talking about beating their NBA opponent. That they did handily, dismantling the New York Knicks 126-94 at Madison Square Garden. We’re talking, instead, about flipping water bottles.
The Cavs were so content with their lead in the fourth quarter that they began attempting the “water bottle challenge,” a recent craze involving trying to flip a water bottle and make it land upright.
Except LeBron James and Co. didn’t do this during timeouts or stoppages in play. They did it in the middle of the game.
Kyrie & LeBron attempted the water bottle challenge during the @cavs blowout win in MSG…😂 pic.twitter.com/ac6cVjP7px
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) December 8, 2016
Kyrie Irving at least did his water bottle flipping on the sideline, and as far as we know, he’s the only one who pulled off the challenge.
https://vine.co/v/5xWbpJmKej3
To the victor goes the spoilers, and Irving got to weigh in on his accomplishment after the game.
“Oh man, it’s just a social media craze,” Irving said, via ESPN.com. “The water bottle is just like — if you land it, you are just like a legend. I was just trying to follow in the kids’ footsteps and really just put my mark on the water bottle challenge, man.”
Of course, flipping water bottles in the middle of an NBA game could be seen as pretty disrespectful to your opponent. But we’re sure James and the Cavs didn’t mind if they rubbed the blowout in Phil Jackson’s face, considering the Knicks president recently irked James by referring to his friends as a “posse.”
Thumbnail photo via Jeff Hanisch/USA TODAY Sports Images