"LeBron James is paying close attention to Kyrie Irving's development this season, but said Tuesday he doesn't believe the Cavs rookie should feel any pressure in trying to replace him as the star of the Cavs.

"They're in a rebuilding stage right now. I don't think he has any pressure," James said. "Pressure is created when you do things at a high level. He's going to continue to do things at a high level, that's just the player he is. Coach Scott has given him the starting job for a reason. He's going out and proving why he should be the starter."

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra called Irving "special" and "unique" and compared him to Los Angeles Clippers star Chris Paul, James' close friend and a former player under Cavs coach Byron Scott, who has also has made that comparison all season.

"You can see his skill set, his ball handling is above what you'd normally see," Spoelstra said. "He's looking at second layer, third layer, fourth layer when young players are usually looking at that first layer and that's all they can handle. He's quick, but he never looks like he's in a hurry.""