Kyrie Irving will miss the rest of the NBA Finals with fractured kneecap
The Cavaliers’ star went down with 2:20 left in overtime of Game 1 and did not return to the game. Now, he won’t be back for the series.
Kyrie Irving has a fractured left kneecap and has been ruled out for the rest of the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers announced Friday. The Cleveland guard limped off the floor midway through overtime of Game 1 and left the arena on crutches.
Irving will have surgery and is officially out for 3-4 months, putting his status for next season in jeopardy. The new injury was discovered in an MRI taken early Friday morning.
Irving sent this message on Instagram after the news was announced:
I want to thank everyone for the well wishes. Saddened by the way I had to go out but it doesn’t take away from being apart of a special playoff run with my brothers. Truly means a lot for all the support and love. I Gave it everything I had and have no regrets. I love this game no matter what and I’ll be back soon. To my brothers: You already know what the deal is. And to Delly: “ICE it down del” *Big Perk voice *
Irving has been battling knee tendinitis since the semifinals and missed two games of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks. He looked healthy when he returned for Game 4 after visiting a specialist, who diagnosed that Irving could cause no further damage to the knee by playing on it.
With an eight-day break between the conference finals and Thursday’s Game 1, Irving looked superb, recording 23 points, six assists, four steals and a game-saving block on Stephen Curry in the final seconds of regulation. But Irving collapsed midway through the overtime period while driving the lane, and it was immediately clear something was wrong with his knee again.
Irving limped off the floor and was met in the locker room by his agent, Jim Wechsler, and his father. He told media after the game that the pinch in his knee felt different from the previous times it had happened. When they left him, Irving looked dispirited with a towel over his shoulders and hand over his face at his locker.
Already without Kevin Love, the loss of Irving cripples the Cavaliers. They advanced past the helpless Hawks with only half a series from Irving, but the Warriors are a different breed and show none of the flaws evident late in the Hawks' playoff run, including their own injuries that broke their will in the final games.
Irving is just 23 with a bright future in front of him. Even though the Finals feel like the most important thing right now, his long-term health is imperative for him and the Cavaliers, and knee injuries are the quickest way to ruin that. An offseason spent recovering is the best thing for Irving right now.
For the Cavaliers, suddenly it really is LeBron James against everybody. Without his biggest supporter, he has been given the impossible task of winning this series mostly by himself, with only role players helping him.
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