Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving limped off the floor in overtime of Game 1 after injuring his knee. Irving has been slowed down by lower body injuries throughout the postseason, missing Game 2 and Game 3 against the Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals. He has not returned.
Kyrie Irving injury: Cavaliers star limps off in overtime vs. Warriors during Game 1
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Here’s a look at the play:
Irving appeared to be in visible pain coming off the floor:
Irving confirmed after the game that he injured his knee, not his ankle. He said the injury felt different than what he had experienced in the series against Chicago.
David Blatt said he believes it was a non-contact injury for Kyrie Irving. The aggravation did not come from colliding with Harrison Barnes
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 5, 2015 Irving was excellent early in the game, and even made a game-saving block on a Steph Curry layup late in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists in 44 minutes of play.
Irving was being consoled by his father and agent at the end of overtime. He was emotional after the game:
After Irving's block, Cleveland's had a chance to win the game with the last possession of regulation, but LeBron James missed a jumper. In overtime, the Warriors limited the Cavs to only two points and walked away with the victory. Game 2 is Sunday.
Irving exited the arena on crutches, but he didn’t accept them willingly. He had a frustrated exchange with his agent Jeff Wechsler on whether he needed them, something Irving perhaps wasn’t yet willing to accept, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. By the time he left, however, his mood was in better spirits.
Cavs guard Kyrie Irving left locker room using crutches. But laughing and joking with friends. pic.twitter.com/hNx5VD4lng
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) June 5, 2015 We’ll update this post as it develops.
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