After taking a hard step and falling down to the ground in overtime of game one of the NBA Finals, it has been reported that Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving will miss the rest of the NBA Finals with a fractured left kneecap. He will undergo surgery in the next few days and will return to basketball activities in three to four months.
Breaking: Kyrie Irving to miss remainder of the NBA Finals
For the Cavaliers, the injuries just keep coming to their big three. They lost Kevin Love in the first round of the playoffs, and now they lost Kyrie Irving. The Cavs have dealt with injuries all season and simply cannot stay healthy. Luckily, they still have the best player in the world, LeBron James, who is healthy, and had a chance to make a game winning shot for the Cavs at the end of regulation yesterday.
With Irving’s injury, the defensive matchups for the Cavs will have to change. Irving did a great job defending Stephen Curry in game one, but that is no longer an option. Expect Iman Shumpert to now be the primary defender on Curry. James will also have a big role in trying to stop Curry. Not only do the Cavs lose a defensive presence, but they also lose their second best offensive player. Irving was able to get them out of slumps, and took a fair share of the the offensive load off of James. His ability to drive to the rim and perimeter shooting will be significantly missed.
Now, it is time for Matthew Dellavedova to step up. He obviously is not Irving and he has some big shoes to fill. He will need to hit perimeter shots and try his best to be a playmaker. He will also be defending Curry a lot, and his grittiness will be needed more than ever.
For most, this series is now over because of the Irving injury. But when the best player on the planet is still healthy and playing at a high level, it is a little too soon to declare a winner. If James wants to prove that he deserves to be in the same conversation as Michael Jordan, this is his time.
