Irving's Game 1 status unclear; won't be 100 percent 'unless something miraculous happens'
Having LeBron James is a good start, but the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to need all the King's men at their best to beat the top-seeded Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.
Unfortunately for the Cavs, who have been without Kevin Love since the conclusion of the postseason's opening round, it doesn't sound like Kyrie Irving will be at his best during the finals. Irving has been slowed by knee and foot injuries throughout the postseason, most notably missing two of Cleveland's four Eastern Conference Final games against the Atlanta Hawks due to tendinitis in his left knee.
Even after scoring 16 points in 22 minutes in the Cavs' series-clinching Game 4 win, his status for Game 1 of the finals on Thursday is up in the air, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, and he's been held out of portions of practice this week.
"We got a few more days until the first game," said Cavs coach David Blatt on Monday. "We're just hoping he can get out there and play, and then we'll address all those things."
Irving himself said he won't be 100 percent for the finals "unless something miraculous happens," and added: "It's just like I said before, I'm going to keep saying it, it's a day-by-day thing. I'm going to continue to get treatment and do what it takes."
That treatment has focused on exercises to strengthen muscles surrounding the knee, McMenamin reports, but Blatt - who admitted Sunday that his All-NBA point guard still wasn't quite himself - says things aren't progressing as quickly as the Cavs would have hoped.
"I wouldn't say he's had a setback, but progress has been slow," Blatt said.
Irving has seen his numbers dwindle in the postseason, as limited explosiveness has slowed him, particularly at the defensive end. That said, he's still managed 18.7 points per game on a True Shooting Percentage of 58.1 in 12 contests. He's also averaged 3.7 assists while taking more of a backseat to James.
The Cavs will enter Thursday's Game 1 having enjoyed eight days off since their last game action.