Kyrie Irving: Cavs 'definitely would have won' title if healthy

The word "if" can't change what's happened. It can't change the number of rings on a player's hand. It can't alter legacies.

But it can certainly work to make someone feel better, and it's good for hypothetical discussions and debate. Like, for example, whether the Cleveland Cavaliers would have beaten the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals if they were completely healthy.

That's an "if" that injured Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving is quite certain about.

"I feel like we definitely would have won an NBA championship if we had everyone healthy," Irving said on The Big Podcast With Shaq. "But almost doesn’t count."

Irving is correct - almost doesn't count - but it's a debate that's likely going to resurface during the 2015-16 season, with both teams favored to be in the title chase again. The Warriors played the series at full strength, or, as healthy as any team can hope to be at the end of a 100-plus-game slog. The Cavs, meanwhile, were down Irving, Kevin Love, and Anderson Varejao, rendered woefully thin on bodies and offensive talent.

The Warriors came back from a 2-1 deficit to win the series in six games, but the thought experiment isn't as simple as adding Irving and Love back into the equation. The Cavs ran a different offense, played differently on defense, and adopted an entirely new identity after the injuries, and there's no telling how the "old" Cavs would have made out.

Healthier is better, and more talent is better, but the Warriors adjusted to every single thing thrown their way this year, producing one of the all-time great bell-to-bell seasons. They very well may have adjusted to those Cavs, too. But it sure is interesting to think about.