Cavs’ Kyrie Irving out for NBA Finals after knee injury

The Sports Xchange

9 years ago

Jun 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) drives to the basket against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the third quarter in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

June 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) moves the ball against the defense of Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the second half in game one of the NBA Finals. at Oracle Arena. (Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)

June 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) moves to the basket against the defense of Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the overtime period in game one of the NBA Finals. at Oracle Arena. (Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports)

Jun 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) fights for a loose ball during the third quarter against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

June 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) shoots against the defense of Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the second half in game one of the NBA Finals. at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

June 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) moves the ball as center Tristan Thompson (13) provides a screen against Golden State Warriors guard Leandro Barbosa (19) during the second half in game one of the NBA Finals. at Oracle Arena. (Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports)

June 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) leaves to the locker room after suffering an apparent injury against the Golden State Warriors during the overtime period in game one of the NBA Finals. at Oracle Arena. (Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports)

June 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) falls to the floor while being defended by Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the overtime period in game one of the NBA Finals. at Oracle Arena. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt said earlier Friday that he was “very concerned” about Kyrie Irving, and his worst fears were realized when the team announced that the point guard sustained a fractured left kneecap during Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

An MRI performed at the Stanford Sports Medicine Clinic revealed the extent of the injury. Irving will undergo surgery in the coming days performed by Cavaliers head team physician Dr. Richard Parker at Cleveland Clinic to repair the damage. Recovery time is estimated at three to four months.

Midway through OT in Thursday night’s 108-100 loss to Golden State, Irving went down awkwardly while trying to make an offensive move.

Irving collapsed as he was driving with the ball with two minutes left and grabbed the left knee, which has been bothering him with tendinitis for the past six weeks, along with a sprained right foot. He left the court to be examined and did not return.

After the game, the Cavaliers issued a statement that said Irving hurt his left knee. Initial tests done by the Cavs’ medical staff revealed no damage to Irving’s anterior cruciate ligament or medial collateral ligament.

“You can hear in the tone of my voice that I’m a little worried,” Irving said after the game. “I just want to make sure everything is OK, and I’m going to take the necessary steps to see what’s going on.

“I hope it’s just a reaggravation. It’s disappointing; coming in, I felt amazing. It’s a setback.”

When he left the locker room, Irving was limping significantly and he exited the arena on crutches Thursday night. Now he is out for the remainder of the series.

“It was very tough to see,” teammate LeBron James said. “I’ve seen how hard he worked these last eight days just to get himself to play at this level tonight.”

In 44 minutes of action Thursday, Irving finished with 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. He is averaging 18.7 points and 3.7 assists in the postseason after averaging 21.7 points and 5.2 assists in the regular season.