Cavs’ road to Finals just got easier
The road to an eighth consecutive NBA Finals appearance just got a little easier for LeBron James.
Kyrie Irving, or “the kid” as LeBron called his former teammate in September, will have a second left knee surgery in two weeks Saturday and not play again this season, according to the Boston Celtics.
The surgery is expected to sideline the All-Star point guard for four to five months. ESPN first reported that Irving would miss the remainder of the season, including the playoffs.
The news is devastating for a Boston Celtics team that was hopeful Irving, who had a first surgery on March 24, would be available for the second round.
Now, however, the Celtics, who sit in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 53-25 record, could struggle to get out of the first round. Boston is also without guard Marcus Smart, who had surgery on his right thumb last month.
The latest development will have a huge impact on the 2018 NBA playoffs. With the Celtics all but locked into the No. 2 seed they would likely play Miami, Washington or Milwaukee in the first round. Cleveland is currently in third place and if form holds, the Cavs would face Boston in the second round.
James, who wasn’t happy that Irving forced his way out of Cleveland last summer, is on pace to play in all 82 games this season for the first time in his career. The theory is that with the NBA stretching out the season to give the players additional rest days, James was returning the favor by playing a full schedule.
By doing so, LeBron is again in contention to win Most Valuable Player but he’s also helped the revamped Cavs find their footing in the Eastern Conference and climb in the standings.
Even though Philadelphia still has a chance to finish third — they’ll host the Cavs today — the feeling is that James wants a third seed because Boston is a more favorable matchup than Toronto.
The Raptors, who defeated the Celtics on Wednesday, are on the verge of clinching the top seed in the East. They could potentially face the Sixers in the second round and avoid facing LeBron and the Cavs until the conference finals.
The Celtics under head Coach Brad Stevens have done well despite a depleted roster. On opening night, free agent pick-up Gordon Hayward suffered a gruesome ankle injury five minutes into his Celtics debut and hasn’t played since. He has begun light jogging but the Celtics insist that Hayward will not play again this year.
Irving, 26, has played in just 60 games this season and his longterm health is of great concern. Irving, from West Orange, N.J., underwent a procedure to remove a tension wire in the knee last month.
Saturday’s surgery is to remove two screws from his patella that were inserted in 2015 to repair a fracture he suffered in Game 1 of that year’s NBA Finals. According to the Celtics, a bacterial infection was discovered at the site of the screws when Irving had surgery on March 24.
The Celtics said Irving’s patella is completely healed and “remains structurally sound.”
In an Instagram post Irving wrote: “The hardest thing to do sometimes is accept the uncontrollable things life throws at you”
He later added: “In this case, finding out I have an infection in my knee is definitely a moment that I now accept and move past without holding on to the all the what ifs, proving the nay-Sayers completely (expletive) wrong, and accomplishing the goals I’ve set out for the team and myself. This season was only a snapshot of what’s to come from me. Trust Me. The journey back to the top of Mt. Everest continues.”
And LeBron’s journey back to the NBA Finals just received a huge boost.