Irving’s gimpy knee could be key to Cavaliers’ title hopes
TINDEPENDENCE, Ohio he Cleveland Cavaliers would prefer to have the dynamic version of Kyrie Irving who can shatter ankles with a pitty-pat crossover dribble and either blow by the stammering defender for a ridiculous, reverse scoop shot or pull up for a feathery jumper. That version of Irving might not be available until next season, when his left knee and a sore right foot have had more time to heal.
But with the NBA Finals set to begin Thursday in Oakland, the Cavaliers will settle for simply having Irving’s name etched in pen, not pencil, for every game against the Golden State Warriors as they attempt to win the first Larry O’Brien trophy in franchise history. If Irving can be more than a decoy and display occasional flashes of the explosive scoring touch that helped him earn third-team all-NBA honors, that would be nice, too.
“We’re just hoping he can get out there and play,” Cavaliers coach David Blatt told reporters. “Progress has been slow. He’s not out of the woods entirely.”
A player magnetically attracted to the big stage, Irving dropped 30 points in his postseason debut against the Boston Celtics before his body picked the worst possible time for a betrayal. Irving has spent the past six weeks swaying in and out of the lineup, having his usual preparation time consumed by around-the-clock treatment sessions, making doctor’s visits, and watching in frustration as his teammates carried on — quite admirably — with him grimacing and hobbling around. “Being hurt (stinks),” Irving said. Irving’s health and ability to relieve LeBron James from a burden that pushed him to an exhaustive fall to his knees at the end of Game 3 in the conference final will be a determining factor in which team leaves this season with the NBA title. Despite what James has done this postseason to dance around a dumbfounding upstart in Boston, the dysfunction in Chicago and a deteriorating Atlanta, there are limitations to a one-man show in the NBA Finals.
Magic Johnson led the Los Angeles Lakers on an unexpected run to the Finals in 1991 but a wounded James Worthy meant that Johnson’s greatness alone wouldn’t be enough to block Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen from their first NBA title for the Bulls. Allen
GOLDEN STATE VS. CLEVELAND All times PDT; TV: ABC (Channel 13) Game 1: Thursday at Golden State, 6 p.m. Game 2: Sunday at Golden State, 5 p.m. Game 3: Tuesday at Cleveland, 6 p.m. Game 4: June 11 at Cleveland, 6 p.m. Game 5*: June 14 at Golden State, 5 p.m. Game 6*: June 16 at Cleveland, 6 p.m. Game 7*: June 19 at Golden State, 7 p.m. *if necessary Iverson dragged the Philadelphia 76ers into the Finals in 2001 against Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, snuck in one defiant, stepping-over-Tyronn-Lue victory, but was gone in five. James led an unripe Cavaliers teams to the Finals in 2007 and met “LeBroom.”
Hakeem Olajuwon took advantage of Jordan’s brief retirement to lift the Houston Rockets to their first championship in 1994 without any AllStar assistance. Dirk Nowitzki was a lone star surrounded by the hungriest and most ornery collection of assembled role players in 2011; yet he needed James’ bizarre disappearance to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a title.
James has a better supporting cast than he carried with him in his first Finals appearance with the Cavaliers, even with Kevin Love done for the season with a shoulder injury and Irving not quite himself. Timofey Mosgov and Tristan Thompson have formed a physical, glass-cleaning front line. J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert have hit open 3-pointers and been engaged defensively since being free from the stench of the New York Knicks. Matthew Dellavedova has been a terror with aggressive and, at times, reckless play in the absence of Irving, who missed the second half of the Cavaliers’ clinching victory against the Bulls and two games against the Hawks.
But James knows he will need more against reigning league Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
“Kyrie at 50 percent, Kyrie at 60 percent is better than (no) Kyrie at all,” James said.
After paying a visit to James Andrews in Florida on May 22 and taking a different approach to his rehabilitation for left knee tendinitis, Irving went through four days that he said were “kind of hell” to score 16 points in the 30-point closeout win against Atlanta. When he’s moving right and feeling better, Irving possesses some wicked ballhandling skills, Curry-like range on his jumper and a straight-to-the-rack mentality when attacking the basket.
Crafty and acrobatic, Irving can get inside and finish with the best, ranking third among point guards at finishing in the restricted area this season. Limited to being mostly a jump shooter in the postseason, Irving trails only Mike Dunleavy in long-range accuracy among players with at least 50 three-point attempts (48.1 percent).
Irving was the only player this season to post two 50-point games and even broke James’ franchise scoring record with a 57-point performance in an overtime road win in San Antonio. His most pressing concern is gaining enough trust in his leg that his teammates can start relying again on his scoring binges.
“I’m in a good spot right now,” Irving said. “Basketball for me is based all off instincts. Going out there when you’re playing hurt, it’s a mental struggle and a mental game that you’re playing with yourself and you’re trying to convince yourself. ... Your mind is thinking one thing and your body just won’t allow you to do it. When they’re in line, it’s the utmost confidence.”
Irving, 23, didn’t have much team success in his first three seasons in Cleveland — as he struggled with injuries and understanding the maturity required to be a leader — but his individual resume was already stacked with two All-Star appearances and MVP honors in the All-Star Game.
“How special he was, I noticed that,” James said. “To see him grow and see him learn what it means to truly be a professional every day since I’ve been here is a been a huge reward. To see his mind process so many different things over the course of these months and be able to translate that not only on the court but off it as well, has been a treat to watch.”
THE WASHINGTON POST