In Game 2 of the Finals on Sunday, Kyrie Irving was noticeably not the same player everyone saw in the first match. He was not efficient from the field, as he only finished with 8-of-23 shooting, and at times looked a step slower than what fans have been accustomed from seeing from him. While many wondered what caused him to have a sub par performance, a possible explanation for it has recently surfaced.
According to multiple sources, the 25-year-old Duke product may be suffering from a knee injury that has been hampering him late in the playoffs. Although it’s pure speculation for now, it’s still a concern for the Cleveland Cavaliers fans, as their star guard may not be 100 percent and would be playing through a lot of discomfort.
https://twitter.com/JonesOnTheNBA/status/871547440607789057
https://twitter.com/JonesOnTheNBA/status/871550206533263360
Kyrie said his knee wasn’t right late in season. He’s been banged up in playoffs, too https://t.co/kQwElq79gt
— J.A. Adande (@jadande) June 5, 2017
This is definitely more bad news for the team should it be true, as the Cavs are now facing an 0-2 deficit in the series and have been blown out by the Golden State Warriors in the first two games. If there’s anything in their favor at this point, the matchup is now shifting to Northeast Ohio for Games 3 and 4, where raucous Cavs fans await the games played inside Quicken Loans Arena.
The two-day gap between games will also be helpful for Irving as it will allow him to rest his knee more and even receive a lot of treatment on it. He will be relied upon heavily by his team and they need his production more than ever now, especially after seeing LeBron James produce a triple-double and get smacked in Game 2. Knowing the competitive nature of Uncle Drew, he’s not expected to miss any games, and should continue to compete for the Cavaliers until the end of the series.
