The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped game one of the 2015 NBA Finals on Thursday night, as the Golden State Warriors pulled away in overtime to win 108-100. Cleveland had the Warriors on the ropes late in the game, but two last second shots by LeBron James and Iman Shumpert fell short.
Those two shots were part of an ugly 1-13 stretch to close the game, as the Cavs ran cold to end the fourth and didn’t make another basket in the extra period until James made a meaningless layup with just 15 seconds to go. As dispiriting as the game one loss was, there might not be anything worse than seeing Kyrie Irving exit the game after re-injuring his knee.
Irving had been dealing with a lingering knee issue throughout the playoffs, and even sat out two games during the Eastern Conference Finals. With a long lay-off after sweeping the Atlanta Hawks in that series, Irving and the Cavs seemed to think his knee woes were behind him. For the most part in game one, that indeed seemed to be the case, as Irving overcame a slow start to look very much like his explosive self. Irving contributed 23 points and eight assists, playing scorer and playmaker as needed as Cleveland dictated the pace for much of the game.
Too Many Minutes?
Irving looked to be fully healthy, but now that we know he sustained a knee injury, the debate opens up if the Cavs were far too liberal with his run in his first game back. After all, head coach David Blatt knew Irving wasn’t completely 100% before the Finals started, yet he decided to keep him in for 43 minutes, anyways. It’s an interesting move, especially considering how well backup point guard Matthew Dellavedova has played in Irving’s absence. In addition, Blatt could have slid James to the point for stretches to give Irving’s knees a break. He then could have had Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith both on the floor if he for some reason didn’t feel confident in Dellavedova playing big minutes on such a big stage.
In that same breath, Blatt probably rode Irving as hard as he did for two very good reasons: first, because Irving wasn’t complaining and felt good. Second, and probably the biggest one, is because he needed him. While the Cavs seemed to be in control and running the pace for much of the game, a huge reason why was because of Irving. With Irving playing less minutes, it’s highly possible, if not likely, Cleveland would have lost steam on the road in a hostile environment. Irving even ended up proving key on the defensive end, as he blocked a late Stephen Curry layup that in hind sight probably would have won the game in regulation.
Game 2 Availability?
The Cavs and Warriors play again on Sunday, which means Irving truly has two full days of rest and then will have to test his knee on Sunday at the latest. Considering he was limping visibly, left the stadium on crutches and seemd to be in a good deal of pain, Irving should be doubtful for game two. Irving is expected to get an MRI on Friday to see if there is any serious damage to the knee and if not, he would still have a chance to suit up for game two. The two main problems will be pain tolerance and Cleveland’s fear of seriously hurting one of their best players. There is no better time to risk injury than when you’re competing for a world title, but it’s possible Irving and the Cavs won’t want to chance it.
Impact
There’s the old saying “next man up” but losing Irving for the entire series or even a couple games could be catastrophic for the Cavs. LeBron James proved in game one that he can get his if he’s focused, but that actually played into Golden State’s plan. They preferred to play James straight up and take whatever points he got, rather than free up James by doubling him or focusing too much on him defensively to the point that it allows wide open shots from his teammates. Keeping James locked in offensively limits his play-making, which in turn keeps his teammates ill prepared and naturally cold from outside.
That was the game plan when Irving was around and it worked, even with Irving having a solid impact. Just imagine what Cleveland’s offense will have to try to do to compensate for Irving going forward if he’s out. There is no guarantee Irving is going to miss any time, but even if he doesn’t he could be severely limited or further his current injury. The Cavs were probably already playing with their backs against the wall and they let a winnable game one get away from them. Now they march ahead in these NBA Finals and it could be without their second best player. That’s bad news for my NBA Finals pick and it’s definitely bad news for Cleveland.
Think the Cavaliers are fine without Irving if he misses time? Let us hear your side in the comments below!
