Kyrie Irving limps off the court after suffering a fractured knee cap during Game 1 of the 2015 NBA Finals. (Getty)
Worst. Overtime. Ever.
Not only did the Cleveland Cavaliers fail to score for the first four minutes and 51 seconds of the extra period Thursday night, eventually falling to the Golden State Warriors, 108-100, in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, but they lost their star point guard to a fractured knee cap in the process.
With a little more than two minutes left in overtime, Kyrie Irving drove the lane and stumbled at the right elbow before shoveling the ball to J.R. Smith. Here’s a look at the now infamous play:
It looks harmless enough, but Irving had clearly suffered a serious injury. He limped off the court and back to the locker room in obvious pain:
Tests early Friday revealed there was no damage to Irving’s ACL or MCL, but after an MRI, the team later announced he had suffered a fractured knee cap. He will undergo surgery in a couple of days and be sidelined for three-to-four months.
After the disastrous news, Irving stayed upbeat with a comment on his Instagram account:
I want to thank everyone for the well wishes. Saddened by the way I had to go out but it doesn’t take away from being apart of a special playoff run with my brothers. Truly means a lot for all the support and love. I Gave it everything I had and have no regrets. I love this game no matter what and I’ll be back soon. To my brothers: You already know what the deal is. And to Delly: “ICE it down del” *Big Perk voice *
With Irving now joining Kevin Love in street clothes on the sideline, it will be up to LeBron James to have a super-human effort if the Cavs have any chance of knocking off the Warriors.
