Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving’s status for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals is up in the air; the Cavs have listed their floor general as questionable for Friday’s night tilt with the Hawks in A-Town.
OFFICIAL STATUS UPDATE: @KyrieIrving (left knee tendinitis) listed as QUESTIONABLE. [MORE]: http://t.co/qtpL6V2eCa #CavsHawks
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) May 22, 2015
Irving, battling through knee tendinitis, limped his way to 10 points in 27 minutes of action in the 97-89 series-opening victory.
Frustrated All-Star Irving: 'I just don't have it right now' (via @Powell2daPeople): http://t.co/PEJmfLswEe pic.twitter.com/g8soB9JDbI
— NBA (@NBA) May 22, 2015
Cleveland has gone 1-6 with Kyrie out of the lineup this season.
Per the Akron Beacon Journal:
Irving has been fighting tendonitis in the knee for weeks, but the Cavs privately feel as if there isn’t much else they can do for him. No one was expecting an MRI to reveal much, except to once again show Irving there is nothing structurally wrong with the knee. If so, it again becomes a matter of him being able to play through the pain.
“Everyone’s pain tolerance is different,” said LeBron James, who is also fighting an ankle injury. “My responsibility is much higher than a lot of guys, not only this team but a lot of guys in professional sports. I take it very seriously being out there with my guys. If I’m able to play at 70, 60, 50 percent I feel like I can give something to the team. If I’m hurting the team then I’m gonna sit down, but if I can give something to help them I’ll be out there for them. I think my presence alone can help us more than anything.”
Irving played just 3 of the final 18 minutes in Wednesday’s Game 1 victory. He sat the final eight minutes and has acknowledged multiple times this has been the toughest ordeal of his career. […] Irving had an MRI on his knee less than two weeks ago. When he saw there was nothing wrong structurally, he responded with 25 points and five assists in Game 5 of the conference semifinals against the Chicago Bulls. It remains one of his finest performances of this postseason.
