Kyrie Irving Undergoes Knee Surgery As Cavs Look To Rebound In Finals
CLEVELAND (CBSNewYork/AP) — Cavaliers All-Star guard Kyrie Irving has undergone surgery to repair his broken kneecap, an injury sustained in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
The team says Irving had the operation on Saturday at the Cleveland Clinic. The surgery was performed by team physician, Dr. Richard Parker with two other doctors assisting. The team says Irving will need 3-to-4 months before he can resume "basketball activity."
OFFICIAL STATUS UPDATE: @KyrieIrving undergoes successful surgery. [DETAILS]: http://t.co/y0BXwE5kMt pic.twitter.com/VvlvbInIiN
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 6, 2015
Irving was injured during overtime in Cleveland's 108-100 loss to Golden State on Thursday night. An MRI taken Friday revealed the fracture in Irving's left knee, which had been bothering him for most of the postseason. He returned to Cleveland to have the operation.
Without Irving, the Cavs will rely on others to pick up the scoring slack. Cleveland won two games in the Eastern Conference finals with Irving sidelined. Matthew Dellavedova likely will start in Irving's spot.
"I haven't gotten discouraged," Cavaliers star LeBron James said. "I understand the moment I'm in. I'm going to stay strong for my team no matter who is or isn't in my lineup."
Irving wrote Friday on Instagram that he had "no regrets."
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