OAKLAND, Calif. — The NBA Finals hyped as LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry now seems like James against the Golden State Warriors.
The Cavaliers are down another important player, with Kyrie Irving having surgery Saturday back in Cleveland to repair his fractured left kneecap.
And with what was an already short-handed Cavs team down 1-0 heading into Game 2 on Sunday night, a series that just started has the feel of one that could end quickly.
“(I) understand that we were the underdog coming into the series and with Kyrie being out people are writing us off,” James said. “So, I mean, that’s fine. That’s fine. I’m motivated to get our guys ready to go tomorrow and we will be ready.”
James seemed more downcast as he spoke then a day earlier, before the Cavaliers had revealed the severity of Irving’s injury following an MRI exam. Irving had been hurt previously in the postseason and Cleveland had won without him, but this time was different.
“Obviously, we’ve been in this situation, but we always knew at some point he’ll come back,” James said. “Knowing that he’s out for the rest of the finals and out for a period of a long time, first of all, it sucks for him personally. It’s a huge blow for our team, especially at this stage.”
The Warriors were already the favorites to win the championship after leading the NBA with 67 victories during the regular season. Now, with Irving joining Kevin Love on the sideline, the Warriors were trying to brush away the suggestions that not only should they win, but do it easily.
“No series is unlosable,” center Andrew Bogut said. “Stranger things have happened and they’re still a great team with arguably the best player in the world. Obviously they’re going to have other guys that have to step up to help him get wins, but we can’t take this team lightly.”
Cleveland coach David Blatt acknowledged the difficulty of losses like Game 1, saying “they cost you some hours of sleep.” But he said the Cavs had moved forward from it.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
