Kyrie Irving Injury: Updates on Cavaliers Guard's Knee and Return

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving aggravated his knee injury in the Cavaliers' 97-89 Game 1 win over the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference Finals and has missed the past two games. Irving will play in Game 4 on a minutes restriction. 

Continue for updates.

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Irving to Play in Game 4

Tuesday, May 26

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports reported that Irving will play tonight in Game 4 against the Hawks, and will be on a 25-minute limit. 

Rachel Nichols of CNN reported that Irving was more active in team shootaround than he had been in recent days.

“We’re just happy for him that he can move around without the grimacing in every step he takes. We’ll see how he fares tonight," Iman Shumpert said, according to Nichols.

After Game 1 on May 20, Nichols reported that Irving had "aggravated" his knee, noting that Irving said "it's the most frustrating stretch of his career."   

Irving played 27 minutes in Game 1, scoring 10 points and dishing six assists in that span.

He is vitally important to Cleveland's championship hopes, especially since Kevin Love is out for the rest of the season. LeBron James is widely regarded as the best player in the league, but even he needs some help if Cleveland is going to capture the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Irving averaged 21.7 points and 5.2 assists per game this season, behind 41.5 percent shooting from three-point range. He is the one Cavs player besides James who can consistently create his own shots, and he helps space the floor with his shooting.

It is difficult to envision the Cavaliers winning the title without Irving. He is simply too talented and too necessary to everything Cleveland does on offense.