With a win last night in Game 5, the Boston Celtics are just one more victory away from appearing in their first NBA Finals in eight years. Defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers one more time in the Eastern Conference Finals series and they could be competing for the NBA Championship.
However, one player that won't be participating in any remaining games in the Celtics' postseason is Kyrie Irving. The point guard, who only moved to the team from the Cavaliers via trade last summer, has been ruled out until next season due to a knee injury.
Obviously, Irving would have loved to have played in the Eastern Conference Finals against his former team and beyond in the playoffs for the Celtics. It comes as no surprise either that he's annoyed that he can't contribute to the team on the court during the postseason.
Irving Out
Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters prior to Game 5, via ASAP Sports, about how Irving was doing while the team was making strides towards their first NBA Finals appearance since the 2009-10 season. He said that 'it's killing him' that he can't be on the court against the Cavs.
He said: "In our sit-downs, and I obviously see him regularly, but in our sit-downs or just our casual conversation, he seems to be in a great place. You know, it's killing him not to be out on the floor. But I think that would be the case, obviously, any time you're playing this deep into the playoffs, especially in a new place.
"But other than that his recovery is going great, and we're excited about that. But he seems to be in a good place."
Irving was averaging 24.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game for the Celtics before he was ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury. Despite not being active in the playoffs, he's still played a big role in the team's success, as he helped them achieve a 55-27 record during the regular season, the fourth best record on the year across the entire NBA.
For now, he has to watch the Celtics play from the sidelines, and their next game, which is Game 6, takes place in Cleveland on Friday night.
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