The Cleveland Cavaliers will have to work harder in their NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors after an MRI revealed that All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving suffered a fractured knee cap and will undergo surgery which may sideline him for three to four months.
Irving slipped while fighting for a loose ball in the overtime period of Game 1 which was played Thursday and left the court limping in pain.
According to ESPN, initial MRIs showed no damage to Irving's ACL or MCL but Friday's test revealed the injury.
The 23-year-old played great in Game 1 as he tallied 23 points, seven rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocks.
Irving's second block sent the game to overtime as he rejected 2015 MVP Stephen Curry's game-winning attempt in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter.
But in overtime Irving went down and the Warriors outscored Cleveland 10-2 to take Game 1.
Irving is a huge loss for the Cavaliers this Finals as he was averaging 19 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals in his very first career-playoffs appearance this season.
The 2014 NBA All-Star MVP is the second player to go down for Cleveland in this season's playoffs.
Forward Kevin Love went out after suffering a shoulder injury in their first-round series against the Boston Celtics.
Despite all the setbacks, four-time MVP and two-time NBA champion LeBron James still remains focused.
"We've had a great rhythm. We haven't had much luck, and we haven't been healthy. But I haven't gotten discouraged," James said according to ESPN.
"I'm excited to be in this moment once again, and I'm going to stay strong for my team, no matter who is or is not in the lineup," he added.
