Kyrie Irving: Cavaliers would have won title if everyone was healthy
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irvingsaid on The Big Podcast With Shaq that he believes his team would have won the NBA Finals if everyone was healthy.
Irving fractured his left kneecap during Game 1 of the Finals against the Golden State Warriors and had previously missed two games during the Eastern Conference finals after being diagnosed with left knee tendonitis.
The Cavaliers also lost power forward Kevin Love after he dislocated his left shoulder during the first round of the playoffs.
Cleveland took a 2–1 lead in the Finals before the Warriors won three in a row to win the title in six games.
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“I’m more or less the voice of reason,” Irving said. “I’m always going to be a straight shooter with everyone and give them my honest opinion. Obviously, we have a great thing in Cleveland, and we dealt with everything together.
“I feel like we definitely would have won an NBA championship if we had everyone healthy,” he said. “But almost doesn’t count.”
Last week, Love announced that he will return to the Cavaliers next season after opting out of his 2015–16 contract. He will reportedly sign a five-year, $110 million extension.
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The Cavaliers finished 53–29 in the regular season in LeBron James' first year back in Cleveland.
- Molly Geary
