Report: Kyrie Irving doubtful for tonight with stomach flu
April 25, 2012NFL Draft: McShay and Kiper Peg Browns with Richardson, Weeden
April 25, 2012
What a lovely tank you have there
It’s time to say goodbye to the men in Wine and Gold. For this season, anyway.
Tonight the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Washington Wizards in the final home of the season. What once was a fierce rivalry of sorts is now renewed as a Premier League-esque relegation battle. Although, instead of relegation, these teams are fighting for lottery position.
For Washington, the hard part is over. With New Orleans’ win last night, moving them alongside Cleveland and Sacramento with 21 wins, the Wizards, at 18 wins with two games to go, have locked up 2nd place in the lottery derby. They can win out and not harm their lottery position.
For the Cleveland Cavaliers, that is not the case. With two games remaining, tonight against Washington and tomorrow in Chicago where many starters will likely rest, the Cavaliers’ lottery future is very much in limbo.
Currently, Cleveland is tied with Sacramento and Charlotte for 3rd through 5th with 21 wins. New Jersey and Toronto are one game back at 22 wins, while Golden State is hanging around with 23 wins. Sacramento (vs Lakers) and New Orleans (at Houston) each have just one game remaining.
If the Cavaliers, Kings, and Hornets all finished tied at 21 wins, all 3 would share 12.1% odds of getting the #1 pick. If 1 of the 3 teams wins and the other 2 lose, those 2 that lose will split 13.75% odds of the #1 pick. And if 2 win and 1 loses, the team that loses will have 15.6% chances of winning the lottery all to themselves.
With the way the Cavaliers have been playing lately, there’s a good chance Cleveland wins this game tonight. However, Washington is red hot right now, having won 4 in a row and 6 of their last 8 games. Furthermore, Kyrie Irving is doubtful for the game with some kind of stomach flu.
It’s hard not to be skeptical of what’s going on here. First, Byron Scott leaves Irving on the bench for much of the 4th quarter in a winnable game, and now Irving is expected miss this game with a stomach flu. Conspiracy theorists and tankologists will have a field day with this one. Who knows if the Cavaliers are really trying to tank or not, but either way, as a fan of the game, it’s unfortunate to miss out on a battle between Irving and the Wiz’s John Wall.
Most disappointing of all, though, for Cleveland fans attending the game, is the fact that the fans won’t get to watch Kyrie play his last home game of the season. It’s been so much fun watching this kid grow and develop before our very eyes all season long, and now we have to wait 5+ months before we get to see him in real action again. From that standpoint, it’s unfortunate.
From the “We must get a top 3 pick this year” standpoint, however, it’s much more fortunate. This game could be one of the biggest games of the season. It could define the course of the offseason as well as the very future of this franchise. It could be the difference between picking 3rd and picking 9th or 10th in the upcoming draft.
I’ve loved the way Byron Scott has gotten his team to respond since that fateful loss in Detroit. It’s encouraging that with nothing left to play for, this team is still competing hard again. I love everything about that. But when it comes down to winning and losing the game, Kyrie Irving makes the biggest impact there. It’s hard to say whether it’s coincidence or not, but with no Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers’ chances of beating the Wizards just dropped by a significant margin.
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Image source: raptorshq.com
18 Comments
I’m confident. In this rivalry the team with Jamison always loses.
so they split the odds in a tie, but if none get a top3 selection, then how do they split it up?
Coin toss.
Andrew, I’ve been meaning to ask…Kyrie’s late game FTs the other night against MEM…missed on purpose? It certainly raised eyebrows for me that Mr. 85%+ missed them both.
Do you think there’s any chance he missed on purpose (or didn’t put his full “concentration” in)? If so, would that color your opinion of his mental toughness?
Just lose baby! I’ll check out the scores but it’s Bruins night baby.
0% chance he missed those on purpose. Missed FTs happen, even to great FT shooters.
If he did miss on purpose, yes, I would question his competitiveness and mental toughness. Do you think any great players would miss on purpose to lose a game for the sake of a draft lottery? I surely do not.
I do actually…or at least not apply max concentration.
What about someone like Paul Pierce? Phantom injury for lottery position…but turns out he’s a gamer/clutch.
that’s what I thought but couldn’t find on a quick search earlier to confirm. thank you.
UCLA baseball is always fun.
Oh no you didn’t…you know which Bruins I speak of but here’s a hint: the defending NHL champions!
#ImustBreakU
he did go to the same High School as MKG, so that may play into his desire to add to the ping pong pile
what is happening? kyrie is starting now?
/meltdown
this is terrible decision-making on the part of the cavs
There’s a big difference between sitting out from an injury (even if a minor one) and actively causing your team to lose. Besides, the medical staff/management in Boston probably made the decision to sit Pierce
Guess I’m a Kings and Hornets(and Bulls for that matter) fan tomorrow…
Think Cavaliers fans should rock the fake uni-brow on the day of the lottery..think nick gilbert used up all his good luck last year lol
I might have known about this NHL championship thing you speak of if the NHL could even make it onto ESPN8-The Ocho. It’s on channel 600 something now, right?
🙂
It depends on which cable broadcast you have but it’s in the high #s. Now that games are on the NBC sports family I get to see more. Unfortunately I won’t be seeing anymore Bruins though, sniffle.