Cavs believe Irving injury caused by knee from Thompson

Injuries are always a nice opportunity to be pedantic.

While the Cleveland Cavaliers originally believed the knee injury Kyrie Irving suffered in Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors was of the non-contact variety, kneecaps don't seem easy to fracture without contact.

Now that Irving's actual injury was revealed as a fractured left kneecap, which will keep him out of action for three to four months following surgery, the search for a point of incidence has begun. While this may have something to do with earlier tensions over Irving playing on a weakened knee, the Cavs believe they've found their culprit.

On the play that Irving was injured on, he drove right into the lane while guarded by Klay Thompson and then hit the brakes, falling to the floor. It initially appeared to be a non-contact injury because Irving fell when crossing back, but head coach David Blatt said Saturday the team believes the knee was fractured as a result of a knee from Thompson as Irving approached the free-throw line.

Here's the play in question:

The Warriors seemed caught off guard by this suggestion ahead of Game 2 on Sunday. Head coach Steve Kerr said it was the first he had heard of it when asked, and Thompson's father said his son was not aware of any contact.

"We didn't see a bump," Mychal Thompson said.

The video is open to some interpretation, and even if a bump were patently obvious, intent would be difficult to discern. These types of plays happen naturally throughout the course of games, and Irving was likely a victim of cruel misfortune.