Already short Kevin Love and with Iman Shumpert banged up, Game 3 stood as a pivotal one, so Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt leaned heavily on point guard Kyrie Irving.
Irving responded with easily his worst performance of the playoffs, shooting 3-of-13 for 11 points and going without an assist in 38 minutes. Blatt revealed after the loss - courtesy an insane Derrick Rose buzzer-beater - that an injury is likely at the root of Irving's struggles.
"Look, we're not talking about it, but Kyrie has been playing hurt," Blatt said. "He's showing a lot of courage, and he's giving us everything he has. He played a terrific first two games and he'll continue to do that, but today was a little but less of a successful game for him. He's playing his heart out."
Irving then said he hurt his right foot in Game 2 of the Cavs' four-game sweep of the Boston Celtics. It's been tough to tell, as Irving averaged 22 points and 4.5 assists in the four games since, prior to Friday.
He was adamant he didn't want to make excuses for his play, though he admitted to a lack of acceleration Friday. Having dealt with the injury for two weeks now, Irving underwent diagnostic testing this week that confirmed a right foot strain.
"I tried to get treatment on it, tried to stay ready to play," Irving said. "But for me, I don't make any excuses for myself, and for me to go out there, obviously, I was just trying to play through it best I can, and I'm still going to continue to do that. But, as I said before, there's no excuses."
It wasn't just Blatt defending Irving after the game, as LeBron James reminded everyone the blame in a one-possession game can't really fall on a guy playing hurt.
"Nobody's making excuses for Kyrie because he's hurt," James said after the game. "I know from a competitive standpoint, it's killing him inside. He gave us 40 minutes on one foot."
James, defended beautifully by Jimmy Butler and others all night, still managed 27 points and 14 assists. He's also taking responsibility for the loss, coming to Irving's defense when a reporter asked about Irving's assist-free outing, much to Irving's indignation.
"It's not about Kyrie," James said. "Put it on me."
The Cavs and Bulls don't have a multiple-day break until after Game 6, so Irving will have only Saturday to rest before an early 3:30 tip for Game 4 on Sunday.
