With a 2-0 series lead and the Atlanta Hawks down one Kyle Korver for the remainder of the series, the Cleveland Cavaliers have little incentive to rush Kyrie Irving back before he's ready.
The banged-up point guard sat out Game 2 on Friday due to left knee tendinitis, an issue he's been dealing with for some time and aggravated in Game 1. Irving has also been playing through a foot injury, cited fatigue earlier in the playoffs, and generally looks the part of a 23-year-old playing 3,000 minutes over the regular season and playoffs for the first time in his career.
Irving had gutted it out for the Cavs up until Game 2, and the decision to rest him seems to have been a prudent one. The Hawks were playing with a banged-up DeMarre Carroll, had an injury scare with Al Horford and lost Korver for the season as Cleveland rolled to a 94-82 victory, and it appears the Cavs may not need Irving to fight through in order to win the series.
That doesn't mean he's not going to try to make a quick return - Irving played one-on-one at practice on Saturday and tested out a soft sleeve on his knee (or a brace, depending on who you believe). He remains listed as questionable for Sunday's Game 3, with head coach David Blatt suggesting it may come down to a game-time decision.
Blatt also said the 2-0 series lead won't have any bearing on Irving's status, even though 93.9 percent of teams who have taken a 2-0 series lead in NBA history have gone on to win the series. That may not be a full truth from Blatt, who likely wouldn't want a Game 3 loss without Irving to be questioned in hindsight if Irving could have played.
If Irving can't play, Matthew Dellavedova would stand to start at point guard, with LeBron James taking on greater playmaking duties in the offense. James has averaged eight assists in the playoffs and dished 11 in Irving's stead on Friday.
In 11 playoff games, Irving has averaged 18.9 points and 3.5 assists with a 57.6 true shooting percentage, numbers down slightly from the 21.7, 5.2, and 58.3 percent, respectively, that he put up during the regular season. That's to be expected given the injuries, increased level of competition and the greater role James has taken on, with James' usage rate jumping from 32.3 percent in the regular season to 35.9 percent in the playoffs.
