BOSTON, MA - OCTOBER 2: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Boston Celtics dribbles
Kyrie Irving will sit out what’s left of the regular season and the playoffs, the Boston Celtics announced Thursday night, and Stephen A. Smith doesn’t believe the team has a chance of reaching the NBA Finals without Irving.
Smith, an outspoken ESPN pundit, said on SportsCenter that he believes the Celtics may not advance past the first round of the playoffs without their All-Star point guard. Irving — who has missed several games with knee soreness — is scheduled for a surgery on Saturday. The 26-year-old previously suffered an injury on the same (left) knee in the 2015 NBA Finals.
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“They virtually plummet. I mean they’re relatively nonexistent as far as I’m concerned,” Smith said of Boston’s hopes of getting far in the playoffs given Irving’s condition. “They simply don’t have the offensive firepower to get it done.”
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Smith went on to list the Celtics’ other injuries before adding that he believes the Washington Wizards are more likely get further in the playoffs.
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The Celtics (53-25, second in Eastern Conference) are coming off two straight losses against the Milwaukee Bucks and Toronto Raptors this week, and have four regular-season games remaining. Boston added that Irving — who is in his first season with the team — is estimated to recover completely in four to five months.
“The hardest thing to do sometimes is accept the uncontrollable things life throws at you…,” Irving wrote in an Instagram post. “This season was only a snapshot of what’s to come from me. Trust Me. The journey bak to the top of Mt. Everest continues.”
Irving — who last played against the Indiana Pacers on March 11 — is just one of multiple injured players on the Celtics roster. The team already lost Gordon Hayward at the beginning of the season, and more recently counted Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris among their injured stars. Smart had surgery on his right thumb in March.
This season, Irving had 24.4 points, 5.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds on average in 60 contests played. Irving is slated to star in the upcoming sports comedy film Uncle Drew, based on the All-Star’s Pepsi Max commercials where he plays a character of the same name. The movie will be released on June 29 and also includes Lil Rel Howery, Nick Kroll and Tiffany Haddish in its cast. Real-life current and former basketball stars like Shaquille O’Neal, Reggie Miller and Nate Robinson will also appear in the film.
In related news, the Celtics are set to sign free agent Jonathan Gibson, per NBA sources. Gibson played for Boston’s summer league squads.
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