Subscribe
Follow Us
After removing a tension wire in mid-March, it was recently announced Kyrie Irving will miss the remainder of the 2017-18 NBA regular season and playoffs as there was an infection in his surgically-repaired knee. As a result, Irving is expected to make a full recovery in 4-5 months.
When Irving underwent his first surgery, it was expected he would be able to return to the playoffs. With just three games remaining, Al Horford reveals he was ‘shocked' to hear about his teammate's second surgery according to Jay King of The Athletic:
Al Horford said he was “shocked” to hear Kyrie Irving needed a second surgery. Obviously hurting for Kyrie, but, “We have to look forward. We can’t dwell on the past.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) April 7, 2018
Considering all of the injuries, there are teams who are interested in playing the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs, but Horford has a message for them:
Article Continues Below
Al Horford on the notion opponents all want the seventh seed to play the Celtics: “The only thing I can say to that is I can’t wait for the playoffs to start.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) April 7, 2018
As Boston has secured the second spot in the Eastern Conference, it is unclear which team they will face. With only one game separating the Miami Heat (sixth spot) and Washington Wizards (eighth spot), all three teams including the Milwaukee Bucks (seventh spot) provide different challenges. However, the Celtics have shown great resiliency throughout the 82-game season and should not be taken lightly.
As for Irving, the top priority is his long-term health. While the 26-year-old's knee issues were well known before the Celtics acquired him from the Cleveland Cavaliers, it will be interesting to see how the situation is managed moving forward.
Irving averaged 24.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 60 games.
