Coach sits LeBron; Irving has MRI
INDIANAPOLIS -- The Cleveland Cavaliers were without both of their All-Stars, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, for Friday night's 93-86 loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Cavs coach David Blatt gave James the night off to rest since his team is in the middle of a stretch of seven games in 10 days. Irving is out with a left shoulder strain that he suffered in the Cavs' 110-99 win over Golden State on Thursday.
James played through lower-back stiffness against the Warriors, but Blatt said the decision to rest James was because of "a combination of things," rather than just the 12-year veteran's back.
"He experienced some soreness last night during the (Warriors) game," Blatt said of James. "We're on the back end of a very tough back-to-back. We had had some very tough travel ... and I decided to rest him."
The Cavs were stuck on the runway late Thursday night until about 2:30 a.m. Friday morning because of mechanical issues with their airplane. The team decided to deplane after waiting several hours for repairs and reconvened at the airport for an 11 a.m. flight to Indianapolis on Friday morning.
It was James' 11th missed game of the season, and Cleveland is now 2-9 without him. He previously missed time with back and knee ailments that forced him to sit out an eight-game stretch between December and January, and he also sat out a game in January with a wrist injury.
Blatt hinted that he had to cajole James into sitting out.
"It was not his idea, it was mine," Blatt said. "Let's put it that way."
James traveled with the team to Indianapolis, but Irving stayed behind to receive tests on his shoulder Friday morning at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health, revealing the strain. Irving injured his shoulder in the third quarter against Golden State but was able to re-enter the lineup and finish the game.
"He did an MRI, which was clear, but it did show some signs of edema," Blatt said, referring to excess fluid built up in Irving's shoulder. "Which by itself is not a serious thing, and that's a good, good sign. Hopefully we'll have him back Sunday. We'll see how he responds to the treatment. But not too serious, and that's a good thing."
After missing 49 games in his first three NBA seasons due to injuries, Irving has sat out just three games this season.
Cleveland plays the Houston Rockets on Sunday in their first of 10 road matchups in March. The challenging stretch also includes games in Toronto, Atlanta, Dallas, San Antonio and Miami.
The Cavs failed to extend their four-game winning streak against a Pacers team that snapped Cleveland's 12-game winning streak at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Feb. 6.
Cleveland started Matthew Dellavedova and James Jones in place of Irving and James. Dellavedova finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Blatt further explained his thought process behind pulling James from the lineup.
"It's just a decision that I have to make, and it's risk/reward sometimes," Blatt said. "It's trying to be prescient about what we're doing and think ahead and, if need be, force the issue like I had to do today, just to make sure that he and all of our guys stay healthy."
