Source: Adam Glanzman / Getty
The Boston Celtics have the second-best record in the East, but none of that really matters when one of your all-star’s goes down for the season.
First, it was Gordon Hayward during the season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers on October 17, and now it’s Kyrie Irving. After having surgery on his left knee, Irving will officially be shut down for the rest of the season. On Saturday, he’ll have two screws removed from his patella that were inserted after an injury he suffered during the 2015 NBA Finals.
The team says a bacterial infection was found at the site of his most recent surgery he underwent last month to remove the tension wire. The screws will be removed to make sure there’s no infection in the knee. The good news is that the fracture in Irving’s patella has completely healed and “he’s expected to make a full recovery in 4-5 months.”
The 26-year-old Celtics star posted on Instagram to address the hardships his team has felt this season and how much stronger he’ll come back next season.
“This season was only a snapshot of what’s to come from me,” he writes.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhMonavHMi0
Losing Irving right before the regular season ends— and more importantly with the playoffs on the horizon— is devastating for a Celtics team that surprised everyone this season with how well they bounced back from Hayward’s injury. Making it past the first round will prove to be a tougher challenge and inevitably going up a playoff-ready LeBron James won’t be easy. But, they’ll be an even bigger force next season with both superstars back, a seasoned Al Horford, and an even more experienced Jayson Tatum.
