7. Kyrie Irving Won't Be The Same Again This Series
Regardless of whether Cleveland's talented point guard recovers from the nasty tumble he took at the end of Game 1, he's unlikely to scale the heights fans have come to expect of him until a summer of rest and recuperation. The Australian-born point guard played out of his mind last night, unleashing a surprising new level of defensive skill to prevent Steph Curry from taking over the game, but it wasn't quite enough. There's no doubt that, without Irving for the remainder of the series, the Cavaliers' chances are dead in the water. LeBron James may be a bonafide superstar, but there's only so much he can do on his own - as the humiliating 2007 finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs will testify. Fortunately there appears to be no lasting damage to Irving's knee heading into Game 2, but a long season (and postseason) seem to finally be taking their toll. It's unlikely he'll be able to contain the league's best shooter for much longer, and once that barrier is reached, the Warriors will surely take over.
