The Cleveland Cavaliers' NBA championship chances may have received a couple of boosts over the weekend -- and they had nothing to do with the team's current four-game winning streak.
As the Cavs strengthened their grip on the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference with wins over the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets, two of Cleveland's top rivals suffered injuries that could impact their upcoming playoff runs.
The first came on Friday, when the Boston Celtics revealed that Kyrie Irving underwent a "minimally invasive procedure" to "remove a tension wire in his left knee." The former Cavs guard's estimated timetable for a return to basketball activities is 3-6 weeks.
Meanwhile, out West, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry suffered a grade 2 sprained MCL in the team's win over Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. Although the 2-time MVP will be evaluated again in three weeks, head coach Steve Kerr has already told reporters "there's no way" Curry will return any earlier than the start of the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
Although Irving and Curry are each expected to return at some point this postseason, both injuries possess the potential to impact Cleveland's quest for the 2018 NBA title. That rings especially true for Irving, whose Celtics currently project as Cleveland's second-round opponent should the Cavs hold onto their current spot as the Eastern Conference's No. 3 seed.
Even if Boston were still to advance to the conference semifinals against the Cavs, there's no telling what sort of shape the Celtics All-Star guard would be in -- or if he'd even be able to play at all. Once considered the Cavs' biggest threat in East, the Celtics would seem to be significantly less potent in a seven-game series without Irving at full strength, as Cleveland is plenty aware of what he is capable of on basketball's biggest stage.
As for Curry, the impact his injury could have on a potential fourth straight NBA Finals against the Cavs is less clear. It is, however, worth mentioning that many believed Curry never regained his full health after suffering a sprained knee in the 2016 playoffs, which allowed the Cavs to exploit him -- particularly on the defensive side of the floor -- en route to their Finals victory.
At this point, it's probably too early to tell whether or not a similar situation would play out should the Cavs and Warriors once again meet and June. It's also important to point out that as opposed to the two years ago, Golden State now also has Kevin Durant.
But for a team whose supremacy in the Western Conference is already being challenged by the Houston Rockets, Curry's absence -- no matter how long it winds up lasting -- can't do anything but hurt the Warriors' chances at adding a third NBA title in four seasons.
That's not to say either Irving or Curry's injuries guarantee anything for the Cavaliers. In fact, it's the Rockets and Toronto Raptors --and not the Warriors or Celtics -- who currently lay claim to the top records in their respective conferences.
But after having dealt with plenty of injuries of their own, the Cavs appear to both be peaking and getting healthy at the right time. The same now can't be said of their rivals, in what's shaping up to be as unpredictable of an NBA Playoffs as we've seen in recent memory.
