The Cleveland Cavaliers were expected to fall flat on their face in the NBA Finals after Kyrie Irving broke his kneecap in Game 1. Instead, the Cavs have won the last two games, and now look like they may win the city's first pro sports championship since 1964.
That's because Irving's injury is actually helping the Cavs instead of hurting them.
That may seem like an outlandish statement, but the results on the court can't be denied. The injury as forced an undoubtedly less talented Cleveland team to play at a slower pace and focus more on defense, both of which have adversely affected the Golden State Warriors.
Golden State played at the fastest tempo in the league all season, but Cleveland's newfound grind-it-out pace has completely halted the Warriors high-powered offense, holding them to more sub-20 point quarters than they had all regular season.
With Irving in the fold, the Cavaliers ranked 20th in the league in defensive efficiency, and didn't look capable of playing at this level. However, with Matthew Dellavedova - who is a much better defensive player - in the lineup, they've completely locked down the league's best offense - and best offensive player.
His outstanding defense on Stephen Curry has been one of the deciding factors in this series to this point, something Cleveland wouldn't have been able to count on if Irving was still playing.
In six career games against Curry - including Game 1 of the NBA Finals - Irving allowed the MVP to shoot 46.2 percent from the floor, including 40.8 percent from three-point range, and forced him into 3.5 turnovers per game.
In the past two games with Dellavedova serving as the primary defender, Curry is shooting 34.9 percent from the floor, 32.1 percent from three, and six turnovers per game.
Dellavedova has only become a vital part of Cleveland's gameplan because of Irving's injury, and he's already led the Cavs closer to the Larry O'Brien trophy than Irving probably would have.
If Cleveland is holding a parade in a few weeks, fans will be thanking their lucky stars that Irving got hurt, forcing Dellavedova into action.
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