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http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2012021505The Cleveland Cavaliers believe that rookie sensation Kyrie Irving is ready to play.
Irving could be back after missing three games with a concussion when the Cavaliers look to end a six-game losing streak Wednesday night to the Indiana Pacers, who have dropped four straight and likely will be without leading scorer Danny Granger.
The NBA’s rookie scoring leader at 18.0 points per game, Irving has been out since he was inadvertently kneed in the head by Heat superstar Dwyane Wade during a 107-91 loss last Tuesday.
Irving made it through a complete practice Tuesday and will be in Cleveland’s starting lineup as long as he’s cleared by the team’s medical staff, which will consult with an NBA doctor per the league’s new guidelines on head injuries implemented this season.
“Young fella looked good,” said Ramon Sessions, who has started at the point while Irving recovered. “He’s getting back in the groove. He looked back to normal, and we’re happy to have him back. He’s a key part of this team.”
Cleveland (10-16) won its first game without Irving before losing the next two as part of this franchise-record nine-game homestand. Coach Byron Scott is eager to see his top scorer back in action.
“He went through everything today, full contact and looked pretty good,” Scott said Tuesday. “We still have to wait on NBA protocol to when he can play. We have to make sure everything is OK.”
The Cavaliers did not make Irving available for interviews following practice.
“He was out there the whole time,” Sessions said. “He didn’t sit out for any drills and we expect him to play tomorrow. He looked the same. He was getting work in when he didn’t have any contact, and today was a day where he got beat around a little bit and he looked good.”
Irving’s third pro game was a bit of a breakthrough in a 98-91 overtime loss at Indiana (17-11) on Dec. 30. The 19-year-old guard recorded his first 20-point effort, although he missed a potential winning layup near the end of regulation.
Granger scored nine of his 22 points in overtime to lead the Pacers, who were one of the league’s most improved teams before this losing streak. Scott is using them as a model for his club since he believes Indiana’s success is a product of falling in five games to top-seeded Chicago in last year’s postseason.
“Once a team gets a taste of the playoffs like they did last year even though they lost in the first round, that experience - you come back the next year hungrier,” Scott said. “That’s why I don’t understand why people say we should lose games. Because I think with the young team we have, if we get to the eighth spot, that’s great.”
Indiana, playing the middle game of three in three nights, is enduring its longest slide since a six-game skid March 2-11. The Pacers trailed by as many as 35 points in Tuesday’s 105-90 home loss to Miami.
“Pretty embarrassing,” center Roy Hibbert said. “They just hit us at the start and we just weren’t able to recover. … None of us came ready to play tonight.”
To make matters worse, Granger left with a sprained left ankle late in the first quarter and did not return, finishing with a season-low three points. He isn’t likely to play Wednesday.
“Yeah, that’s my anticipation,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “I don’t think he can play (at Cleveland).”
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