It’s almost a shame that Kyrie Irving played against the Oklahoma City Thunder at all.
Let me explain.
Irving logged just nine minutes in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 115-92 victory over the Thunder on Sunday night. He was supposedly out with flu-like symptoms. I say “supposedly” because he wasn’t actually out with flu-like symptoms.
From Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com:
Kyrie Irving said it wasn’t a stomach bug that caused him to miss most of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.
It was actually a bout with bed bugs from the night before.
“Our team said I was out with flu-like symptoms,” Irving said after the Cavs’ 96-88 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday. “It was honestly from the bed bugs from the frickin’ Hilton that we stayed at.”
The Cavs, like most NBA teams that visit Oklahoma City for road games, stayed at the historic Skirvin Hilton Hotel. Not only is it known as the oldest hotel in OKC, but it also has a reputation for being haunted by a ghost named “Effie,” a former housekeeper at the establishment.
I mean, LOL. My guess is that all of Cleveland is going to boycott the Hilton hotel properties because of this.
You have to wonder why Irving played at all. He must have felt fine during warmups and wanted to give it a go or something. But man, if he hadn’t of played, just think about it: DNP, bed bugs.
Gregg Popovich himself wouldn’t have been creative enough to think that one up. I’d be willing to hazard that it would have been the first time an NBA player ever, officially, missed a game due to bed bugs.
If you’re worried about Irving, by the way, don’t be. It seems as if he’s fine. He went for 30 points and five assists in the Cavaliers’ Monday night letdown against the Detroit Pistons.
