Celtics' Kyrie Irving (knee) out for playoffs

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They've won 12 straight games and now the Sixers' road to the Finals potentially just got much, much easier.

Celtics star Kyrie Irving is done for the year and will miss the playoffs after undergoing knee surgery, the team announced Thursday.

Irving is facing 4-5 months of recovery after the procedure, which will remove two screws in his patella from an injury suffered during the 2015 NBA Finals.

That's a massive blow to the Celtics who currently hold the No. 2 seed in the East and are five games ahead of the Sixers. 

In his first season with Boston, Irving averaged 24.4 points — eighth best in the league — 5.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds. Irving averaged over 10 points more per game than the Celtics' next leading scorer, Jaylen Brown (14.1).

With Irving, the Celtics looked like a very difficult potential later-round playoff matchup for the Sixers. Boston holds a 3-1 head-to-head advantage over the Sixers this season. Irving played in three of those games, averaging 25.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 asssists per contest. 

Of course, the Sixers are dealing with injuries of their own, particularly Joel Embiid's fractured orbital bone. However, Embiid could potentially return for the start of the playoffs, which begin Saturday, April 14.

Dario Saric has also missed the last Sixers' last three games with cellulitis in his right elbow. He's expected to return Friday against the Cavaliers, though the Sixers have yet to confirm that he'll play. 

That matchup against the Cavaliers will be pivotal in determining which team earns the three-seed in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers and Cavs both currently sit at 48-30, though Cleveland holds the tiebreaker over the Sixers for the three-seed, with a 2-1 head-to-head record against the Sixers this season (see standings).

The Cavs take on the Wizards Thursday night, so they'll either be a half-game ahead or a half-game behind the Sixers when the game tips off Friday night (7 p.m/NBCSP). 

With the loss of Irving, the red-hot Sixers with a (potentially) healthy Embiid just got that much more dangerous.

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