CLEVELAND -- Kyrie Irving has one good foot. At least, we think one of them is OK.
He's also playing on one good knee. That's certainly better than none.
Oh, LeBron James has a sore foot, too. But it's supposedly healing just fine.
And when it comes to David Blatt, you can forget any notion about any slack being cut. Never before has an NBA coach been so overly and often unfairly critiqued by the masses.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet today's version of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They are surviving, and given the circumstances, perhaps even thriving.
Of course, how well they're actually doing will depend largely on Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal vs. the Chicago Bulls. Tip-off is 7 p.m. Tuesday at Quicken Loans Arena.
And oh what a series it's been. The Bulls won the first game fairly easily -- a game in which the Cavs never led. The Cavs won the second game even more easily -- a game in which the Bulls never led.
Then it was time for Games 3 and 4 in Chicago -- which featured two buzzer-beating finishes and what seemed like 217 lead changes.
It was a weekend of Kyrie hobbling, LeBron missing (until his team became incredibly desperate), and J.R. Smith reminding everyone that eventually, he will bury some shots, if not entire opponents.
Oh, and Blatt called a timeout he didn't actually own. He didn't get caught, which somehow made the whole thing Blatt's fault.
These types of mistakes happen every day in every profession -- even in the NBA. But if there's one thing we're beginning to learn about our society, it's that you're nobody if you don't hang with LeBron. Become coach of, say, the Sacramento Kings, and no one gives a hoot what you do.
Either way, being around LeBron is pretty clearly not always a picnic. No less than LeBron himself admitted that people tend to "catch heat" when they associate with him. He pointed to Blatt and Kevin Love as examples. He also could've pointed to how everyone suddenly started ignoring Miami coach Erik Spoelstra in mid-July. Coincidentally, that's about the same time LeBron left the Heat.
So, yes, LeBron brings special attention to every environment he graces. And there's a reason for that. He is one of those transcendent athletes, a man who can turn your team into an instant contender with a flick of the wrist.
At this level, that ability to win is about all anyone should care. It certainly is the only focus of the Cavs -- whose series against the Bulls is somehow (OK, mainly because of LeBron) tied at two games apiece. It certainly is mostly the focus of the Bulls -- who have a talented and veteran (and fairly banged-up) team themselves.
No one can impact this series like LeBron. And no one knows as much as LeBron that, man, being LeBron or near LeBron sure can bring out the haters.
Fortunately, the Cavs have gotten used to it. They went from the franchise everyone forgot to perhaps the most scrutinized organization in sports. All it took was for LeBron to utter three words: "I'm coming home."
Now, it is the Cavs who are home in their biggest game of the year. Win, and you are in complete control of the series.
This is quite a time to be the Cavs, too.
They have sore feet. They have a coach who is under fire. They have an opponent that believes its own time has arrived. They have very little working in their favor.
