Reimer: Kyrie Irving injury robs us of epic showdown with LeBron James

This season was supposed to end with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving squaring off in the Eastern Conference Finals. All of the backstabbing, subtweeting and subsequent hugging was going to manifest itself in an epic series between the mentor and his protege. We have been robbed.

Irving will undergo season-ending knee surgery Saturday, his second procedure in three weeks. The All-Star point guard had a tension wire removed in his left knee March 24.

It's been three years since Irving first aggravated his left knee in the 2015 NBA Finals, when he hit the series-winning three-pointer to give Cleveland its epic Game 7 win over the Warriors. Irving had surgery after that series and got two screws inserted into his patella. His operation Saturday is expected to remove a bacterial infection that's recently developed around those screws. 

Irving's lingering knee injury reportedly played a role in his acrimonious departure from Cleveland. Frustrated with stories about the Cavaliers trying to shop him, Irving reportedly threatened to have surgery that would've kept him out for the bulk of the season. Faced with the possibility of carrying dead weight in potentially James' final season, the Cavaliers struck a deal with the Celtics. 

Irving never consulted James with his demands. In a captivating September interview with "First Take," Irving said he didn't think he owed James an explanation. At Cavaliers media day before the start of the season, James called the trade a "shock." 

It's apparent Irving wanted to escape from playing under James' shadow. Irving reportedly tired of James' controlling style of play and wished to break out on his own. It seemed ridiculous. James was only signed for one more season. The conventional play for Irving would have been to stick it out for another year, and then reevaluate. He was playing alongside the best player in the world. It didn't seem so bad. 

But Irving took a risk and bet on himself. It paid off spectacularly through the first five months of the season. Irving, 26, further established himself as one of the premier scorers in the game, averaging 24.4 points per game with 5.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds. It didn't matter that the Celtics lost Gordon Hayward on opening night. Irving still stook the C's to the top of the East.

James' season didn't start off as smoothly. The Cavaliers were mediocre through the first half of the season and blew up their team at the trade deadline –– dealing away Isaiah Thomas, who devolved into an ineffective malcontent. 

But over the last couple of months, James has put together perhaps the best run of his incredible career. He's averaging 27.5 points per contest with 8.7 assists and 7.5 rebounds. Last month, he declared he would give himself the MVP trophy. 

The Raptors represented the only legitimate hurdle to the James-Irving showdown, and they have a history of wilting in April and May. We were on a collision course. 

Two superstars squaring off in a battle to determine their alpha male status is what the NBA is all about. To make matters sweeter, this might be James' final run in the Eastern Conference. He could sign with the Lakers or another team out west this summer. It only would've been appropriate if Irving was the next guy standing in his way.

Hopefully there's a next time.