Things could get worse before they get better for the Cleveland Cavaliers after All-Star point guard Darius Garland's latest injury update.
Garland sat out Cleveland's Game 1 Eastern Conference semifinal loss to the Indiana Pacers due to a sprained left big toe. It marked his third straight missed playoff game because of the issue, raising concerns about when the Cavaliers can expect him back on the hardwood. And based on pregame coverage from NBA on TNT's Jared Greenberg, that may not happen as soon as the team would like.
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Trouble brewing in Cleveland with the latest Darius Garland injury update and Cavaliers Game 1 loss vs. Pacers
The Cavs expressed "significant concern" regarding Garland's ailment to Greenberg. So much so that suiting up wouldn't even be an option for the standout floor general if it weren't the postseason.
"If this was the regular season ... Darius Garland would have been shut down for at least a week to two weeks," Greenberg stated. "This is a major burden for a small and shifty point guard."
Moreover, Greenberg added that Garland's degree of pain makes "[pushing] off" and "[gaining] any leverage like he typically does on the court" challenging. Yet, midway through the first quarter of Cleveland's defeat at the hands of Indiana, the former gave the latter a more optimistic outlook on his status.
Garland told Greenberg he "feels confident" about his availability for Game 2. Nonetheless, it sounds like Donovan Mitchell's backcourt mate will be at less than 100 percent if active. If so, the Pacers could attack him defensively, something they probably already planned on doing given his shortcomings on that end of the floor.
Cleveland thrived without Garland versus Miami to a point where Miami Heat forward Kyle Anderson said they were harder to beat when he didn't play. But his absence was felt when Indy stole home-court advantage from the top-seeded Cavaliers with an impressive 121-112 Game 1 road victory. Suddenly, a team that went 64-18 in the regular season and coasted past its first-round playoff opponent finds itself in hot water.