Donovan Mitchell injury update: Cavs doomed by latest news ahead of Game 4

The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Boston Celtics in what amounts to a do-or-die Game 4 Monday night. Down 1-2 in a best-of-seven series, the Cavs' hopes were buoyed by the heroic efforts of Donovan Mitchell, who averaged 31.7 points. 6.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists on .515/.533/.786 splits across the first three games.

Unfortunately, the Cavs' season is now hanging by a mere thread.

Hampered by a left calf strain, Mitchell will be unable to suit up for Game 4. He was not present for his standard pre-game warmup as the Cavs worked to establish his availability. Without Mitchell, Cleveland will presumably turn to Caris LeVert, Max Strus, and Sam Merrill for more minutes.

Donovan Mitchell ruled out for Cavaliers-Celtics Game 4 due to left calf strain

This is truly the worst-case scenario for all involved. Cleveland was already a heavy underdog after its Game 3 loss, but Mitchell has been the best individual player in this series — and one of the best in the postseason, point blank. Even in the face of injuries, Mitchell has gone to battle for his team and put Cleveland in an enviable position. He led the Cavs past Orlando in Game 7 of the first round, then stole home-court advantage from Boston with a 29-point, eight-assist effort in Game 2.

Now it's all slipping away. We cannot bring out the coroner yet, but the Cavs face an uphill battle of historic proportions. The Celtics won 64 regular season games behind the best all-around roster in basketball. Even without Kristaps Porzingis, Boston has one of the most dynamic two-way groups in recent history. To borrow from everyone's favorite reality TV show — it's very hard to outwit, outplay, and outlast Boston. And that's at full strength.

Mitchell is the lifeblood of this Cavs team. Evan Mobley has strung together a couple impressive performances, but he's heavily reliant on Mitchell's shot creation. Darius Garland has struggled on the postseason stage to date. Cleveland's depth is a weakness, not a strength. Caris LeVert is capable of explosive performances when called upon, but it's unwise to count on LeVert to replicate Mitchell's output. It will not happen.

The Cavs' future becomes even more shrouded in mystery, too. This feels like the nail in the coffin for Cleveland's season. For a while, the scuttlebutt has been that Mitchell will ask for a trade if the Cavs can't get to the conference finals. He can't hold his own injury against Cleveland, but the Cavs' hopelessness in Mitchell's absence does highlight the limitations of this roster. Boston is miles ahead of Cleveland, and this could drive home that point.

Right now, however, the focus is on the present — which is plenty bleak on its own. You have to feel for Cleveland fans. This is a brutal break.