The Cleveland Cavaliers were dealt a major triple blow ahead of their do-or-die Game 5 matchup against the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
Star guard Donovan Mitchell, center Jarrett Allen, and key reserve Caris LeVert were all ruled out due to injuries, leaving the Cavs extremely shorthanded as they faced elimination, trailing 3-1 in the series.
A left calf strain Mitchell sustained late in Cleveland’s Game 3 loss has kept him out of action. The three-time All-Star had to limp off the court after logging over 22 consecutive minutes in the second half of that contest.
Mitchell attempted to play through the injury in Game 4 on Monday but was ultimately ruled out after failing to get loose during pregame warmups.
Allen has now missed eight straight games with a lingering bruised rib injury initially sustained in the first round against Orlando. The 24-year-old defensive anchor last saw action in Game 4 of that series over two weeks ago, on April 24th.
LeVert, who drew the start in Mitchell’s absence for Game 4, is also out after being diagnosed with a bone bruise in his left knee. The valuable sixth man had been providing a scoring punch off the bench before the injury.
With three of their top six rotational players unavailable, the severely depleted Cavaliers faced an uphill battle to extend their season in Boston.
A loss would make them just the third team in NBA history to squander a 3-1 series lead.
Cleveland was already up against the ropes when relatively healthy. Playing without three prominent contributors, including their go-to scorer in Mitchell, made the task of forcing a Game 6 back in Cleveland exponentially more difficult against the rampant Celtics.
Mitchell’s presence had been essential, as he led the Cavs with 28.3 points per game in the postseason entering Game 5.
Allen, when available, provided a defensive lynchpin and lob threat. LeVert gave them a second-unit spark plug and shot-creation ability.
With those three out, coach J.B. Bickerstaff was forced to drastically rework his rotations and strategy in an elimination scenario versus the unforgiving Celtics.
Scoring a road win to keep their season alive would require career nights from multiple role players stepping into bigger roles.
While dealing with three significant absences is far from ideal, the Cavaliers have no choice but to embrace the severe adversity.
Every team deals with injuries, and now Cleveland must raise their level of play and competitive spirit substantially just to earn one more home game in 2023.
The Information is Taken from ABC News and Yahoo Sports
