The Cleveland Cavaliers are down three players.
Evan Mobley sustained an ankle injury in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, and De’Andre Hunter hurt his thumb on his shooting hand.
They both joined Darius Garland in street clothes in Game 2, with the All-Star point guard now missing four games with a toe injury.
Notably, that’s why, even though they blew a seven-point lead with less than one minute left, Donovan Mitchell was still proud of his team.
Following the Cavs’ collapse, Mitchell tipped his hat to his teammates for stepping up big time, adding that they will be ready to take care of business regardless of whether the stars can suit up and play as well:
“I’m proud of every individual that put up a fight tonight,” Mitchell said. “We’ve shown how deep we are as a team, how great we are as a unit. If [the injured starters] play Friday, great. We could definitely use ‘em. But if they don’t, we gotta be ready and understand that we’ve shown we can do this.”
Even so, there’s not too much to brag about right now, and morale victories feel little, all things considered.
The Cavs led by as many as 20, and they just needed to take care of the basketball and box out to even things up at one win apiece.
They failed to do so, turning the ball over at a crucial time, and then allowing Tyrese Haliburton to not only grab his own miss but also to pull up from three-point territory for the game-winning shot.
Only Max Strus (23), Jarrett Allen (22), and Sam Merrill (14) gave Donovan Mitchell (48) a helping hand with their scoring.
Ty Jerome shot 1-of-14 from the floor for two points, and that’s not going to get the job done at this point.
Whether they’re healthy or not, the Cavs need to bounce back and win on Friday, or their season will likely be over.
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