The Cavaliers looked good on Monday despite the loss to the Celtics, and they showed solidarity and resilience while playing without their leader and leading scorer, Donovan Mitchell. A huge blow when they have already been without Jarrett Allen for seven matches.
The problem is that it is not certain that Mitchell will be restored for Game 5, decisive since the Cavaliers are trailing 3-1. “It’s not just a calf strain,” recalls Donovan Mitchell at Cleveland.com. “The calf leads to the Achilles tendon and it can get worse. »
Obviously, when we talk about calf injuries and the risks of aggravation, we immediately think of Kevin Durant's relapse during the 2019 Finals. More recently, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo who did not take the slightest risk after a calf injury. On the Boston side, it was Kristaps Porzingis who was injured in the same place, without having any details on the date of his return.
As a summary of the Cavaliers season
As for Mitchell's teammates, we imagine that the injury is more serious than expected, if he is not able to lend a helping hand.
“It's obviously tough to lose your best player in a series like this where we felt like it was in our control,” regrets Caris LeVert, who started in place of Mitchell on Monday night. “ But knowing Donovan, who is a warrior and plays through injuries all the time, I think it just shows how serious the injury is. Because if it was benign, he probably would have tried to play with it.” admits LeVert.
This is not the first time that the Cavaliers have had to deal without their best player, and it should be remembered that this same Mitchell has missed 16 of the last 24 regular season games.
“It’s a close-knit group that has shown resilience throughout the year”recalls JB Bickerstaff. “We've been through a ton with this group this season, and our group has never given up. When the guys had an opportunity or the team needed them, they always raised the level of play and gave us a chance. »
