Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers have their work cut out for them in their playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. Going to Indiana down 2-0 will be quite the hurdle to overcome.
The Cavaliers will need everyone healthy to have a chance at evening the series, let alone winning it. But is Mitchell himself ready? Here’s the latest on his status.
The Latest on Donovan Mitchell’s Health for Game 3
As if the Cavaliers weren’t dealing with enough already, Mitchell played through a calf strain in Game 2. Mitchell still put up 48 points in a valiant effort that safely went to waste in one of the craziest comebacks in NBA playoff history.
Making it even more concerning is whether Mitchell will play in Game 3. Luckily, Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson confirmed to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon that Mitchell will be available for their next matchup.
That’s fantastic news for the Cavaliers, as Mitchell’s absence would have been the final nail in the coffin for their playoff hopes. His being available keeps their hopes alive for Game 3. Sadly, there’s still plenty of players whose availability remain up in the air.
Part of the reason the Cavaliers are down so much is that Darius Garland has missed both games, while Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter missed Game 3, all because of injuries. Even though they will try to play through them, it doesn’t sound like it’s certain that they will be.
Even if they do, there will be no telling if any of those three will be at full strength. Mitchell certainly isn’t, but that may indicate his injury isn’t as bad as theirs. In the playoffs, players typically play through injury, but there is a threshold that, once it’s crossed, it’s clear that playing not only hurts them but also hurts the team.
It’s nobody’s fault that all three of them are hurt at the worst possible time—it’s just bad luck. A sad reality about who wins the title is that the team that wins usually avoids the injury bug the best compared to the rest of the competition.
The Cavaliers know this from last year, when Mitchell couldn’t play past Game 2 of last year’s series against the Celtics.
It’s devastating because the Cavaliers did everything right to get themselves where they are. The right guys took the next steps and added more firepower at the deadline. It would be a shame to see the Cavaliers have their most successful season post-LeBron James end so abruptly due to circumstances out of their control.
