The Cleveland Cavaliers have the opportunity to go up 2-1 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Boston Celtics Saturday night as the series shifts to Cleveland's home floor. The Cavs are coming off a shocking 118-94 victory in Game 2 at the TD Garden, putting them in the driver's seat with two home games coming up.
Additionally, they pulled the victory off without starting big Jarrett Allen or backup forward Dean Wade. Both are listed as questionable to play on Saturday, via the NBA injury report. They'll be game-time decisions.
Allen has been dealing with a right rib contusion that's kept him out the last five games. However, he appears to be trending in the right direction, as he was seen participating in Cleveland's pregame shoot-around, via Camryn Justice of News 5 Cleveland.
If Allen does play, it would provide a major boost to the Cavs' chances of winning the series. The Texas alum averaged 17 points on 67.6% shooting with 13.8 rebounds with one block and 1.3 steals against the Orlando Magic last round. Additionally, he's a lockdown defender inside, ranking 11th in the league with a 110.3 defensive rating in the regular season.
As for Wade, he's been held out for the last few weeks with a right knee sprain. The fourth-year veteran is expected to finally come back Saturday, via ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
“I think Dean Wade is planning on playing tomorrow,” Windhorst said. “I don’t know what he’ll get (on the injury report) because the Cavs haven’t really announced what’s going on in his knee. He’s really worked hard to make this happen.”
Wade would significantly bolster Cleveland's bench depth with somebody who's had success against the Celtics before. The Kansas State alum scored 20 points in the fourth quarter on March 5th to lead the Cavs to a 105-104 victory over them.
“I don’t know how much he can give them, but just giving J.B. (Bickerstaff) lineup versatility, being that they got to watch him in pregame workout and everything, but I think he’s hoping to play tomorrow,” Windhorst continued.
If Cleveland does get these two players back, will they be at 100%?
Allen and Wade may not be full-strength, but their presence alone will boost the Cavaliers
When it comes to the NBA playoffs, many players play with nagging injuries. At this point in the year, the wear and tear of the long season starts to rear its ugly head. It's the teams that display the most resilience in the face of pain that rise to the top in June.
The fact that the Cavs beat the Celtics so handily without these two players last game says something. While Boston is down Kristaps Porzingis, it should still beat Cleveland handily on paper. The Celtics have a history of choking in the Jayson Tatum era, so the Cavs could capitalize on that tendency.
If Wade and Allen can take the floor and each make a solid impact, the Cavaliers could be looking at its first Eastern Conference Finals trip since 2018. However, the team has to continue to support Donovan Mitchell on the offensive end to make that happen.
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