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After Darius Garland missed Game 1 with a toe injury, the Cleveland Cavaliers felt the guard's absence. As a result, the Cavs trailed 2-0 to the Indiana Pacers before Friday's Game 3.
Following that game, it was a dominant showing and one that had Garland in the game. Although he didn't have the best performance, the Cavs felt his impact.
Garland ran the floor, initiated the offense, and allowed Donovan Mitchell to be the dominant scorer he is. The point guard explained to his critics via Joe Vardon of The Athletic what he's going through.
“Y’all don’t understand what I’m going through,” Garland said after Friday’s win. “I mean, everybody has their opinion. I’m going out there and playing basketball. Everybody has their nicks and bruises around this time. So going out and trying to win the series.”
The Vanderbilt standout has been the offensive engine. His numbers aren't like Mitchell's, but his impact transcends the stat sheet.
His absence allowed the Pacers to take full advantage of the Cavs. They double-teamed Mitchell and dared guys like Jarrett Allen and Max Strus to beat them.
Also, backup point guard Ty Jerome had to fill Garland's role. There's a different chemistry playing with the starters as opposed to the bench unit. Either way, Cleveland looked like themselves again.
Cavs' Darius Garland is playing through injury
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Garland is dealing with a sprained big toe. An injury to the big toe is more serious than people realize. It affects your coordination, balance, and athleticism. It's crazy to say, but similar injuries have sidelined people for long stretches.
For instance, Blake Griffin broke his big toe during the 2017 NBA Playoffs. As a result, he missed the rest of the first-round series, and the Utah Jazz eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers. However, the Clippers originally announced that Griffin was done for the postseason even if the Clippers advanced.
Despite the Cavs guard not breaking his toe, a sprain is just as difficult to recover from.
No matter what, this isn't an insignificant injury. Actually, it's one that totally influenced the direction of the second-round series. Still, the Cavs trail 2-1 and could easily tie it up.
At the end of the day, Garland doesn't appreciate the critics attacking him for his injury. It might be bad to the point where he would have to miss the playoffs. Other guys wouldn't risk further injury, but don't tell that to the point guard.
Considering that the Cavs were at the top of the Eastern Conference, their aspirations are winning the 2025 NBA championship. If Garland has to play through his injury, then so be it.
