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Already without Darius Garland due to a nagging toe injury, Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals delivered a gut punch to the Cleveland Cavaliers, both on the scoreboard and the injury report.
Not only did the Cavs fall 121-112 to the Indiana Pacers, but they may have lost two of their key contributors in Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter to injuries that have now clouded the team’s outlook heading into Game 2.
Speaking at Cleveland Clinic Courts, the Cavs' practice facility, Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t mince words about the physicality that defined the fourth quarter of the game. In his view, it crossed a critical line.
“Indiana deserved that,” Atkinson admitted. “They outplayed us. They were the more physical team. But I will say there were two plays in that game that, I don’t think they were dirty plays, but I think it passed a line of physicality, that line we’ve kind of been talking about where it became excessive.”
The first of those plays occurred with just more than eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Mobley caught the ball in the paint and flipped in a hook shot over Indiana’s Myles Turner. On his landing, Mobley came down awkwardly on Turner’s foot, rolling his left ankle in the process.
“Turner contests his two-point shot, comes clearly under him, and shooters need space to land,” Atkinson said. “He is pushed off balance in our opinion and tweaks his ankle pretty badly. I think you guys saw him limping the rest of the game. There was a big push to get him out. He wanted to stay in.”
Mobley, who finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, was visibly hobbled after the incident. He attempted just one more shot for the remainder of the game.
Things went from bad to worse after Cavs' Evan Mobley tweaked his ankle
On the very next possession, Cavs forward De’Andre Hunter took off in transition, blowing by Tyrese Haliburton and rising for what looked to be an emphatic dunk. That was until he was met at the rim by Bennedict Mathurin.
The block sent Hunter crashing to the ground, where he immediately clutched his right hand in pain. The play was reviewed and ultimately upheld as a clean block, much to Atkinson’s disbelief.
On replay, this is a foul, Mathurin puts his left hand square in Hunter's chest as he goes up. We'll see what the refs say. pic.twitter.com/nB7U15ttKj
— Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) May 5, 2025
“Everyone in the world, just look at that play, Atkinson said. “They reviewed it, and I'm just in shock. I don't know; I guess I gotta know the rules better. Maybe I don't know the rules. I felt he got absolutely obliterated and dislocated his thumb. So he'll be questionable.”
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Hunter exited for a brief medical evaluation, later revealing he had dislocated his thumb and had it popped back into place. While he expressed confidence in his ability to suit up for Game 2, his status remains up in the air. That is, until Atkinson, alternating between describing Mobley and Hunter as “questionable” and “doubtful,” ultimately tried to clarify his language.
“That’s semantics, right? Questionable is questionable. Whatever. Let’s put it in that,” Atkinson said. “To me, in my world, doubtful and questionable live in the same world. So maybe I’m using, I should use the official NBA kind of thing. … I’m not going to expand on it. Obviously, a real concern.”
Cleveland could be incredibly undermanned heading into Game 2
The Cavs were already undermanned before either of those incidents. Garland missed the final two games of the first round with a toe injury and was ruled out of Game 1 just 30 minutes before tipoff. His status remains up in the air with Atkinson labeling him “questionable” as well.
“We just did shootaround today, so it was tough to really gauge kind of where he is,” Atkinson said of Garland. “So yeah, he’ll be questionable, too, for tomorrow.”
Through all the frustration, Atkinson took care to express respect for the Pacers and the league’s officials, calling the crew that worked Game 1 “a darn good group.” Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his team was unfairly dealt a harsh hand.
“I don't think this is on Indiana. I have so much respect for how they play,” Atkinson said. “The fact of the matter, I think that it's on the referees. Maybe there were missed calls, or maybe I'm misinterpreting the rules. But I have a problem when we have two of our best players doubtful for tomorrow's game; it's hard for me to get my head around that.
“Haven't talked about the referees all year. I think the referees in this league are phenomenal, and they do a great job, and that was a darn good crew that did last night. A ton of respect for those guys. But for some reason, it bothers me that we're dealing with this. And there should be some repercussions in terms of making the call.”
As the Cavs prepare for Game 2, the series has taken on a new shape, It's one not just of competition but of survival. Down 1-0 and bruised, Cleveland now faces a test of resilience in a playoff run suddenly defined by attrition.
