As soon as Darius Garland was hit with a toe injury, the Cleveland Cavaliers missed their point guard for Games 1 and 2. Both of those games were close losses. As a result, Stephen A Smith had some harsh words for the Cavs' guard.

“You gotta be damn near crippled if you can't play,” Smith said on First Take. “You gotta find a way to get out there… you're on the brink of elimination. … Limp yo a*s out there no matter which way you got to do it.”

An interesting note is that Garland's injury is worse than it appears on the surface. For instance, NBA reporter Jared Greenberg said that this injury would keep him sidelined for one to two weeks during the regular season.

Not to mention, the big toe is where a majority of balance comes from in the feet. It's a major pointer for direction, switching and changing speeds.

Having that toe sprained limits what he can do on the floor. Even as a jump shooter, he might not be able to put much power on it because of how swollen it is.

Stephen A Smith sees no excuses for Cavs' Darius Garland

Although the injury limits his mobility, Smith sees no excuses. However, a similar injury came up with Blake Griffin on the Los Angeles Clippers.

Many had the same reaction to him as they do for Garland.

Article Continues Below
Related Cleveland Cavaliers News
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Ty Jerome (2) reacts during the second half against the Indiana Pacers in game five of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena.
Evaluating Cavs’ draft approach with Ty Jerome, Sam Merrill decisions loomingEvan Dammarell ·
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts with forward Evan Mobley (4) after a play in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.
Cavs’ Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley join LeBron James, Kyrie Irving with All-NBA honorsEvan Dammarell ·
Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) dribbles the ball while Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) defends during game four of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Cavs’ Evan Mobley joins LeBron James on exclusive All-Defensive listEvan Dammarell ·
Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) during game three of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Jarrett Allen challenged to ‘f***’ someone up by former Cavaliers championBenedetto Vitale ·
Ty Jerome, Guerschon Yabusele, and Ben Simmons in Cavs uniforms
4 early Cleveland Cavaliers NBA free agency targets in 2025 offseasonJedd Pagaduan ·
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine (8) during the second half at Rocket Arena.
Cavs are going all in on Darius Garland despite playoff disappointmentEvan Dammarell ·

Still, the big toe is a major source of mobility and it can severely limit it. Plus, it's always in constant movement when someone takes a step.

Either way, Smith sees the Cavs needed Garland for the foreseeable future, or at least for this series.

They are down 2-0 and lost two close games. Could they have won those games with the guard? Possibly, but that's a hypothetical.

Winning four straight, or even four games for that matter seems daunting. The Indiana Pacers are giving the best team in the Eastern Conference a run for their money.

At the end of the day, the Cavs had a brutal Game 2 meltdown, and it's one they cannot afford to replicate. If they do, the series will fall in the Pacers lap.

No matter what, Smith expects Garland to play for the remainder of the series. The injury report will tell another story, as the Cavs will take on the Pacers on Friday.

If he plays, it will be a major sigh of relief for the 64-win Cavs as they hope to even out the series while in Indiana.