‘Real concerns’ for status of key Cavs players in Game 2

Cavs could be without three key players.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are facing a scary reality, down 0-1 with multiple key players listed as questionable for a pivotal Game 2. Kenny Atkinson said there are real concerns for the status of Evan Mobley, De’Andre Hunter and Darius Garland.

Hunter reportedly dislocated the thumb on his shooting hand after a hard fall while attacking the basket. Indiana’s Bennadict Mathurian delivered a shove to Hunter’s chest while he was airborne — but no foul was called. Atkinson called this play an example of “crossing the line” when discussing Hunter’s status.

“I don’t think they were dirty plays, but I think it passed a line of physicality,” said Atkinson. “That line we’ve kind of been talking about where it became excessive.”

Mobley rolled his ankle on another play that Aktinson deemed excessive. After spinning into the lane, Mobley rose for a post-hook while Myles Turner took away his landing space. The result was a turned ankle that has Mobley listed as questionable for Game 2.

“Turner contests his two-point shot, comes under, clearly under him. And shooters need space to land, and is pushed off balance in kind of our opinion and tweaks his ankle pretty bad,” said Atkinson. “I think you guys saw him [Mobley] limping the rest of the game.”

As for Garland, the same toe injury has him in limbo. Its difficult for an athlete to “suck it up” and play with an injury that limits their movement. This isn’t just a case of pain tolerance — it’s a mobility issue. The same goes for Mobley and likely Hunter. It’s hard to play on a twisted ankle or be an effective shooter with a dislocated thumb.

That said, no one has been ruled out for Game 2. Given the circumstances, we’d assume all stops will be pulled. If Garland, Mobley or Hunter are healthy enough to play — then I imagine they will.