The Cleveland Cavaliers were one of the most dominant NBA teams this season. Coming into the playoffs, the Cavaliers were the favorites to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately, the Indiana Pacers had other ideas. And thus, after two games down, the Cavs are trailing 0-2. Now, with Game 3 being a potentially do-or-die battle, Cleveland will be hoping to get their full-strength squad. But there’s one thing stopping them—the injury of Darius Garland.
Garland has been one of the most pivotal aspects of Kenny Atkinson’s side. The Cavaliers have been on a roll throughout the season due to his excellence on the court. That is, until he got injured. Garland missed the final two games of the Miami Heat series. And while the general assumption was that he would be back before the game with the Pacers, it didn’t happen that way. And by the looks of it, the Cavs fans might be in for some really frustrating news.
REPORT: There’s “optimism” that Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter will try to play in Game 3, per @joevardon.
“Two league sources told The Athletic. ‘I don’t think he has a choice,’ one league source who is close to the Cavs said of Garland, who hasn’t played since… pic.twitter.com/tUn8eozhoI
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 8, 2025
According to the injury report for Game 3, Garland has been listed as ‘questionable’ by the Cavs. This means Garland has not been able to recover from the sprain he suffered on his left toe. Meanwhile, as Garland is still nursing his injury, he is brutally called out by Stephen A. Smith.
Stephen A. Smith Calls Out Darius Garland
Stephen A. Smith is not at all happy with how the Darius Garland situation has panned out. In a recent statement, Smith called him out for sitting out of games when his team needed him the most. The NBA broadcaster also stated that Garland must be really ‘crippled’ if he has to sit out of important playoff games.
“You gotta be damn near crippled if you can’t play. 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,” Smith said.
"You're on the brink of elimination. … Limp yo ass out there no matter which way you got to do it."
—@stephenasmith on Darius Garland's toe injury pic.twitter.com/xYnZmp9gQJ
— First Take (@FirstTake) May 7, 2025
Thus, with the situation looking quite grim, it remains to be seen what happens next.