The Cavs wins the series against Boston Celtics in a physical game to advance to the conference semifinals waiting for either the Bulls or the Bucks. But their team is in danger in their next round due to the fact that Kevin Love is injured and JR Smith will have a probable suspension. The Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics Sunday, finishing off the No. 7 seed in a 101-93 Game 4 win Sunday at TD Garden.
Kevin Love was hurt early in the first quarter trying to get a rebound when he got tangled up with Celtics reserve big man Kelly Olynyk and got his left arm dislocated when Olynynk yanked his arm. "I thought It was a bush league play," Love said afterwards from the Cleveland locker room with arm in a sling. "I was out there and Olynynk was in a compromised position with no chance to get the ball, and it's just too bad that he would go to those lengths to take somebody out the game and do that to someone. I have no doubt in my mind that he did that on purpose."
Love will be reevaluated on Monday, so there is no telling what his status will be as the Cavaliers await the winner of the Chicago Bulls (up 3-1) and Milwaukee Bucks series. Injuries of this nature can require varying degrees of treatment, depending on if there was just a sprain associated with the dislocated shoulder or a tear of the labrum or rotator cuff, according to a head athletic trainer for one NBA team. A minimum 2-3 weeks is a standard recovery time for a sprain. A labrum tear or rotator cuff tear could require surgery and anywhere from 4-6 months recovery time.
JR Smith also got ejected due to a Flagrant 2. Smith delivered the blow after halftime, swinging and knocking Jae Crowder to the the floor as the two battled under the basket fighting for position on a rebound with 10:24 to play. Crowder sprained his left knee on the fall and Smith was ejected. He knows that a suspension is on the way.
Kevin Love said he expects the league to look at the play and the punishment for Olynyk needs to be "just and swift." Smith, on the other hand, is sure to see a multiple game suspension for the lick he passed, a vicious, no-look right hand that caught Crowder clean across the chin.
"This is a beautiful game and it's also a physical game," Cleveland coach David Blatt said addressing the play Love was injured on while also acknowledging the inevitable where Smith is concerned. "And you have to expect the physicality. But there's a line that shouldn't be crossed and that's what the league is for."
The Big Three of the Cavaliers wins their first playoff series together but will be at a disadvantage in the next game. All of the good vibrations from this Cavaliers crew completing their first playoff series together as a group, the need for LeBron James, Love and Kyrie Irving to cross this first item off their postseason bucket list as a Big Three, pales in comparison to the reality of their situation going forward. But sadly, the Cavaliers took a lot of damage because they engaged the Celtics in a street fight rather than rising above the chippy play and just allowing their talent and seasoning to rule the day.
"You want to play the game of basketball the right way," LeBron said. "You want to play physical. But you never want to have the game to get out of hand where you have injuries. And we had two of them tonight. And you don't wish that on nobody. And now look where we are sitting, possibly with one of our big guys out possibly, and their respective team they have a guy who may be out for a period of time as well. So you don't ever want the game to get out of hand. You just want guys to play the game right way."
Cleveland Cavaliers still have some time to fill in others players for the two as the team wait for their opponent. Cavaliers will have some time to see what they did well and what they didn't do as well against the Celtics. They should have time to dissect the video from these first four playoff games for this group and come up with some remedies for whatever didn't work and fine-tune the things that did.
Love and Smith both are great shooters and can make the offense flow especially when Lebron is doubled. Both of them can make clutch shots and they will be badly needed for the coming games if the Cavaliers continue to advance.
In the end of the day, the goal was fulfilled. The Cavaliers takes the win and advance, but could pay for it dearly in the immediate future, depending on the word on Love's shoulder and Smith's suspension.
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