The Cleveland Cavaliers will be facing the Indiana Pacers in a thrilling Eastern Conference semifinals series starting on Sunday. Kenny Atkinson‘s men made easy work of the Miami Heat, sweeping them 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs. Now, they’ll shift their focus toward the Pacers, who’ve been phenomenal in the first round in their own right. Tyrese Haliburton and Co. knocked out the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. This marked the second time in two seasons they’ve achieved this remarkable feat. While the Cavaliers are favorites heading into this series, the Pacers are not to be taken lightly. So, it will be interesting to see which team comes out on top as both are gearing up for a star-studded showdown.

However, the Cavs might be short-handed for Game 1 of the second round. That’s because they could miss Darius Garland. The 25-year-old Cleveland point guard missed the final two games of the series due to a toe injury. While many expected him to return in time for the opening matchup, head coach Kenny Atkinson has provided a worrying update. “No, had a high day yesterday. So just didn’t want to load it again. Second day, I think he was going to touch it up, shoot a little, but no, didn’t want to kind of double load it if that makes sense.” Atkinson stated. “I think it’s day to day. I think it’s a try it you know, it’s like I said, we’re just in this kind of area where it’s you just got to kind of see day to day. If you see how he feels, see how he feels tomorrow morning.”

The Cavaliers’ head coach indicated that Garland will be a game-day decision for the team as he continues his recovery. The Cleveland point guard did not practice with the rest of the team. So, he’ll be on day-to-day for Game 1, according to coach Atkinson. For now, he’s been alternating between soaking his foot in ice and warm buckets in an effort to speed up recovery. Well, the Cavs did not look like they needed Darius Garland’s help for the final two games against the Heat. However, they’ll require him to take care of business against the Pacers. He’s had a stellar campaign so far, averaging 20.6 points, 6.7 assists, and 2.9 rebounds. So, Cleveland fans will be hoping to hear some good news, but if they don’t, who’ll replace Garland?

This has caused a massive dilemma for Cleveland’s head coach, who’s yet to settle down on Garland’s replacement. “Yeah, I think it’s first we’ve got to find out the DG situation tomorrow, and then I’ll just we’ll kind of pivot from there. You can imagine the options we have, you know, multiple options, I just say different matchups. You know, different when you look at their starting starters and and and what what what fits best on both sides of the ball, not just the defensive side offensively.” Atkinson said. The most likely choice seems to be Sam Merrill, given we’ve already seen him step up against the Heat. However, Atkinson has stated he’ll review all options before tip-off. This brings in Isaac Okoro, who could be a solid choice to replace Garland.

This could be a favorable matchup for Okoro, as Kenny Atkinson has one concern entering the second round of the playoffs.

Kenny Atkinson voices one concern about the Indiana Pacers

Kenny Atkinson and the Cleveland Cavaliers are favorites to win this series against the Indiana Pacers. However, the NBCA Coach of the Year isn’t getting complacent as they gear up for Game 1. Their eyes will be set on Indiana’s superstar guard, Tyrese Haliburton, who they’ll need to contain if they want to stop the Pacers’ offense. However, according to coach Atkinson, there’s more to Indiana than just Haliburton’s skillset. One thing the Cavaliers have, which has helped them cruise through the regular season and the first round, is depth. The Cavs aren’t too worried about losing their starting point guard because of the same.

In fact, depth is something most of the teams that have been successful this season share among them. The teams that can comfortably play eight or even nine guys seem to have an edge over their opponents. That’s something head coach Kenny Atkinson has spotted in the Pacers’ roster as well. “They have depth, too,” Atkinson said. “They can match our depth a little bit. That’s an interesting kind of take on this series because they’re so high-paced, they have to play more guys. They can’t play seven guys. You can’t play like that. So they trust their depth. We trust our depth. It’s going to be who can do it for longer.”

According to Atkinson, both teams are more than capable of playing eight or nine guys. That’s what makes this matchup even more interesting for the Cavaliers’ head coach. Moreover, he pointed out that the Pacers stand up to their name and play a high-paced game, which forces them to rely on their bench quite often. They cannot do that with just seven guys, he added. So, the result might depend on which team can trust their depth for longer. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this chess of depth, as everyone awaits tip-off at the Rocket Arena in Cleveland.