The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t just lose Game 1 of their second-round playoff series — they may have lost a critical edge in the process. After falling 121-112 to the Indiana Pacers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the mood in the Cavs locker room was less about panic and more about pain. With Darius Garland missing his third straight game due to a nagging toe sprain and more injury concerns piling up, head coach Kenny Atkinson delivered a worrying update that cast a long shadow over the rest of the series.

It was a stunner on multiple fronts. Cleveland had looked like a juggernaut in the opening round, steamrolling Miami in a sweep that underscored their status as the East’s No. 1 seed. But Sunday’s loss to Indiana made it painfully clear: this series will be anything but easy, and the Cavaliers won’t be whole anytime soon.

Darius Garland wasn’t on the floor, but his absence screamed through every offensive set the Cavaliers ran. Cleveland’s perimeter attack, usually a reliable weapon, sputtered to just 9-of-38 shooting from deep — their worst 3-point performance of the entire season. Garland’s presence could have changed the calculus. A 40% shooter from distance and a dynamic ball-handler, he would’ve offered much-needed tempo and spacing, especially against Indiana’s aggressive pace.

Instead, the Cavaliers were forced to lean heavily on Donovan Mitchell, who once again took on the bulk of the offensive load. And while Mitchell sparked a third-quarter comeback, turning a 12-point deficit into a short-lived lead, it wasn’t enough to withstand Indiana’s relentless rhythm.

Garland’s potential return for Game 2 remains murky. Kenny Atkinson, when pressed post-game, didn’t offer much optimism. “We’re being careful,” he said, before acknowledging that Garland’s progress hasn’t been linear. “There’s soreness that still hasn’t gone away.”

For a Cavs team that already relies heavily on top-heavy talent, that update was far from encouraging.

Injuries Continue to Mount for Cleveland

If Cavs Nation is clinging to any hope, it lies in Jared Greenberg’s latest update. Darius Garland, sidelined for a third straight game with a sprained left big toe, told Greenberg he’s “optimistic” about suiting up for Game 2 against the Pacers—a matchup that already feels like a must-win for Cleveland.

The Cavs sorely missed Garland’s shot creation and pace in Game 1; when healthy this season, he averaged 20.6 points and 6.7 assists per game while shooting 40.1% from three—production that could help unlock an offense that looked stagnant without him.

The Garland situation is just the tip of the iceberg. Atkinson also referenced other players in “day-to-day” mode, though he declined to offer specifics. De’Andre Hunter — who was acquired mid-season to beef up Cleveland’s wing depth — was one name mentioned post-game, and his status for Game 2 is now in question.

If Hunter joins Garland on the sidelines again, Cleveland’s depth will be tested in ways it wasn’t against Miami. Ty Jerome and Caris LeVert were asked to play heavy minutes in Game 1, and while both had stretches of productivity, neither could fully counteract Indiana’s perimeter blitz.

The Pacers hit 19 threes on 52.8% shooting — a staggering number that exposed Cleveland’s rotating defense and late closeouts. “They had us in the blender,” Atkinson admitted. “Their shot-making was otherworldly.”

Cleveland doesn’t lose back-to-back games often — they only did so three times all regular season. But if Garland remains sidelined, and the rotation continues to shrink, Game 2 could bring more of the same.

The Cavs’ top priority heading into Tuesday night is to slow the Pacers down in transition and find their own offensive rhythm early. If that means tweaking the lineup or unleashing more minutes for Mobley or LeVert, so be it. But the energy can’t lag again — especially not against the NBA’s seventh-fastest team.

“We’ve got life,” Mitchell said after the game. “That’s all we wanted.”

But if more injury news breaks the wrong way, that life might get squeezed sooner than expected.