Despite being listed as QUESTIONABLE on the injury report, Darius Garland played in Game 3 for the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the Cavs 2-0 down against the Indiana Pacers, he had no other options to be frank. But after the game, we learned what Garland had to go through to show up tonight. 

With Garland back in the mix, the Cavs were able to pull the series back slightly with a dominant 126-104 win tonight. However, at the post-game press conference, head coach Kenny Atkinson revealed that all wasn’t right with Darius. He confessed that the 25-year-old guard had played through injury tonight.

“He’s just playing through a lot of pain, quite honestly. He’s kinda taking one for the team here. He had to push through a lot tonight.  So hopefully he recovers,” said Atkinson. But the cracks still showed for Garland tonight. He only mustered 10 points in 25 minutes on the court tonight. The more worrying bits, though, were the 4 turnovers and 4 personal fouls he committed.

But Kenny revealed why that’s not a problem as long as he plays. “Listen, even if we get 15, 20 minutes from him, we need it. We need another ball handler. He can create separation. He can create advantages even if it’s not going to be perfect with the way his health is right now,” he said.

It seems like desperate times in Cleveland after dropping the first two games in the series to the Pacers. Which means even if he’s injured, Darius Garland needs to rub some dirt in it and trudge on for his team under Kenny Atkinson’s guidance. But is that really the best move for the 25-year-old? Let’s see.

Should the Cavs risk further injury to Darius Garland by playing him while he’s injured?

This is not really a moral question. No, this one comes down to logic. Is playing and possibly winning the series against the Pacers worth the risk? Let’s start with the obvious — Garland’s injury.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst revealed that Garland injured himself during the regular season. But playing in the postseason meant his injury flared up once more. “Darius Garland had this injury at the end of the regular season. They gave him a couple of days off, they brought him back for the playoffs. And he played, because what you’re supposed to do is play in the playoffs, and then he was re-injured. They didn’t hold him out because they were super conservative with the injury. He played, and he was re-injured, and the injury is worse,” said Windy.

So the writing is on the wall. The Cavs are about to make the same mistake twice. But we know that already, don’t we? The question is — should they? And if we’re being honest, the answer to that might be yes! Despite Garland looking and playing like he’s compromised tonight, Kenny Atkinson is right. His presence did help the Cavs. Garland’s points differential was +10 tonight. And that’s not a negligible difference for any team, especially in the Playoffs when you’re down 2-1.

Moreover, with him on the court, the Cavs were finally able to pull one back against the Pacers. With the series hanging in the balance, it seems Kenny Atkinson and his men are ready to do anything it takes. That includes putting themselves at risk to win a series. And more power to them!