On May 28, the NBA Eastern Conference Final G6, the Heat, with a full camp of injuries, beat the Celtics 111-103 away, and dragged the Eastern Conference Final into the seventh game. The Heat's Butler 47+9+8+4 shines in the TD Garden Arena, which is the god of war.
Source: NBA China official website
Grab seven, who will stand out in the Eastern Conference Finals? I think the ankle injuries to Butler and Smart will most likely be the dominant factor. First, let's look at Butler's right ankle sprain at 99-99 in the G6 game score.
Look closely at Butler's injuries and expressions, movements, belongs to the right lateral ankle sprain, according to the ankle sprain classification is most likely to belong to the first degree of injury: the lateral ligament is slightly torn, the ligament is elongated, the tear can be observed under the microscope; the ankle function is relatively stable. Ankle pain, swelling is not pronounced, generally no bruising and joint instability; weight bearing and walking without difficulty. The recovery time is usually several hours or days. With Jimmy Butler's Iron Man physique and professional level of rehabilitation, he may recover quite quickly, but with such a high intensity in the Eastern Conference Finals, his right ankle will be under tremendous pressure and his performance at G7 is expected to be greatly reduced.
Looking at Celtic Smart, let's look back at the May 22st Eastern Final G3 Smart's right ankle injury.
At that time, Smart's right ankle was almost 90° varus sprained, while the angle at which the ankle of a normal person can be turned inwards is 30°. This injury is at least grade II according to the classification of ankle sprains: a partial tear of the ligament, resulting in varying degrees of ankle instability. The ankle joint is usually swollen and bruised, weight bearing or walking is often painful and difficult, and recovery time takes 4-6 weeks. At that time, Smart's cries of pain also resounded through the stadium, but he still chose to stick to the court, but unfortunately failed to bring victory. After just 5 days of rest, G6 Smart actually started, probably because he was the defensive gate of the Celtics, and the coaching team also hoped that he could help the team win this game. But Smart played a sluggish game, playing 40 minutes, shooting 4 of 15 from the field & 1 of 9 from three,000 points, with a plus-minus of -12. I think his right ankle injury determines how he performed. Let's take a game moment to see the drop in the quality of his defense.
Image source: Network
The injuries of the two stars are likely to change the course of the game and are likely to be the dominant factor in determining who will stand out in the Eastern Conference Finals. We hope that the players will be able to stay focused and protect themselves from injuries in intense and even fierce matches, and continue to bring us great performances.