DeMarre Carroll leaves Hawks-Cavs Game 1 after suffering left leg injury
DeMarre Carroll was the only member of the Atlanta Hawks starting five not to participate in the 2015 NBA All-Star Game, but through the opening two rounds of the postseason, he's been the Hawks' leading scorer, best perimeter defender and, arguably, their best overall player. He entered the Eastern Conference finals expected to play a major role as Mike Budenholzer's primary defensive option against Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James.
But Atlanta lost his services for the remainder of Game 1 — and perhaps longer — after he suffered a non-contact injury to his left knee with 4:59 remaining in the fourth quarter on Wednesday night:
As Carroll drove to the basket in transition midway through the fourth quarter, he attempted to make a move and step past the defense of Cleveland swingman Iman Shumpert. He appeared to suffer the injury as soon as he stepped down and planted on his left leg, crumpling to the ground in evident pain.
Fans inside Philips Arena were stunned and dismayed (via @_MarcusD_):
Many NBA players watching at home shared the apprehension upon watching Carroll, regarded as one of the league's toughest customers, writhe in agony:
Get up
— Wesley Matthews (@wessywes2) May 21, 2015
Hope Carroll is ok.....
— Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) May 21, 2015
Prayers up for the big bro Demarre Carroll 🙏🏿
— DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) May 21, 2015
I hope he's alright, dang never want to see that to anyone.
— Tobias Harris (@tobias31) May 21, 2015
Damn that didn't look good.. Hope @DeMarreCarroll1 is ok. #prayersup
— Quincy Pondexter (@QuincyPondexter) May 21, 2015
Hate to see that for Demarre
— Trevor Booker (@35_Fitz) May 21, 2015
I hope Carroll alright man.
— Michael Carter-Willi (@MCW1) May 21, 2015
Carroll finished with five points on 2-for-7 shooting, three assists, two steals and one rebound in 34 1/2 minutes of playing time in Game 1, which Cleveland won, 97-89, to wrest home-court advantage away from the Hawks and take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Carroll was helped off the court and back to the locker room by Hawks athletic trainer Wally Blase and teammate Kent Bazemore, and could evidently not put any weight on his left leg.
From our PR Team: DeMarre has a left leg injury and will not return tonight.
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) May 21, 2015
Sideline reporter David Aldridge reported on TNT's broadcast that Carroll would undergo an MRI on Thursday and that there was some cautious optimism in the Atlanta locker room that the injury was not as bad as it looked on the court.
Not good pic.twitter.com/xckaDmH9MQ
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) May 21, 2015
Carroll, 29, averaged a career-best 12.6 points per game this season to go with 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals in 31.3 minutes per contest. He started 69 of 70 games for a Hawks team that won a franchise-record 60 games to take the No. 1 seed in the East, finding a home in Atlanta after bouncing around to four teams in his first four pro seasons and developing a reliable enough outside shot (36.2 percent from 3-point land last season, a career-high 39.5 percent this year) to make the small forward spot for Budenholzer's Hawks.
He will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. Many observers believe he's poised to cash in as one of the premier "3-and-D" players on the market.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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