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It’s been a crazy postseason not only for the Cleveland Cavaliers but for the other teams as well in terms of their roster’s health. The injury bug has hit the NBA like a plague this season as players are going down one by one along with their team’s chances of winning a series and it has been about survival of the fittest. On that note, we identified the worst of the worst injuries that the 2015 playoffs has to offer and hopefully the list stops to grow in this final round. We start with number 10:
10 – Chandler Parsons (right knee)
In the Mavericks’ first round matchup against the Rockets, Chandler Parsons was already toughing it out amidst a damaged cartilage in his knee. Unfortunately, he aggravated the injury when he landed after making a dunk in Game One. Dallas went on to lose the series in five games.
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9 – Mike Conley (facial fracture)
In Game Three of their first round series against Portland, Memphis’ Mike Conley took an inadvertent elbow to the face from C.J. McCollum. It resulted in a few broken bones and had to undergo surgery so metal plates can be inserted to support his face. He made a valiant return in the second round series against Golden State but one can’t face Stephen Curry while not being a hundred percent healthy and expect to win.
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8 – Tony Allen (left hamstring)
After providing invaluable energy to the Grizzlies, Tony Allen missed Game Five of their second round series against the Warriors due to a left hamstring injury. Allen’s absence allowed Klay Thompson to shake off his shooting funk and score 21 points. The Grindfather returned to Game Six but was ineffective in six minutes of play as his injury flared up and Memphis was eliminated.
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7 – Chris Paul (left hamstring)
Chris Paul suffered a left hamstring injury in the Clippers’ do or die contest against the Spurs and even went to the locker room for treatment. Surprisingly, CP3 made a gallant return to lift his team and convert on the game winning floater. However, Paul missed Games One and Two against Houston in the West Semis and Los Angeles ultimately bowed out in seven games.
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6 – Kevin Love (shoulder)
Early in Game Four of Cleveland’s series sweep of Boston, Kevin Love dislocated his shoulder thanks to Kelly Olynyk’s “bush league play”. Love was then listed as out for the remainder of the postseason. Despite the Cavaliers’ impressive run to keep their hopes alive all the way to the NBA Finals, Love’s absence is being felt more and more as the games pile up.
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5 – DeMarre Carroll (left knee)
The Hawks’ DeMarre Carroll suffered a left knee sprain in Game One of their conference finals matchup with the Cavaliers. Amazingly, he did not miss any of the succeeding games but his mobility was severely affected and it seriously dampened Atlanta’s chances as he happened to be their best hope in making LeBron James work. The Hawks eventually got swept.
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David Goldman | AP Photo
4 – Kyle Korver (right ankle)
Kyle Korver was supposed to be one of Atlanta’s major weapons against Cleveland but a right ankle injury sustained in Game Two took him out of the equation for the remainder of the series. The injury happened when Matthew Dellavedova dove for a loose ball and landed on Korver’s ankle. Atlanta’s season and finals hopes ended after Cleveland swept all four games.
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Tony Dejak | AP Photo
3 – Pau Gasol (right hamstring)
Pau Gasol killed the Cavaliers in Game One and was already looking to become a major headache for Cleveland. However, he re-aggravated a right hamstring injury in Game Three which forced him to miss games four and five. Gasol returned to Game Six but was ineffective as he bared witness to his Bulls losing the series in that game.
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Brett Davis | USA TODAY Sports
2 – John Wall (left wrist)
John Wall injured his left wrist in Game One of the Wizards’ East Semifinals matchup against the Hawks. The injury forced him to miss games two, three, and four of the series. He did return for games five and six but the Hawks made sure to close out for an East Finals date with the Cavaliers.
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1 – Kyrie Irving (right foot and left knee)
Kyrie Irving has been the biggest postseason warrior as he battled through an assortment of pain starting from the first round. Irving suffered a right foot strain against Boston, toughed it out against Chicago despite tendonitis in his left knee, and eventually got shut down by a fractured left kneecap suffered in Game One of the NBA Finals. Irving’s loss has already been tagged by many as the final nail in the coffin for the Cavaliers’ season, but all still remains to be seen.