CLEVELAND -- Jae Crowder has played through an assortment of injuries this season, but Boston’s Ironman may have met his match.
Crowder is a game-time decision for tonight’s game against Cleveland due to a sore ankle, says coach Brad Stevens.
Stevens said the injury occurred when the 6-foot-6 Crowder took a hard spill near the end of Boston’s 102-95 win over Detroit on Wednesday.
When I saw Crowder this morning, I asked him how he was doing.
“Sore,” he said. “Just bumps and bruises. I’ll be all right.”
While admittedly less than 100 percent (all players are this time of year, to some extent), Crowder is confident he’ll feel better enough to play in time to get on the floor tonight.
“It’s a part of it,” Crowder said. “You have to take care of your body as much as possible during your down time, try to get ready for the next one.”
Boston Celtics
Crowder, the only Celtic to start in all 51 games this season, credits team trainer Ed Lacerte and his staff for working tirelessly to ensure that he has been healthy enough to play and be impactful this season.
The Celtics are always a better team with Crowder, but his presence is even more of a necessity tonight in facing Cleveland, which is led by perennial All-Star LeBron James.
James has had his way with most NBA teams during his 12-plus NBA seasons, but few teams bring out the scorer in James like Boston.
In 43 regular-season games against Boston, James is a career 29.7 points per game scorer. It's his highest scoring average against any team other than Oklahoma City (he averages 29.7 points against them as well, but in only 22 meetings).
When asked about the biggest challenges James presents to a defender, let’s just the say the list was pretty lengthy.
“Of course him attacking the rim,” Crowder said. “Being physical, getting downhill, pick-and-rolls, things like that. You want to try and take that away from him, getting to the rim.”
Stevens knows dealing with James with Crowder in itself will be difficult. Without him, the task becomes even more daunting.
But as much as he knows Crowder’s presence will be a plus for Boston, he’ll be in wait-and-see mode just like the rest of us on whether Crowder plays tonight.
“He’ll judge it,” said Stevens who added that Crowder would not participate in the team’s morning shoot-around. “That’s not our call. That’s him and Eddie (Lacerte, the team’s head trainer).”