Jarrett Allen was an iron man for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the regular season, but his unavailability during the postseason reportedly was an issue for some of his teammates.
Allen’s Cleveland Cavaliers lost 113-98 in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series on Wednesday to end their season. Though Allen played in 77 games during the regular season and in the team’s first four playoff games, he missed the last eight games of the Cavaliers’ season due to a rib injury.
The Cavs big man took shots to his ribs in Games 1 and 4 of his team’s first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic that went the full seven games. Allen had his rib pierced after taking an elbow in Game 4 of the series and did not play at any point in the postseason thereafter.
According to a report from The Athletic, some Cavs players were frustrated that Allen refused to get a numbing injection that could have potentially helped his chances of playing.
Keep in mind that the 26-year-old Allen had played in 81 straight games for the Cavs until suffering his rib injury in Game 4.
Allen averaged 17.0 points and 13.8 rebounds per game during the playoff series against the Magic. It’s easy to understand why his teammates would have wanted him out there for the rest of the postseason, regardless of the circumstances.
