Mitchell Tatum is injured! The Cavaliers are both behind 1-3. Do you still have hope of entering the Eastern Conference Final?

The Celtics lost to the Knicks 113-121 away today, and suffered a 14-point comeback. They were behind 1-3 in a big score and were already scored by the Knicks. If they lose another game, they will be eliminated. It is worth mentioning that the Cavaliers also suffered a crushing defeat to the Pacers yesterday, and were also behind 1-3 in a big score, and also came to the brink of being eliminated.

It is worth mentioning that a total of 3 teams in the regular season this season have won more than 60 wins, namely the Thunder (68 wins), the Cavaliers (64 wins), and the Celtics (61 wins). They are also regarded as the favorites to win the championship this season. Although these three strong teams performed well in the first round of the playoffs and advanced very easily, in the semi-finals, their situation was very bad. The Cavaliers and the Celtics were both behind 1-3 in the score, and the Thunder were only 2-2 with the Nuggets and were about to start the battle of Kings Mountain.

Since the Cavaliers and the Celtics are already behind 1-3, it is very difficult to turn the tables, so they are likely to both end up in the semi-finals and miss the Eastern Conference Finals. It is hard to say whether the Thunder can enter the Western Conference Finals, and they may end up in the semi-finals like last season. In this way, three teams with 60+ wins may miss the division final, which may not have been expected by everyone. The situation of the Thunder is slightly better, and the Cavaliers and the Celtics have indeed reached a desperate situation. Not only have they been given the match point by their opponents, but the team's core has also been injured and retreated in the fourth game. Mitchell left the field early in the first half of the fourth game due to an ankle sprain, and Tatum also paid attention to leaving the field at the last moment in the fourth game. With the loss of the team's core, it is even more difficult for the Cavaliers and the Celtics to turn the tables.

In terms of strength, both the Cavaliers and the Celtics are beyond doubt, otherwise they would not have won more than 60 wins in the regular season. But in the semi-finals, they didn't perform well enough, especially when they lost both home games and were reversed while leading by 20 points, so they encountered a 0-2-degree situation. If they could win a game at home, their situation wouldn't be so difficult now.

Of course, the Cavaliers and the Celtics are not completely out of the chance. Even if the team's core cannot play, their overall strength is still very strong. It depends on whether they still have the confidence to fight back. The Cavaliers completed a 1-3 major comeback in the 2016 Finals and won the first championship in the team history. The Celtics also dragged into the tiebreak battle in a desperate situation of 0-3 in the 2023 Eastern Conference Final. Although they failed to complete the comeback in the end, this is also very remarkable.