Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James took a strong hit to his face from the shoulder of the Boston Celtics‘ Jayson Tatum in the latter stages of the first half of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. James appeared to be stunned before he briefly left the court to be looked over by the team’s training staff, with that look resulting in a potentially ominous situation in the opinion of former Cavaliers general manager David Griffin.
David Griffin says he saw a look on LeBron's face that he had never seen after he took that shot from Jayson Tatum. All signs point to a concussion.
— Cavaliers Nation (@WeAreCavsNation) May 16, 2018
Griffin served as Cleveland’s general manager until last June, when he was unable to come to a new contract agreement with team owner Dan Gilbert. During his three seasons watching James upon the latter’s return to the franchise from Miami, Griffin was a witness to many key moments that were led by the superstar, including winning the 2016 NBA championship.
Should a concussion be determined, James would have to take part in the league’s concussion protocol before he could be cleared to play in Game 3 of the series. He finished with a triple-double with 42 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in the Game 2 defeat, scoring half of those points during the first quarter.
With the Cavaliers trailing 2-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals, the absence of James could deliver a potentially lethal blow to the team’s chances of coming back. One positive aspect is that Game 3 won’t take place until Saturday night, which will allow him a few extra days to more fully recover from whatever final outcome is determined.
