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CLEVELAND -- Larry Hughes of the Cleveland Cavaliers will likely miss Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals after suffering a torn plantar fascia in his left foot during Game 3.
Hughes said the likelihood of him playing in Game 4 was "slim."
"I'm not ruling it out. We'll just have to see. If I can go out and help the team, I'll help the team. If not, I'll support them from the sidelines," Hughes said.
Hughes, who had been battling plantar fasciitis for more than a month, tore the heel muscle when he planted his foot to go up for a reverse layup in the first half of Cleveland's 88-82 victory that cut Detroit's lead to 2-1 in the best-of-7 series. He was replaced in the second half by rookie Daniel Gibson, although it was not yet known whether Gibson would replace Hughes as the starting point guard Tuesday night, or whether coach Mike Brown would turn to veteran Eric Snow if Hughes is unable to play.
"Kind of a freak play, I guess. There wasn't any contact or anything like that, I just probably had it planted and turned the wrong way," Hughes said. "It was hot, and I've never torn a muscle or anything like that before. So I knew when I did it that it wasn't a normal tweak or anything like that. It was something pretty serious."
An MRI exam revealed the tear, which Hughes said should be able to heal without surgery. But the healing time for such injuries is typically several weeks, so it's possible that Hughes will not return during the postseason.
"It's very painful. It's real sore today," said Hughes, who was walking with a pronounced limp in the locker room Monday. "If the game was today, I couldn't play today. I'll see tomorrow how it feels."
Chris Sheridan covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.
Hughes said the likelihood of him playing in Game 4 was "slim."
"I'm not ruling it out. We'll just have to see. If I can go out and help the team, I'll help the team. If not, I'll support them from the sidelines," Hughes said.
Hughes, who had been battling plantar fasciitis for more than a month, tore the heel muscle when he planted his foot to go up for a reverse layup in the first half of Cleveland's 88-82 victory that cut Detroit's lead to 2-1 in the best-of-7 series. He was replaced in the second half by rookie Daniel Gibson, although it was not yet known whether Gibson would replace Hughes as the starting point guard Tuesday night, or whether coach Mike Brown would turn to veteran Eric Snow if Hughes is unable to play.
"Kind of a freak play, I guess. There wasn't any contact or anything like that, I just probably had it planted and turned the wrong way," Hughes said. "It was hot, and I've never torn a muscle or anything like that before. So I knew when I did it that it wasn't a normal tweak or anything like that. It was something pretty serious."
An MRI exam revealed the tear, which Hughes said should be able to heal without surgery. But the healing time for such injuries is typically several weeks, so it's possible that Hughes will not return during the postseason.
"It's very painful. It's real sore today," said Hughes, who was walking with a pronounced limp in the locker room Monday. "If the game was today, I couldn't play today. I'll see tomorrow how it feels."
Chris Sheridan covers the NBA for ESPN Insider.