Brian Windhorst, the best in the biz when it comes to covering NBA teams has the latest on some of the injuries the Cavaliers are dealing with --
Delonte West --
West has a strained lower back as a result of his hard landing in the third quarter when he ran into Steve Nash. The Cavs took an X-ray here and nothing is broken but he'll probably be getting an MRI at some point. Right now the team is calling it back spasms, which Delonte has battled over the years. Last season he missed a couple games with them. He stayed in the shower for a good 20-25 minutes, probably trying to loosen it up for a hour or so flight to Sacramento.
LeBron James --
LeBron said he experienced a "stinger" down his leg in the third quarter when he nailed knees and shins with Grant Hill and Louis Amundson. He also took a shot in the right thigh from Shaquille O'Neal in the fourth quarter and he's shaking off a mild ankle sprain from Tuesday in L.A. He got his normal full-body ice down after the game and said he was sore but expected to play Friday. He's taking a heavy minute load over the last couple games, though, and the Cavs will probably try to get him some extra rest.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas --
Ilgauskas thinks he suffered a broken nose after getting an elbow from Shaq. It's swollen on the left side and was turning purple after the game. He said he'll play Friday and doesn't intend to wear a mask
How nice would it be for the Cavaliers to get a big lead tonight in order to rest some of these guys. I know the #1 seed is important, but you get the feeling that the Celtics are starting to go into "let's just get to the playoffs healthy" mode.