Miami Heat’s Kyle Lowry likely out for Game 1 vs Boston Celtics

With the Celtics likely to take the court without one of their best players, perhaps it’s only fitting that the Heat do the same.

Miami Heat’s Kyle Lowry a doubt for Game 1

According to reports, Miami Heat point guard Kyle Lowry has now been listed as out for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics. Though it’s a blow to the Heat’s cause it is by no means surprising. Lowry has been struggling with a hamstring injury from the very start of the post season and as a result has played in only five games for the Heat in the playoffs. Indeed, when he was asked about how serious his problem was during Miami’s second-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, Lowry was quite frank when he said, “I’d put it this way, you don’t want to play with it.”

With that said, Lowry still tried his best, albeit for the worse. In the two games that he played in against the 76ers, Lowry shot 3 of 14 from the field and 0 for 8 from behind the arc while visibly struggling in terms of mobility in every part of the game. In the end he was forced to sit down for both Games 5 and 6 of the series, but of course would have been more than happy to watch his team claim a spot in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Miami Heat have other injury worries

Though Lowry is a major loss, the fact is that the Heat’s injury concerns don’t end there. Unfortunately there are in fact a number of players who at present are listed as questionable ahead of Game 1. For the moment there is Caleb Martin who has an ankle problem, Max Strus with hamstring issues, P.J. Tucker who is suffering with his calf and Gabe Vincent who is yet to recover from a hamstring problem. The Celtics as mentioned before have injury issues of their own, with the most notable being Marcus Smart whose sprained foot has made him a doubt, but there are also questions about the availability of Robert Williams III.

While it goes without saying that all teams arrive at this point of the season somewhat depleted, it’s still something to consider when choosing sides. Where the Celtics are concerned, there would likely have been no test more physically grueling than that given by the Milwaukee Bucks. The Heat on the other hand are quite often the protagonists when it comes to bruising and battering. Regardless, with the NBA Finals just a round away you can expect both teams - injuries or not - to go all out when tip off comes in Game 1.