A season of turmoil finally ended for the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals as they were eliminated by the Miami Heat. To add to the disappointment of the loss, the team also announced that veteran forward Danny Green had torn his ACL and LCL in the first quarter of that Game 6 loss.
The 76ers say Danny Green tore his ACL and LCL in last night's game.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 13, 2022
It occurred after a collision with teammate Joel Embiid and Green spoke about the incident during his exit interview:
“Joel got to the rim, I saw him lay it up … I didn’t know if it went in or not, but I just remember taking a tumble. I tried to move, but I couldn’t get out fast enough. It just happened so fast. But I saw it happening and I was trying to like, pull my leg out, but it caught beneath me and he rolled into it. I knew once it happened, I felt it. I knew I wasn’t able to return to the game, but I didn’t realize how serious it was until I tried to put weight on it, and it buckled. Then I realized it’s probably gonna take some time.”
💚💚💚💚💚 https://t.co/kMpjCiGoSR
— Danny Green (@DGreen_14) May 13, 2022
It was a rough end to what had been a rough season for Green, who was not a full-time starter for the first time since his early years with the San Antonio Spurs. We saw flashes of what he is capable of, especially in Game 3 against the Heat, where he scored 21 points on 7-9 shooting from three. Unfortunately, those moments have been few and far between this season.
Now, aged 34, he is surely out for the whole of next season as well and one has to wonder about his future in the league. Even if this is to be the end of his time as a key contributor for a contending side, Green has a lot to be proud of. He has won three championships in his career, including back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020 with the Raptors and the Lakers. We hope he makes a speedy recovery and gets back on the court at some point next year.
