Cavs question legitimacy of Jim Chones’ foot injury during ‘Miracle at Richfield’

CLEVELAND — On Monday night, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the afternoon’s Cavs practice devolved into a finger-pointing session, including several players doubting the legitimacy of the illness that took Kevin Love out of Sunday’s decimation at home to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The questions raised toward Love has now reportedly opened the floodgates for the Cavs roster to ask questions about many ailments over the years, including the broken foot that Jim Chones suffered in 1976 to halt the “Miracle at Richfield” playoff run.

Chones, who works as a color commentator for the Cleveland Cavaliers Radio Network, had at least eight players questioning his heart and determination during the run that saw the Cavs not only have their first winning season in franchise history but come on the cusp of making the NBA Finals.

After beating the Washington Bullets in the conference semifinals, the Cavs’ hopes to shock the Boston Celtics took a major hit when Chones broke his foot in practice before Game 1. The center was one of the stars of that Cavs team, averaging 15.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. The Celtics ended up winning the series in 6 games and went on to defeat the Phoenix Suns to win the championship.

A source close to the team told Cleveland Mocks that television color commentator Austin Carr, a teammate of Chones in the ’70s, is not planning to send any cryptic, passive-aggressive social media posts because he doesn’t act like a 14-year-old like most of the current Cavs roster.