PHILADELPHIA — Danny Green was in good spirits on Friday, one day after the 76ers swingman suffered ACL and LCL tears in left knee in the opening minutes of a Game 6 loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Green suffered the injury in the series-ending 99-90 setback after Joel Embiid inadvertently fell on Green's leg underneath the basket. Green had an MRI Friday morning.
He spoke the media before receiving the diagnosis.
“They think it’s going to be some ligament damage,” said Green, who was walking with crutches. “Hopefully, it’s not major ligaments. I think the major ones feel intact, looks pretty good. I’m talking as a doctor here, but I’m not.
“It’s pretty much more so outside of the knee. The LCL hurts the most.”
Green was “trying to keep the vibes positive” while awaiting the official results. However, his injuries could keep him out next season, the final year of his contract.
Green said that everything else feels pretty solid. He didn’t take pain medication and slept well Thursday night.
On the play, Green was in the dunker position underneath the basket while the Heat double-teamed Embiid. He tried to get inside position to either get a rebound or discourage the Heat from stopping Embiid’s drive.
“Joel got to the rim,” Green said. “I saw him lay it up. I don’t know if it went in or not. But I just remember him taking a tumble. I tried to move. I couldn’t get out fast enough. I tried to pull my leg out, but it got caught underneath me, and it rolled into it.
“I knew once it happened, I knew I wasn’t able to return to the game.”
However, he was unaware how serious the injury was until he tried to put weight on it. That’s when his knee buckled and he realized it would probably take some time to heal.
“I heard some sounds that were not comforting.”
