Sports writing, Dec 31 (EFE) .- The Spanish base of the Cavaliers, Ricky Rubio, decided to say goodbye to the year supporting his teammates and went to the Cleveland team stadium to witness the Cavs-Hawks only 72 hours after he suffered a severe rupture of the cruciate ligament of the left knee.
Rubio’s presence behind the Cavs bench was applauded by the 17,745 people who came to the RocketMortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland to witness the last game of the year.
His teammates also thanked the El Masnou base for making an appearance at the stadium to support the team.
But the moral support Rubio provided didn’t stop the Cavs from losing to the Hawks 118-121, the third straight loss since he was injured Tuesday.
His best friend on the team, Kevin Love, declared after the game that it was “incredible” to see Rubio behind the Cavs bench and acknowledged that the Cleveland team has not yet recovered from the blow that has caused a player injury. which has been key to making the Cavaliers the revelation team in the NBA.
“Definitely for me and others we still have an emotional hangover from the loss of Ricky. It was amazing to see him at the game tonight,” Love said.
“He gives us life even if he is not on the court. We love Ricky but we have to turn the page. We want him to be a part in the long term but he has to recover. And we have to turn the page recognizing that we are going to throw him out. less during the rest of the year, “he added.
On Thursday, Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff made it clear that he wants Rubio to remain linked as much as possible with the team and revealed that the Spanish player told him that “he still wants to be part of the team.”
Bickerstaff explained that “this was the last year of his contract and he could easily have said goodbye to the injury.”
“But in our conversation he told me that he was not done and that he wanted to continue being part of the team. That’s the kind of person he is,” he continued.
“We want him around us. His personality is contagious. His spirit is contagious. His knowledge of the team is a help. His level of competitiveness and his ability to activate the players is a help,” he said.
“When he can do it, we want him around the team as much as possible,” he concluded. EFE
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