INDIANAPOLIS–Just over 11 minutes left in the first half. michiganNational Semi-Finals Conclude Arizona On Saturday, go ahead Yaxel Lendeborg He leaned back in pain at the baseline, punctuating his thunderbolt by slamming his palms on the floor in frustration.
On a Final Four night that was mostly devoid of compelling theater, Lendeborg’s emphatic comeback after suffering a left MCL sprain and left ankle sprain gave Michigan’s blowout an adrenaline shot of drama.
Lendeborg played only 14 minutes, as he got into foul trouble early and then retired twice to the locker room before halftime. The injuries came from stepping on Kadam’s right foot. Arizona‘S Motijus Krivas Which he later called an ill-advised dunk attempt.
Through it all, Lendeborg finished with 11 points on just four shots in Michigan’s 91–73 win. He also promised he would return to the field for the Wolverines in Monday night’s national title game Yukon.
“I’ll be on that floor in that game,” he said.
From crying in Michigan’s injury tent behind the bench to two first-half trips to the locker room, Lendeborg spent a lot of time with trainer Chris Williams. Lendeborg admitted that he became emotional as everything he had worked for this season flashed before his eyes.
However, once Williams examined him, the trainer was not too concerned. He said the injury “presented well”, as swelling was limited and it did not appear serious.
Williams told ESPN he is “very confident” Lendeborg will play on Monday and stressed that the knee and ankle will undergo aggressive treatment from now until tip-off.
“He can come to my room,” Williams told ESPN, and watched a reporter laugh at the idea. “You’re laughing, but he can come to my room. We have two beds in there, so we might have to find another room for my wife and my son.”
After checking in on Lendeborg early during Saturday’s game, Williams said he was confident Lendeborg would be able to bounce back in the second half. According to Williams, his early return to the court in the first half and exit back to the locker room was a ploy for practical purposes.
There were only five minutes left in the first half and Michigan assistant coach Mike Boynton said it would be more appropriate for Lendeborg to return to the locker room and get more treatment to prepare him for the second half.
Lendeborg returned to the court a few minutes before the start of the second half, a minute or two after his teammates returned to the court for warm-ups. He wore a compression sleeve on his left knee that he had not worn in the first half, and he was moving cautiously while warming up at midcourt.
After going through several activities and having a short chat with head coach Dusty May, Lendeborg started the second half for the Wolverines. He admitted being particularly limited on defense, and appeared to alternate smiles with grimaces due to pain.
“I was too scared to guard there,” Lendeborg said. “And once I did a little bit, it didn’t feel good.”
He added: “I didn’t feel much pain on the plant. So I mean… when I play on Monday, I’m going to be a corner 3-point shooter.”
Lendeborg drained two 3-pointers of the second half in a span of four minutes, the second pushing the Wolverines’ lead to 22 points and drawing an awkward reaction from Michigan’s assistant coaches on the bench.
“We knew both teams were pretty evenly matched,” Boynton said. “We felt like we had the best player. And he was showing at that moment that he was the best player at 50% or whatever at that point.”
Lendeborg watched most of the second half on an exercise bike near the Michigan bench. His halogen smile lit up after every basket, made even more noticeable by how high he sat.
Michigan’s lead grew to 30, and when it dropped to 21 with 7:10 left, Lendeborg returned to the game. The Michigan staff checked with Williams, who said Lendeborg was OK to return.
May had good reason to hold Lendeborg back, saying he did not believe Michigan could “put babies to sleep” at the time.
“Well, apparently you guys missed the UConn-Duke game,” May said, pointing out that the Blue Devils had a 19-point lead over the Huskies.
Lendeborg’s night got off to a strange start when he received two fouls five seconds apart in the first 90 seconds of the game. He returned, and things got worse when he attempted to leap toward the rim about eight feet above the hoop – “I was going to go up to try to dunk it” – and his left foot came over Crevas’s right foot as he tried to explode.
The contact occurred in the middle of the lane, and Lendeborg’s momentum pushed him forward into Arizona. koa peat before he landed on his back near the baseline.
He was clearly in pain as he staggered towards midcourt after the acrobatics. By the time he reached midcourt, he let out a primal scream across the roof of Lucas Oil Stadium before bowing and appearing to be in pain. He made both free throws after a foul on Krivas and then fouled out of the game.
“I tried my best to get up as quickly as I could, tried not to bother with the pain, tried to get through it,” he said. “It’s not over, but you live what you learn, man. Next time.” [don’t] Undress in front of three people.”
From the tent to the locker room (twice) and from the floor to the bike, Lendeborg’s night ended with her in another unconventional place – sitting on the floor at the baseline next to stationary photographers. Williams put ice on Lendeborg’s knee and then put a wrap around it.
It appears this was the beginning of the intensive work of getting Lendeborg as healthy as possible for Monday.
“Just 24 hours, 24 hours a day,” Williams said. “So there will be a lot of ice and pressure, a lot of massage. We use a machine called the HivaMat mat and another machine called a Class 4 laser, which will help with the healing. So it’s going to be a lot of healing.”
