Hughes, mired in a shooting slump during the postseason, will likely sit out Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit after he tore the plantar fascia in his left foot during the Cavaliers' 88-82 win in Game 3.

Hughes, who didn't play in the fourth quarter last night, described his chances of playing in tomorrow's game as "pretty slim" and "doubtful."

"It's a tear," Hughes said today. "It's not just sore. I haven't been faced with something this painful. I can hardly put any pressure on it."

The injury is personally difficult for Hughes, who missed four conference semifinal games against the Pistons in last year's playoffs following the death of his younger brother, Justin. He wanted to make this postseason memorable for other reasons.

"I think this is a series that we can win," he said, "so I definitely want to be a part of it."

The Cavaliers, who trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, listed Hughes as doubtful on their official medical update and diagnosed Hughes' injury as a strain of the left foot plantar fascia.

Hughes, though, said an MRI revealed a partial tear and that it should heal without surgery. He got hurt while planting for a layup, but said his foot has been bothering him for more than a month.

"There wasn't any contact or anything like that," he said. "I just probably turned the wrong way. It was hot, and I've never torn a muscle or anything like that before. So I knew when I did it that it wasn't a normal tweak. It was something pretty serious."

Hughes' career has been slowed by an assortment of injuries. Last season, his first with the Cavs, he missed 45 games with a finger injury and then missed Games 3, 4, 5 and 6 against the Pistons after Justin died.

Last week, Hughes missed a potential game-winning shot in the final seconds of Game 2, and his shooting touch has been off for weeks. Ironically, he injured his foot on a layup that made him 2-for-2 and gave the Cavs an early five-point lead in Game 3.

"I'm starting to think that May isn't my month," he said with a chuckle. "It's tough. I have to fight through it. I can't blame anybody, blame anything. I have to see the challenge and take it on.

"That's the only way I know how to do it."