The NBA playoffs have three nail-biting series that are locked at 2-2, guaranteed to extend toward the cusp of the weekend if not further. Plus, one contest in the books already with its victor, the Phoenix Suns, enjoying the deserved and unexpected benefit of a week’s break. Also, some big names – long since departed. And a whole lot of injuries. It is sadly impossible to tell the story of these NBA playoffs, any part of them, without talking about the myriad ways in which physical ailments, some serious, some irritating, some stomach-turning and some that changed everything, have come to pass. Virtually everywhere you look, both across the seven-strong field of those remaining in contention and the waste-ground littered with teams that thought they had a chance but already got bounced, you’ll find a variety of ailments that struck just at the wrong time. The latest to grab widespread attention was the right ankle sprain suffered by Kyrie Irving during the Brooklyn Nets’ Game 4 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. As Irving writhed on the hardwood in severe discomfort and too many replays showed the sickening contortion that led to it, an entire rethinking of how the postseason would play out was underway. With James Harden currently dealing with hamstring trouble and the Nets having suffered from injuries all season, Brooklyn went from being a favorite to win the championship to an underdog in their current series against the Milwaukee Bucks. FOX Bet places Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks at -182 to reach the Eastern Conference finals before Tuesday night’s Game 5. Even early on in postseason, there were significant injuries that made a mark on a star-studded collection of players. There was Anthony Davis, severely limited with knee and groin issues. For the Washington Wizards, Russell Westbrook and Bradley Beal both played hurt. In Boston, the Celtics had injury problems impacting Kemba Walker and a string of others. The Atlanta Hawks just lost De’Andre Hunter for the season. Chris Paul has been outstanding despite shoulder problems. LeBron James was banged up. An injury to Mike Conley has slowed the Utah Jazz’s surge. Joel Embiid is battling through a torn meniscus. “If we have the core of Anthony Davis and LeBron James healthy … we’ll have a chance to compete for a championship,” Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel said. Turns out they didn’t … and they couldn’t. Maybe all the injuries can be chalked up to coincidence. Maybe it is a result of the high-intensity being employed this postseason, with rapid ball movement and warp speed transitions. Or maybe the short offseason and condensed 72-game campaign are taking their toll right at crunch time. “The key to an NBA offseason is rest and regeneration,” FOX Sports athlete injury and performance analyst Dr. Matt Provencher told me just days before the 2020-21 campaign. “They optimize their prevention methods during that time. “That is what these guys are very good at doing, so having that window shortened could be concerning to many of them. You are potentially losing some time that would be used for recovery and improving the body’s resiliency for managing the load during the season.” According to ESPN, this season saw the highest rate of injury-enforced absences (5.1 players per game) in league history. Yet when it comes to the playoffs, these injures have taken on a new meaning and health is going to play a monumental role moving forward. According to multiple sources, Harden is hopeful to play in Game 5 against Milwaukee and will test his right hamstring prior to tipoff on Tuesday night. However, if he is unable to go, Brooklyn’s Big Three is down to a Big One, with Kevin Durant fronting things. The stability of Embiid’s knee is being scrutinized as closely as any tactical game plan in the Philadelphia 76ers-Hawks series, which has blossomed into a tremendous tussle thanks to Atlanta’s fighting qualities behind Trae Young and John Collins. The NBA takes injuries seriously, so much so that it issues a league-wide postseason injury report three times daily. The final report for Monday contained 12 names, with problems ranging from calf strains and Achilles soreness to a torn ACL. Conley’s absence has stemmed some of the momentum that was building behind the Jazz, who ended the regular season with basketball’s best record, and allowed Paul George and Kawhi Leonard to shift the series back to parity. The Bucks, on the other hand, have had time to adapt to point guard Donte DiVicenzo’s ankle injury, and have compensated appropriately. There are games of chess going on, and untimely injuries can shake up everything. The race for the title is wide open, and it could be that it turns into a war of attrition. It has been an enthralling postseason so far, with high-quality games, the surprising (and sometimes not so surprising) emergence of young stars and the certainty that either a new champion – or a team that hasn’t won it in a long time – will end up lifting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. Getting over the finish line will require all the usual grit and determination, some stellar performances, but also, perhaps as much as anything, avoiding being dealt the wrong hand in the injury stakes. Here’s what others have said … David Weiss, NBA Senior VP: “The number of serious injuries was lower this season than last season. Although more players this season missed a single game because of an injury or rest, injuries resulting in many games missed were in line with normal historical trends. To operate this season safely in a pandemic has been physically and mentally challenging for everyone involved, and players and teams have risen to the challenge and avoided an increase in serious injuries.” Skip Bayless, Undisputed (on Kyrie Irving’s injury): “Kevin Durant is now on stage in the spotlight. It’s your time, it’s your turn.” Evan Wasch, NBA Executive VP of Basketball Strategy and Analytics: “From the standpoint of the actual basketball competition, when considering the reduced number of games in each of the last two seasons, and the aggregate amount of time away from the court players will end up having had between the hiatus and the two offseasons, we are not in a worse place in terms of overall wear-and-tear and rest and recovery time than we would have been over a normal two-year stretch.” |
