Will injuries decide who wins the NBA Championship this season? They sure seem to be mounting up throughout the playoffs.
The defending champs lead the way with a Khris Middleton injury. Luckily, they have more than enough to get past their 1st round opponent without him. Afterall, they do have a two-time MVP playing on the team. But they need Middleton playing at a high level if they want to win another title.
You also have last year’s Western Conference champion without Devin Booker for a couple of weeks, with a hamstring injury. How will that affect them? Chris Paul can’t be expected to play at the highest of levels night in and night out. They will surely need others such as DeAndre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, Cam Payne and Cam Johnson to step up in Booker’s absence.
What about Kyle Lowry for the 1st place Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference? Luka Doncic just returned for the Dallas Mavericks. Although, if he reinjures his calf, he may be out for a much longer period this time around. Clint Capella is back for the Hawks, but he missed the first three games of the series. And now that Joel Embiid has a torn ligament in his right hand, will he still play at an MVP level and carry the 76ers?
I remember in 1989 when a limping Lakers team went into the Finals against the Detroit Pistons and got swept. I also remember two years later, in 1991 when they were without James Worthy and Scott again and lost to the Chicago Bulls. It was the Bulls 1st championship in the MJ era. And what about in 2004 when Karl Malone was playing on one leg for the Lakers. The Pistons beat them, again. And let’s not even talk about the Kevin Durant injury that derailed the 2019 Golden State Warriors.
Injuries always seem to play a role in determining the NBA champion. Maybe this is one of those years where it will be a huge factor. We shall see…..
Yeah booker injury is huge. Because if he misses games next round and mavs win there series i can see mavs putting suns out