The NBA playoffs kicked off this past weekend, and a flurry of injuries is already marring the potential classic of a postseason.
Teams have been dealt a heavy blow to their championship hopes in both conferences due to crucial pieces and star players getting banged up.
The Western Conference, the most up-in-the-air it has been in years, has many fans wondering which team could make it to the finals. The most important question, however, is whether teams can stay healthy.
The second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies are a dangerous team with or without a fully intact roster. All year they’ve won games when significant players have been out of the lineup. This time around, though, they’re stretched thin in the frontcourt after losing Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke to season-ending injuries.
Making matters worse, young superstar, Ja Morant, reaggravated a right-hand injury during a nasty fall in their game one matchup with the Lakers. Morant was forced to leave the game and is most likely out for game 2 of the series. On a positive note, negative X-rays may provide a glimmer of hope for Grizzly fans.
On the other side of that matchup, the Los Angeles Lakers clocked in as the seventh seed held their breath as their injury-prone superstar big man Anthony Davis exited the game saying, “I can’t move my arm.”
Davis was able to come back in the game and lead the Lakers to a 128–112 victory. Nonetheless, the Lakers hopeful are scared when Davis grimaces or gets up slowly. Losing Davis for any period would likely create a load too great for a 38-year-old LeBron James to carry and send the Lakers home early.
The Clippers are another team with title aspirations that can’t seem to escape the injury bug. They are without their star forward, Paul George, for the majority, if not the entirety, of the first round of the playoffs.
Many thought losing a player of George’s caliber would be enough for the fourth-seeded Phoenix Suns to run riot to an easy series win. The Clippers disagreed and made the series interesting by stealing game one on the road behind a monster 38-point Kawhi Leonard performance.
It will be fun to watch if coach Ty Lue can create matchups for his Clippers to extend the series and survive long enough for Paul George’s reinforcement or pull off the upset outright.
Over in the Eastern Conference, injuries are just as prevalent in the championship race.
The number-one-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, led by potential three-time MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, landed hard on his back early in their game-one 130-117 loss against the Miami Heat.
The Greek Freek writhed on the floor for a while before heading to the locker room. He tried to return to the game but only lasted about 1:30 before the Bucks pulled him for good.
Like Ja, Antetokounmpo’s X-rays came back negative. Losing arguably the best player alive during a series with Jimmy Butler — a player known for his ruthless desire to win and the ability to elevate his play in the playoffs — could spell disaster for the Bucks in round one.
However, the scrappy eighth-seeded Heat could not walk away scott free either.
Crucial shot creator, and floor spacer, Tyler Herro is out for the series after breaking his hand diving for a loose ball in the second quarter. Luckily, the Heat have wings and shooting in place to replace Herro, but his replacements have some decently-sized shoes to fill.
The Boston Celtics are looking at these injuries with optimism that their path to a second consecutive finals appearance will be easier than anticipated. But even they aren’t exempt from injury.
Jaylen Brown, ½ of the star duo “Jays” alongside Jayson Tatum, had to deal with a laceration to his hand as the regular season wound down. He was in some discomfort as his postseason started, but that didn’t stop the Celtics from dismantling the seventh-seeded Hawks 112–99 in game one. Following Brown’s health as the series and postseason move on will be necessary, as missing time could prove quite costly in this top-heavy conference.
The consensus around the league is that ‘everyone is banged up in the playoffs.’ And that may very well be true. But being only one game into the postseason and wondering if we won’t get to see some of our favorite stars anymore due to injury certainly isn’t – at least not at this high volume.
While injuries are unfortunate, they show the true nature of good teams. Top-heavy teams crumble. Deep squads show resolve. The adaptability and ambiguity of what is next are part of what makes it exciting.
Healthy or not, the games will continue, and we will watch.