NBA Playoffs 2012: Derrick Rose's Injury and More Storylines After First Weekend
The Chicago Bulls have lost Derrick Rose to an ACL injury that will drastically impact the rest of the 2012 NBA playoffs, and it is undoubtedly the biggest storyline we have seen in the first round.
It may actually be the biggest first-round storyline ever in the NBA, and certainly the biggest in the past few years.
Usually the NBA's first round is quick, easy and uncomplicated. The better team normally disposes of their inferior opponent and then starts looking ahead to bigger and better things.
That is normally the case, but this injury changes everything.
Not only are the Bulls now in jeopardy of losing to the 76ers without their star player, but teams such as the Miami Heat—who were considered to be the favorites to meet up with Chicago in the Conference Finals—now have an easier road to the NBA championship.
We thought the road to the championship may run through Chicago this postseason, now we're not even sure the Bulls can make it out of the first round.
Such is the power of this storyline. Here are a few other storylines we've been graced with after this first weekend of basketball:
Are the Lakers Good Enough to Win the Title?
The Lakers are always going to be competitive as long as they have Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, but the question nowadays is, can they be contenders?
We aren't quite sure how they'll hold up against some of the elite in the West, but we do know that they are good enough to dominate the Denver Nuggets.
The Lakers destroyed Denver in Game 1 103-88 and proved that they still have what it takes to be a great team.
Bryant had a great playoff performance as expected with 31 points, but it was Andrew Bynum who really impressed.
Bynum started the playoffs out right, notching a triple-double with 10 points, 13 rebounds and 10 blocked shots.
If the Lakers get hot, they can be a very hard team to beat.
Oklahoma City Is Ready to Go to the Next Level
Coming into the playoffs, it seemed as if the Oklahoma City Thunder would roll through the West. However, the defending world champion Dallas Mavericks stand in their way in the first round trying to prove otherwise.
They gave the Thunder their best shot in the first game and looked like they could perhaps steal a game out from under Oklahoma City's nose, but then Kevin Durant dropped this shot with just seconds left on the clock to win the game:
If anything, this shot proved that the Thunder have what it takes to win close games in the playoffs. Having a guy who can come up clutch in the final seconds of the game is what puts you over the top in this league, just ask LeBron James, and the Thunder have that guy in Durant.
That, plus Russell Westbrook and a very talented and deep team makes the Thunder very good.
This team is ready to take it to the next level.
