NBA Playoffs 2012: Injuries Killing Postseason's Potential for Brilliance
This NBA postseason has had its moments, but not as many as it could have had were it not for the rash of injuries. Some may blame the NBA lockout, or poor player conditioning, but the fact is we've seen too many injuries in a short period of time.
Even before the playoffs began, the Orlando Magic's postseason hopes were destroyed by Dwight Howard's injured back.
The injuries have had varying effects on the teams that have been victimized, but primarily it affects the fan's experience.
Here are the worst of the injury hardships and the effects of each, ordered by recency:
Chris Bosh, Miami Heat, Abdominal Strain
The Heat's Big Three has been reduced to a Big Two with Bosh's abdominal strain. He suffered the injury on Friday night, in Game 1 of the Heat's second round series with the Indiana Pacers.
For everyone that disses Bosh and discredits his meaning to this team, you sadly underestimate his worth. The Heat's head coach and superstar don't underestimate what Bosh brings. Both are quoted in this segment from an article written by Ethan Skolnick of WPTV:
"So Spoelstra will need to keep the Heat's engine running without the player whom he commonly calls the team's "most important," an assessment that even the league's MVP—LeBron James—seconded by calling Bosh "probably the biggest piece of his team."
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We all know that James and Dwyane Wade are going to get theirs most every night, but when Bosh plays big, the Heat are as tough as any team in the NBA. With Bosh out indefinitely, the Heat's title chances take a huge hit.
Imagine how much is riding on his return. Miami invested a lot to bring James, Wade and Bosh together. They failed to capture a title last season, and if they fail this year with Bosh injured, his absence will be a major part of that failure.
That said—almost no one will give the most hated team in the NBA a break. Many will simply say that LeBron and Miami failed again.
Chris Paul (Injured Hip) and Blake Griffin (Sprained Knee), LA Clippers
Both of the Clippers' superstars suffered injuries in their Game 5 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Luckily, they rebounded enough to take the series in seven games.
While Paul looks to be in good shape, Griffin's knee issues may linger into the team's second-round series with the San Antonio Spurs. The Clippers' bench stepped up for Blake in Game 7, but they need Blake to be Blake to have a shot against the Spurs.
From a fan standpoint, we'll miss the Griffin high-wire act, as it is unlikely we'll see anything too explosive with a gimpy knee. Griffin's effectiveness will play a huge role in how strongly the Clippers challenge San Antonio.
Joakim Noah, Sprained Ankle, Chicago Bulls
The Bulls could have beaten the Sixers with Noah, despite not having Derrick Rose. Noah sprained his ankle on a drive to the basket in Game 4 of the team's first-round series vs. the Philadelphia 76ers. Noah's ankle was bent at a 90-degree ankle, and despite the obvious pain, he tried to continue playing.
It was too much, and Noah missed the rest of the series.
Even if Noah played, the Bulls wouldn't have had a realistic shot at reaching the NBA finals without Rose, but most Bulls' fans would have loved to see their team advance.
Baron Davis and Iman Shumpert, Severe Knee Injuries, New York Knicks
Davis easily suffered the most gruesome of all playoff injuries. He went down in a heap in the team's Game 4 win over the Miami Heat in the first round. Don't get me wrong, the Knicks had no chance to beat Miami with or without Davis, but it was still terrible to see Davis hurt so severely.
According to MSG Network's Alan Hahn, Davis partially tore his right patella and completely tore his ACL and MCL. At this stage of Davis' career, this injury is even more devastating.
The ramifications of this injury aren't about this postseason, but more so about the rest of Davis' career.
Davis was the second Knicks' guard to go down with a severe knee injury in that series. In Game 1, rookie Iman Shumpert tore his ACL.
Just like the situation with Davis, the Knicks couldn't have defeated the Heat with Shumpert, but perhaps it would have been slightly more competitive. We all hope Shumpert makes a 100 percent recovery, as he was one of the league's best rookies this season.
Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls, Torn ACL
The most devastating injury to the league, a player and his team came just an hour or so before Shumpert blew out his knee. Bulls' star and 2010-2011 NBA MVP, Derrick Rose tore his ACL with under two minutes remaining in the Bulls' Game 1 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
No injury made a bigger difference to the landscape of the playoffs. The Bulls had the best record in the NBA and were primed to challenge the Heat for a trip to the NBA finals. But without Rose, the team lost Game 2 at home.
They lost Game 3 and Noah in Game 4. Though they put up a valiant effort to win Game 5, they fell just short in Game 6 and were eliminated by the eighth-seeded 76ers.
No team has been hurt more by injuries than the Bulls.
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