NBA Playoffs 2012: Why 2012 NBA Championship Is Already Tainted

Whoever wins the NBA title in 2012, should probably have an asterisk by their name, and no, it's not because of the shortened schedule. 

The rampant injuries throughout this regular season and playoffs has pretty much made this year's NBA playoffs a health and depth contest.

While both health and depth should be taken seriously and are important components of championship teams, the high level of injuries to star players such as Derrick Rose, Amar'e Stoudemire, Jeremy Lin, Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, and now, Chris Bosh, will make it difficult to call this year's champion the best team of the 2012 NBA season.

It becomes increasingly difficult to gauge who the best team is when over a quarter of the playoff field is missing some of their best players. 

Sometimes, the champion isn't always the best team. This is true in any sport. Injuries play a major factor, and they've been a glaring part of this year's postseason. 

For instance, the Philadelphia 76ers may have defeated the Chicago Bulls, 4-2, in the first round, we all know that Chicago is definitely the better team with Derrick Rose in the lineup.

The same goes for the second-round series between the Indiana Pacers and the Miami Heat. Indiana might be able to defeat Miami, but with Chris Bosh in the lineup, the Heat actually have size down low and Roy Hibbert, all of a sudden, doesn't look like Wilt Chamberlain anymore.

And who knows just how far the New York Knicks would've gone this season had Jeremy Lin and Amar'e Stoudemire stayed healthy all season.

Injuries matter, and they're definitely tainting the playoffs.

One can easily blame the regular season, point out how the schedule was condensed and conclude that being the reason for the increased number of injuries to star players.

Perhaps. It's certainly a plausible excuse. Whatever the reason, the injuries are there, and they're affecting the playoff outcomes, especially in the Eastern Conference. 

That being said, had there been no major injuries, one can't use the Phil Jackson copout and say that this year's championship is tainted because of a shortened schedule. Everyone has to deal with it, from the back-to-back-to-backs to the five games in seven nights. Plus, at the end of the season, the winning team still has to win four best-of-seven series to be crowned champion. The champions' work isn't cut out for them because the schedule is shorter. 

So no, the shortened season is not the reason why this season's champion will be a tainted one.

This could've been the case in any season. There are just way too many injuries. Even if it was a standard 82-game season this year, the frequency of injuries has been ridiculous, and it has resulted in teams, that would've otherwise gone deep, to lose early.