NBA Playoffs 2012: Injuries Have Attached an Asterisk to Postseason Results
There are those who will tell you that "Injuries are no excuse." Whether they're an "excuse" or not, they are a part of the game.
They also frequently are a reason why NBA teams lose. They have their impact.
Whether you call it an excuse, a reason or merely a fact of life, the one thing that can't be denied is that it is an absolute reality that injuries impact games, series and even championships.
It's hard to make a reasonable argument that the Chicago Bulls weren't devastated by injuries this year. Derrick Rose, the 2011 MVP of the league went down in the first game. Then, Joakim Noah went down in the second game.
All of this was on top of the fact that Luol Deng was playing with a torn tendon in his wrist.
The reality is that injuries have an enormous impact on the success of a team.
The Miami Heat suffered a devastating injury of their own when Chris Bosh went down, and shockingly the Pacers very nearly overcame them in the semifinals. While that might not seem to have caught up to them yet, the impact of such things is not always readily visible.
Simply having to play more games to win could have an impact on whether or not the "Heatles" can collect their first ring this year. It could also catch them if Bosh has not returned by the time they get to the NBA Finals (provided they make it past Boston, in which case the case is made.)
On the other hand, the Boston Celtics are struggling to win because they have their own injury issues. They have Avery Bradley, who has been tremendously successful defending Dwyane Wade, absent this series with a shoulder injury.
On top of that, Ray Allen is battling an ankle injury that has him shooting the worst he's ever shot in his postseason career.
For that matter, Iman Shumpert going down in the first game of the Heat's series with the Knicks had an impact on that series, although comparing the impact of losing Shumpert to Bosh or Rose isn't even a conversation.
While the Western Conference has been a bit cleaner, it was clear to anyone watching the Clippers battle the Spurs that Chris Paul was not himself; injuries were affecting him. Blake Griffin was playing a bit hobbled as well.
Would the Clippers have won the series had Paul and Griffin been completely healthy? No. However, it's not unlikely they could have taken a game or two from the Spurs.
The Heat, due to the Bosh loss, have probably had to play at least one extra game. More of an onus has fallen on LeBron James and Wade. James has played 486 minutes this postseason, and Wade has played 445.
Meanwhile, the Spurs have been carrying a considerably lighter burden.
Tony Parker has played the most minutes for the Spurs, a mere 358. Duncan has played the second-most minutes for the team with 327. Manu Ginobili has played 270.
That means Wade and James have played a total of 24 minutes fewer than the Spurs' "Big Three" by themselves, and that's not counting whatever minutes they play in Game 2.
So, if the Heat and the Spurs meet up in the finals, the dynamic duo will be far more tired than the Spurs, unless things get completely spun around in their respective series. The Heat have a tougher road to the finals, in part because of injuries.
At that point, the difference might not be whether or not Bosh is back; it very well could be whether or not the Heat have enough gas left in the tank to compete with the high-flying Spurs.
Whether it's an immediate impact, like the Bulls losing Rose, or the ripple effect, like the Heat losing Bosh, injuries have had their impact on this year's postseason like it has on few others before it.
Whoever wins the title will certainly deserve it, perhaps because of the nature of this season and the condensed schedule more than any before. However it plays out, though, there will always be a number of "what-ifs" surrounding this season.
