5 Biggest Ways the Lockout Impacted the 2012 NBA Playoffs

The average NBA fan has been too caught up with two exciting NBA conference finals to give a second thought to the NBA lockout. However, the months of uncertainty caused by the lockout still have far-reaching effects that can be felt today. Here are the five biggest ways the NBA lockout has affected and continues to affect the NBA Playoffs.

Injuries

Although injuries occur every year, the lockout most likely caused an increase in the severity of injuries seen this season. Most notably, Derrick Rose fell victim to a devastating knee injury after just one playoff game. While the correlation between the lockout (or more specifically the abbreviated schedule) and the rash of injuries cannot be proven, it is a reasonable assumption given the circumstances.

Youth Movement

The fact that NBA teams had to play so many games in so few days couldn't help but favor younger players. In both conference finals series, youth ended up prevailing over experience and veteran savvy. While the abbreviated schedule may not be the entire cause of this, it was certainly a significant factor. The point will only be proven further if the Thunder, one of the youngest teams in the league, win the title.

Deep Rosters Favored

The arduous schedule necessitated by the lockout made a deep roster an even more valuable asset. Teams that had shallow rotations suffered, while teams that could go 10 deep saw surprising results.

One of the main benefactors was the Utah Jazz. The Jazz were predicted to finish in dead last in the West by at least two prominent sports websites. Thanks to a deep roster, overachieving play by many and phenomenal coaching job by Ty Corbin, the Jazz snuck in to the playoffs.

Familiar Advantage

Aside from creating a hectic schedule, the lockout greatly reduced the overall amount of practice time allotted to each team. Teams with brand new faces struggled to gel, while teams with established rosters flourished. The NBA Finals will feature two teams whose core players are very familiar with one another. The lockout undoubtedly gave teams like these a marked advantage.

Added Excitement

Not all of the consequences of the NBA lockout turned out to be bad ones. The truncated NBA season didn't give teams a chance to breathe, let alone enough time between games for fans to lose interest.

The fast-paced schedule kept NBA fans hooked for the entire season. The February lull that seems to always occur was nowhere to be found this season. The NBA Finals should not disappoint fans that have been on the edge of their seats all season. Ironically, those fans may not have been quite as hooked had the lockout not occurred.