Sports Injuries That Caused the Biggest 'What If' Moments of the 2000s

No fan enjoys seeing a superstar go down with an injury, but things get even worse when that player pulls up lame during the most important time of the year, the postseason.

Unfortunately, time and time again, some of the biggest names in sports have fallen victim to the injury bug while trying to chase that elusive championship, forever changing the destiny of teams affected.

For those injuries that make us fans wonder, "what if…," this is for you, because there are certain instances when it's fun—and depressing—to imagine how things might have been different if not for an ill-timed injury.

Chris Paul and Blake Griffin Experience Double Trouble (2016)

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Just occurring during this postseason, the Los Angeles Clippers saw their two biggest stars go down during the exact same game, causing a deflation that the rest of the team just couldn't overcome.

With All-Stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin suffering injuries—Paul with a broken hand and Griffin re-aggravating an injured quad—the Clips' hopes of advancing out of this year's first round against the Portland Trail Blazers were shot.

While the Clippers would have had an uphill battle had they gotten through to the next round against the Golden State Warriors, when healthy, L.A. is one of the few teams who could match the Dubs' superstars with its own.

Sadly, the basketball world is left wondering what might have happened had CP3 and Griffin stayed healthy.

LaDainian Tomlinson's Bum Knee (2008)

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During his heyday, former NFL running back LaDainian Tomlinson proved to be a once-in-a-generation talent, showing a combination of speed, versatility, agility and elusiveness that few players have ever possessed.

It's those skills that made L.T. the fourth-fastest player to reach 10,000 career rushing yards during the 2007-08 campaign, which also happened to be the year he captured his second straight league rushing crown.

With such esteem, Tomlinson was supposed to carry his San Diego Chargers to a deep playoff run. Key word: supposed.

Initially hurting his knee during the divisional-round victory versus the Indianapolis Colts, when the Bolts headed to New England to take on the Patriots, Tomlinson's knee began to act up.

Forced to the Chargers' bench, the best runner in the NFL that year finished with two carries for five yards in a 21-12 loss, with the memory of Tomlinson standing on the sideline with a coat draped over him and his helmet with the blacked-out visor on his head.

Just terrible timing for a former league MVP to go down for San Diego fans.

David Krejci's Dislocated Wrist (2010)

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

While the loss of second-leading goal scorer David Krejci was major for the Boston Bruins during their 2010 second-round playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers, the series loss occurred because of a complete and utter collapse by the entire team that Krejci wouldn't have probably changed.

That's because the Bruins blew a 3-0 series lead following Krejci's injury in Game 3, meaning it was an epic letdown by one of the NHL's proudest franchises.

Did the absence of a star player hinder Boston? Of course. But it couldn't have been enough that a four-game losing streak was the result.

The Bruins were a hungry bunch who may have won the series against the Flyers and gone on to bigger and better things, but this one falls on the entire team, not just an unfortunate injury.

Colt McCoy's Busted Shoulder (2010)

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Finishing his career as the winningest college football quarterback ever, former Texas Longhorns signal-caller Colt McCoy had one final game to finish a season with a national title.

Fate wouldn't allow it to happen, though.

On just the first drive of the game versus the Alabama Crimson Tide during the national championship game, Bama's Marcell Dareus hit McCoy hard on his throwing shoulder, causing him to head to the locker room. The inexperienced Garrett Gilbert would replace him.

Alabama went on to win its first of four rings thus far with Nick Saban as head coach, but those in burnt orange might argue that things may have gone in their favor had McCoy not been standing on the sideline with an injury for nearly all of the game.

Dirk Nowitzki's Knee Injury (2003)

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One of the premier superstars in the NBA over the past 20-plus years, Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki helped his team go 60-22  in 2002-03, which was good enough for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

Going mental and dropping 46 points on the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1 of the opening round, the smooth German propelled the Mavs into the second round against the Sacramento Kings, disposing of them in seven games behind Dirk's 30 points and 19 boards.

Just when things were going right for Nowitzki and the Mavs, Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals versus the San Antonio Spurs happened.

With the series tied at one game apiece, Dirk sprained his knee and was lost for the remainder of the series—which the Spurs eventually won in six games, and they went on to win the NBA title as well.

After seeing what Nowitzki was capable of doing in two NBA Finals trips since the 2003 knee injury, it's hard not to wonder what might have been had he just been able to stay on the floor against San Antonio.

Neymar's Back Injury (2014)

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One of the breakout stars of the 2014, Brazilian soccer player Neymar seemed to welcome all of the pressure that came with his country hosting the World Cup in the summer of '14.

Helping guide El Selecao to the knockout round, when Neymar went down after opposing player Juan Zuniga of Columbia kneed him in the back, you could feel the defeat of an entire nation.

Unsure of the effect of his loss, the Brazilians went out and got thrashed by the eventual champion German squad, losing 7-1 in one of the most crushing defeats in World Cup history.

Neymar may not have been able to make up for six goals, but the emotional loss of their star was more than the entire roster and county could handle, and he would have helped maintain joy had he been healthy.

Kenyon Martin's Freakish Knee Injury (2000)

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After averaging 18.9 points, 9.7 boards and 3.5 blocks per game during his senior season at Cincinnati, forward Kenyon Martin was an easy choice as the National Player of the Year during the 1999-00 campaign.

And with his Bearcats one of the top teams in the country—ranked No. 1 entering the Conference USA tournament—many believed the athletic big man could lead the Bearcats to their first national title since the Oscar Robertson days.

It wasn't mean to be, however.

Breaking his leg during the conference tourney, K-Mart was unable to suit up during March Madness and had to watch No. 7 Tulsa beat his Bearcats in the second round.

While Martin recovered enough for the then-New Jersey Nets to take him No. 1 overall in the NBA draft, Bearcats fans probably still wonder how fate could have been different had Martin been able to do work in the Big Dance.

Jermaine Dye Breaks His Leg (2001)

MARCIO JOSE SANCHEZ/Associated Press

He isn't the biggest name on this list, but former MLB outfielder Jermaine Dye was a two-time All-Star who, after the Oakland Athletics acquired him at the trade deadline during the 2001 season, helped jump-start an offense that guided the team to 102 victories by driving in 59 runs in 61 regular-season games.

Inserted into the cleanup spot to provide protection for former MVP Jason Giambi, Dye was expected to provide a one-two punch that would help the Moneyball A's make a deep playoff run.

With Oakland leading the New York Yankees 2-1 in their best-of-five divisional series, Dye had a freak injury that might've cost his team a chance at a world title.

Fouling off a pitch that went straight down into his knee, Dye fractured his leg, causing him to miss the rest of the postseason—which only lasted a few more games, as the Yanks went on to win the series in five games.

Had Dye been healthy enough to play, who knows how things could have played out.

Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving Hit the Shelf (2015)

This is one that affected me personally, considering I'm a born-and-bred Cleveland sports fan, so I know all too well how the absence of stars Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving killed the Cleveland Cavaliers' title hopes in the 2014-15 season.

While the Cavs were able to piece together a lineup after Love went down with a separated shoulder in Game 4 of the first round against the Boston Celtics, when Irving was left limping from the bench to the locker room toward the end of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Cleveland was doomed.

Sure, the Cavs rose up and miraculously snagged a 2-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors, but with a shorter rotation and the demand for role players to act as starters, they simply ran out of gas.

There's no doubt that a healthy Love and/or Irving would have helped the Cavs' chances against the Dubs, but we'll never know how much or if even just one of them could have led to an NBA title for The Land.

Ryan Howard Rips His Achilles (2011 NLDS)

A routine groundout. That's what, ultimately, did in Philadelphia Phillies slugger Ryan Howard during the 2011 postseason against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Occurring during Game 5 of the NLDS, Howard tore his Achilles while casually running to first base, sending him to the turf and all but ending any hope of the Phils from making another deep October run.

As much as the injury itself hurt at the time, what's even sadder for Philly fans is that the Howard injury all but ended the greatest era of baseball by the organization, which included a World Series title and back-to-back appearances in the Fall Classic leading up to that 2011 season.

Howard never has been the same since the injury, either, and Philadelphia fans can't help but wonder how things may have been different had Howard—who hit 33 homers and drove in 116 runs during the regular season—remained healthy.

Derrick Rose Tears His ACL (2012)

One of the many knee injuries that have plagued Chicago Bulls superstar Derrick Rose throughout his career, this is the one that most fans remember because of the miserable timing of it.

As the Bulls entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after winning 50 regular-season games, when D-Rose went down and lied on the United Center hardwood, everyone around the league felt the deflation in the arena.

Missing their leader and best player, the Bulls couldn't even muster enough to advance out of the first round, eventually getting stunned by the Philadelphia 76ers.

A former league MVP, it's hard not to wonder how things may have been different had Rose been able to make it through the postseason unscathed. Sadly, recurring knee issues have been his M.O. throughout his career.

Carson Palmer Shreds His Knee (2005)

Every fan knows that the most crucial position in all of sports is a starting NFL quarterback, so when a team's goes down—especially in the playoffs—things look bleak when it comes to making a deep run.

Unfortunately, the Cincinnati Bengals and their fans had to experience that firsthand during the 2005 playoffs.

In the franchise's first playoff game in 15 years, the Bengals hosted their AFC North rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cincy saw its stud quarterback, Carson Palmer, suffer a knee injury in the first quarter after Kimo von Oelhoffen rolled into him, causing the former No. 1 overall pick to stay on the ground after being hit so low.

Bengals fans' worse nightmare occurred: Palmer had torn both his ACL and MCL on the play, forcing backup Jon Kitna into action.

The injury during a play that resulted in a 66-yard strike to wide receiver Chris Henry, too, which only made things worse as joy turned to heartbreak.

Cincinnati went on to lose, 31-17, causing Bengals fans a lifetime of "what ifs…" that will never be answered.

Kevin Garnett Injures His Knee

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

After winning the 2008 NBA Finals with his Boston Celtics, All-Star Kevin Garnett and his Celts were sitting pretty in their title defense the following season and looked destined for another deep run.

That is, until KG went down in a late-season game against the Utah Jazz.

While Garnett initially injured his knee in a mid-February game that caused him to miss the following 13 games, the injury lingered and limited him when he did return toward the end of the regular season.

Undermanned and without its emotional leader, Boston—who still finished with the East's top seed with a 62-20 record—went to seven games in the first round against the upstart Chicago Bulls but fell short versus the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

What happens if Garnett never went down? Who really knows? But seeing as how the Celtics returned to the NBA Finals the following year once he got healthy, Boston fans can argue that the team and city missed out on a potential dynasty.