Tainted NBA Playoffs?

With fans finally back in person to support their favorite teams in the most important part of the season, the playoffs, it has been a disappointment to see so many star players injured, causing them to miss vital games. Superstar Lebron James believes that all these injuries are due to the shortened offseason that athletes received to rest and recover, and it seems that other players agree with his statement. More than eight All-Stars have missed games in the playoffs, an unprecedented number. Albeit not All-Stars, key players also suffered season ending injuries shortly before the playoffs, making them unable to help their teams. During the playoffs, these All-Stars and key players are expected to play an even bigger role, due to sheer pressure put on them to score many points, allowing their respective team to advance in the playoffs. However, with these star players out, it not only diminishes the team’s play, but also leaves many doubts for what could have been. Fans are left to question the competitiveness of this year's playoffs, with many star players out. One might wonder, if Kyrie Irving never sprained his ankle, maybe the Brooklyn Nets would not have been eliminated from the playoffs. Now it seems as if the key to winning the championship may be to just have the team with the least amount of injured players. Although many claim that these playoffs are now tainted due to all the injuries, it is worth noting that injuries are a part of all sports. Injuries are unfortunate for fans and players, but ultimately, it is just a part of the game and can not be controlled. Although it is disappointing that all teams are not playing at full health this playoff season, the winners of the NBA championship should still be considered legitimate. For card prices, these injuries have been detrimental. Furthermore, we may not see a huge increase in card prices for the winner of the championship due to fans believing the championship win is not legitimate. We saw this last year when the Los Angeles Lakers won in the "bubble." Even though they won, we saw many people commenting about how the ring should have an asterisk next to it due to weird situation the NBA Finals took place in. Despite this, the question “What if?” will forever haunt the 2021 NBA playoffs.
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