These are the NBA survival playoffs, where not even the stars are safe.
The last big blow to this postseason: Jayson Tatum was awake On Monday night, with each preliminary indication that it will not be close to end this season with the defense champion Boston Celtics.
Stephen Curry by Golden State You can run out of time before your injured hamstring allows you to play again. Donovan Mitchell de Cleveland He is dealing with an ankle problem. If the Los Angeles Lakers season had become deeper, LeBron James would have been marginalized With a knee sprain. AND Damian Lillard de Milwaukee Achilles broke, putting next season in some doubts and Reduce questions about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future too.
The power of the star has gone in some cases, hurting in others, and there is no doubt that the injuries are becoming the history of this postseason. For Lillard, and now possibly tatum, depending on what magnetic resonance and other exams show, injuries could also be part of the story next season.
“Obviously, we want to leave and compete, but when a player of his caliber falls and is hurting, you know that something is wrong,” said New York Guard, Jalen Brunson, after seeing Tatum’s injury on Monday night. “So, that’s why I just gave my thoughts and prayers, because you never want to see something like that, never.”
The injuries are a constant, and the regular season saw some renowned players forced to close long before what they wanted. Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid Wasn’t Right for Basically The Entire Season Besta of Knee Issues, Dallas’ Kyrie Irving Tore His Acl in March, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama Develop Tore His Achilles in January, Orlando’s Moritz Wagner Tore His Acl in December and Two Stars With Long Injury Histories – Kawhi Leonard by Los Angeles Clippers and Zion Williamson of New Orleans – both were inactive for more than half of the season.
Overcoming injuries is only part of NBA’s life, said Bucks coach, Doc Rivers.
“The human spirit is amazing,” Rivers said. “It really is.”
And in the playoffs, the successes continue to arrive. The stars are hurting, most of Cleveland’s initial alignment has been rectified in these playoffs, Michael Porter Jr. de Denver is playing through a shoulder problem that generally needs weeks to treat, and Ja Morant de Memphis had a hip problem that prevented him from being on the floor at the end of the Grizzlies season. Even the teams that are winning are not doing it anywhere about 100%, in question, Brunson has been dealing with an ankle problem and somehow is not stopping it.
“Every year, playoffs are tried to adapt, be it a game plan, an injury or alignment,” said Golden State coach Steve Kerr, shortly after Curry was injured in the second round series of the Warriors against Minnesota. “So, we just have to adapt.”
Below 3-1 in the series and facing a game of victories or Else on Wednesday, the Warriors are running out of time to adapt. There will be an update on the state of Curry on Wednesday, said Kerr. Curry would not seem likely to play in game 5.
“We are not going to Superman,” said the Warriors striker, Draymond Green. “If you are in a place where you can play, I am sure it will do it … but we do not need Superman. I play the long game. If you can, we know it will, but there is no pressure. We have to discover how to win, whether I play or not.”
James was injured in a collision with Donte Divinzzo de Minnesota at the end of what became the last game of the Lakers season, a loss in game 5 of an opening confrontation. Later, James revealed that he probably could not have continued even if the Lakers won that game due to a knee sprain that will not need surgery, but will need weeks to heal.
“Even if we had won the game 5 at home, I would probably have lost 6 and 7 and even more,” James said in His podcast “Mind the Game” with Steve Nash. “However, I have some time. I have some time to do it well.”
Tatum was having an absolutely monster game for Boston on Monday: 42 points, eight rebounds, four assists, four robberies and two blocked shots, numbers with which no one in the history of the Celtics, at least since each of those statistics began to be drawn, had finished a game.
These statistics did not seem much, given the seriousness of the injury and what it can mean for the Celtics, a team that is on the way to face a possible record salary and a luxury tax invoice that could exceed $ 500 million next season.
“He has been a great player,” said the Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “And he is also a great guy.”
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
