There seems to be a common theme with the NBA Playoffs this season.
Finding the right word to describe it is pretty tricky. However, for the reader’s sake, let’s call it “random.” It’s the first word that comes to mind because everything that has taken place these playoffs (especially the past 24 hours) has been random.
Last year, the playoffs were a bit weird. And it was for obvious reasons.
First, the world was in the middle of a pandemic. Remember, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert jokingly (and ignorantly) touched a ton of microphones at a presser, and then the entire world came to a screeching halt. The NBA had to stop and start again several months later because of it.
And on top of that, fans weren’t permitted to attend games after the 2019-2020 season resumed.
Remember the bubble?
Because of this, it was an interesting time to be an NBA fan. Some fans thought, “surely we’ll never see anything that weird again,” regarding how weird it was to witness basketball.
Then this season’s playoffs happened.
Think about this.
There is no LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry, or Russell Westbrook. All of them were on teams that either lost in first-round (or bubble game) elimination.
And it doesn’t stop there.
Chris Paul has COVID.
Let’s get into the madness of the second round. On Wednesday morning, reports surfaced that Chris Paul tested positive for COVID-19 and entered the NBA’s health and safety protocol. Because of this, it will impact Paul’s participation at the start of the Western Conference Finals.
Paul, 36, is coming off one of his best playoff series ever. He led the Phoenix Suns to a 4-0 sweep of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets several days ago. Paul averaged 25.5 points on 63% shooting and 10.3 assists.
His closeout game performance was one for the ages as well, dropping 37 points and 11 assists in a 125-118 victory. The man known as CP3 (or the Point God) is looking at his best chance to win a ring. For the Suns to have a shot at getting to the NBA Finals, Paul will have to be ready to play for them. Otherwise, the Suns will find themselves in a horrid position.
Luckily for them, they have a player who can potentially come back soon, as there’s a team in Los Angeles who will be without their star for a while.
These NBA Playoffs will dive with Kawhi Leonard’s absence.
Reports surfaced that Kawhi Leonard is out indefinitely due to an injury he suffered during Game 4 against the Utah Jazz. The rumored diagnosis is that Leonard is dealing with an ACL injury. After delivering an all-time poster dunk on Jazz forward Derrick Favors, “the Klaw” now leaves the Clippers’ fate in the hands of “Playoff P”.
That’s right, ladies and gentlemen! Paul George is going to have to lead the Clippers to the next round “by himself”. And it’s been a long time since we’ve seen him in the driver’s seat of a team. Despite that, he’s played outstanding basketball over the last two games, showing a resemblance to his old moniker, “PG13”.
He’s averaging 31 points over the last two games and has been a catalyst in the Clippers’ getting back in the series. The previous two games were at Staples Center. So obviously, the home-court advantage was a factor.
Both the Clippers and Jazz have protected home in this series. If George wants any shot at proving he’s worth that hefty $190 million the Clippers rewarded him with, here’s his moment.
LeBron James crushes the NBA over this year’s playoffs.
LeBron James is a lot of things. And I won’t say what some of those things could be. However, there is one thing that he is constantly known for caring about, and it’s the safety of him and his fellow NBA players. James voiced his displeasure over the league’s quick turnaround to a new season, and how it has negatively affected the NBA Playoffs. After news of Kawhi Leonard’s ACL injury, “King James” took his talents to Twitter to fire off some damning messages.
Follow Kory Woods on Twitter at KoryEWoods
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