Hold on to your hats, folks! It’s only the first weekend of the NBA postseason, and we’ve already got a bunch of players dropping like flies. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ja Morant, and Tyler Herro all hit the deck hard, leaving fans wondering if they’re made of glass instead of muscle and bone. Herro’s out for the rest of the playoffs with a broken hand, while Morant’s doing his best Eeyore impression by saying his availability’s “in jeopardy.” Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo’s got some fast-healing to do to stop the Milwaukee Bucks from going down in flames.
Playoff seeds don’t seem to matter much this year, especially in the wild and woolly Western Conference. With so many injuries, it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen next. You’ve got the Bucks losing home-court advantage against the Miami Heat, who are looking mighty powerful. The Grizzlies are struggling to keep up with the Lakers with their frontcourt getting smashed out of commission. Even the Lakers themselves are shaky, with LeBron James nursing a foot injury and Anthony Davis getting stung in the shoulder.
It’s anyone’s guess who’s going to come out on top in this crazy postseason. There’s plenty of chaos and misery to come, and even the best teams have their fingers crossed that their star players won’t come a cropper. In the past, we’ve seen superteams like the Golden State Warriors or players like LeBron James make winning look easy. Nowadays, though, the few superstars like James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard are all pushing thirty-something and aren’t as spry as they used to be.
The NBA may be a young person’s game, but the most dominant players are usually in their prime between 25 and 32. The window for teams with superstar veterans is closing, and there are no guarantees that a player over 32 can lead their team to the championship. Michael Jordan did it for the Bulls when he was 35, and James won a title with the Lakers just before his 36th birthday. But it’s rare to see players over 32 doing the heavy lifting nowadays.
So who’s going to be the new superstar to rise up and take the torch? Antetokounmpo’s the only champion in the under-32 crowd, and the Celtics need to come through this season or risk missing their moment. The Phoenix Suns, who had so much promise just a couple of years ago, are in danger of losing their depth and relying on aging players like Durant and Chris Paul. The Denver Nuggets finally have their star player, Nikola Jokic, healthy, but they’ve got a history of injuries and poor timing that could trip them up.
What the NBA needs is a new superteam or superstar to take the reins and steer the league forward. Otherwise, we’ll be stuck in a boring and nostalgic rut, pining for the good old days. So let’s hope some new talent emerges to keep our eyes glued to the court and our popcorn at the ready.
Serious News: washingtonpost
