If the season resumes, winning an NBA championship this year will be harder than ever
There is a cloud of uncertainty surrounding when, or if the 2019-2020 NBA season will conclude. With hopes of a champion being decided at some point this summer, whoever wins the title will be credited with winning one of the most difficult NBA titles of all-time.
Let’s make the assumption that the league will chalk the rest of the regular season, and the playoffs will begin whenever the action returns (assuming it returns again this season). Rust could very well become the kryptonite of teams that were expected to cruise to the Conference Finals.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo admittedly isn’t playing basketball and doesn’t have access to a hoop. Teammate Khris Middleton has to go to a neighbor’s house to shoot on an outdoor basket. You can’t convince me that, even with a week or two to practice when the NBA opens up shop, that these guys are going to be postseason form.
The Western Conference is even more challenging.
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As the matchups are currently set, the LA Clippers would have to face the Dallas Mavericks in the first round. If I had to put my money on anyone to be ready to go right away, it would be Kawhi Leonard. But as a team, I don’t know that the Clippers are ready to deal with the offensive tandem of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. Averaging 19.2 points per game and 9.5 rebounds a night, Porzingis was just returning to form after missing all of last season with a torn ACL. If he returns in stride, the Clippers will have more of a first-round challenge than expected.
The Utah Jazz has a major off-the-court hurdle to overcome.
According to The Athletic (subscription required), Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are at odds and the relationship may be a point beyond repair.
With the chemistry out of whack in Utah, one of the most efficient pick-and-roll duos in the league is expected to take a hit. Perhaps time could mend this relationship, but there will be very little forced interaction between the two when the NBA does return. Imagine trying to overcome such a catastrophic personnel issue as soon as the playoffs begin.
Seeds 1-8 in both the Eastern and Western Conference have major obstacles should the NBA end its hiatus. The Philadelphia 76ers can’t be happy with the idea of Joel Embiid going more than a month without basketball, considering he’s struggled with conditioning throughout his career. The Brooklyn Nets, riding a three-game winning streak, were fine-tuning a Kyrie Irving-less roster before the season came to a halt. Rookie sensation Ja Morant could certainly use a few more games under his belt before making his playoff debut with the Memphis Grizzlies.
Every squad in contention has a serious roadblock in front of them. Still, this season has been the biggest emotional rollercoaster for the Los Angeles Lakers. They started the season off thinking that working Anthony Davis into the fold would be the biggest obstacle. Then, Laker legend Kobe Bryant tragically passes away in a helicopter accident just one day after current Laker LeBron James passes him on the NBA’s All-Time scoring list.
After the All-Star break, the Lakers were focussed on getting back to some level of normalcy. The goal was bringing a championship back to L.A. and then came another disruption to the patterns and habits that are crucial for pro athletes to succeed at the highest level.
No matter how long the NBA has to delay the season, there needs to be an NBA champion. Regardless of what team emerges with the title, there will be those who claim that it shouldn’t count as a championship.
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But where were those naysayers when the San Antonio Spurs hoisted the trophy in 1999? Where were they when LeBron won his first championship in 2012? Both of those seasons were shortened due to an NBA lockout. The winner of this year’s NBA championship shouldn’t have an asterisk next to their title, for they will have accomplished something that we’ve never seen before.