Excitement awaits, but virus still might have a say
While LeBron James was largely resting through the AllStar Game, the Brooklyn Nets were adding another player for a run at his title.
With James still near the top of his game and the Nets on top of the league in scoring, it’s easy to envision a coasttocoast NBA Finals when a champion is crowned in July.
But, when most teams resume play Thursday — the same date last season was suspended — the leaders in the Eastern Conference might be doing so without their two best players.
As proven again when Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons had to sit out the AllStar Game, the coronavirus still might have a say on this season, making uncertainty a sizable obstacle in the title chase.
“You’re playing every other day. You don’t know when you’re going to have practice time. You don’t know as far as what the restrictions and with COVID and things of that nature if you’re going to have all your guys,” James said. “So it’s very challenging for all teams, not just us.”
The bigger problem for the Lakers has been the absence of AllStar Anthony Davis because of a right calf injury. The defending champions have struggled without him, dropping six of eight to end the first half and falling 31⁄2 games behind surprising West leader Utah.
The Nets also have been without an AllStar, though they’ve hardly missed Kevin Durant because of the brilliance of James Harden and Kyrie Irving. Blake Griffin agreed to join them Sunday night after the sixtime AllStar cleared waivers after securing his buyout from Detroit.
“We’re fortunate to be able to add a player of Blake’s caliber to our roster at this point in the season,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said.
Brooklyn comes out of the break a halfgame behind Philadelphia. Embiid has been a force this season and has become a leading MVP candidate, but he and Simmons were ruled out of the AllStar Game on Sunday morning because they got haircuts from a barber who tested positive for the virus.
They may not be cleared to return until the weekend, after the Sixers have played their first two games of the second half.
“We start on the road, backtoback games, with one practice. That’s a challenge in itself, right?,” Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers said. “Then, obviously, not having those guys, that’s a lot of points, our two best defenders. So, obviously, it would hurt.”
Teams are used to it after a first half in which the unavailability of players and coaches because of health and safety protocols forced 31 games to be called off. For every team, the first big test of the second half is the coronavirus one that will determine who is good to go upon returning from break.
Once that’s finished, teams can look to a busy and exciting stretch run. With many clubs bunched in the standings and another playin tournament opening additional paths to the postseason, even teams that weren’t as sharp as they hoped in the first half have reason for hope.
That includes teams such as Miami and Boston — last season’s Eastern Conference finalists — plus Dallas and the Warriors, all at or barely above .500 but perhaps just one hot streak from a nice leap up the standings.
Or maybe Milwaukee, which was running away with the best record in the East last year when the season stopped but has been inconsistent this season, can discover its old form. The Bucks will be fearsome again if Giannis Antetokounmpo shoots anywhere near the way he did in the AllStar Game, in which he went 16for16 en route to MVP honors.