The NBA regular season matters
This week has really shown why the NBA regular season matters and why it’s a good thing to Celtics earned the number one overall seed in the conference. For the 7-10 seeds in both conferences the playoffs start early now fighting for those last two playoff spots in the play-in games. Unfortunately for these teams this years edition of the play-in games have been hit hard with injuries that are going to have massive effects on the playoffs.
The Pelicans-Lakers game showcased Zion Williamson finally looking like the superstar we all hoped he would be scoring 40 points, but with 3 minutes to go in the game he pulled up lame and left the game with a hamstring injury. While the Pelicans would go on to lose and now be forced to play a do or die game without Zion.
In the 76ers-Heat game we watched a labored Joel Embiid beat the Miami Heat by one, but even more devastating for Miami was the injury to Jimmy. Butler went down early in the game but ended up playing the final 3 quarters and finishing the game but now it’s being reported he has a sprained MCL and will most likely be out for a few weeks.
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler is feared to have an MCL injury in his knee, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. The injury could sideline Butler for an indefinite period. MRI to come. pic.twitter.com/jD8n1WkkBT
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 18, 2024
Another major injury happened in the Bulls-Hawks game when Andre Drummond and Alex Caruso got tied up and now Alex Caruso’s status is in jeopardy for their play in game on Friday against Miami as well. All of these unfortunate injuries could be taken two ways in my opinion, one that the NBA regular season does matter and the teams that played well get the advantage of not having to play in these extra games. The other is that the play-in games are simply too much and not worth the extra games because of the risk involved where exact situations like this arise and numerous big time players get hurt before the season even starts.
From a Celtics perspective they took advantage of the regular season, playing hard night in night out winning games while other teams may have rested more to make sure they were ready for the playoffs. As a Celtics fan I wanted them to get a healthy version of Miami because I think it would be a great series and don’t want the Celtics doubters to have any asterisks on this playoff run. But to me at this point in time with how the NBA playoffs are structured the regular season does matter and the Celtics are reaping the benefits of dominating during it.