The NBA playoffs are set to begin this weekend and there are a lot of storylines to follow as we enter the postseason. In the Western Conference, the seedings will not be officially set until the last day of the season. Russell Westbrook is on the verge of averaging another triple-double, for the second consecutive year. The Houston Rockets have locked up the #1 seed and are looking like the favorites to come out the West. Golden State is locked into #2 but they are one of the many playoff teams affected by injury to one of its best players. Steph Curry is out with a knee injury, the Cavs are dealing with injuries to George Hill, and for the Celtics, Kyrie Irving is done for the rest of the year.
On March 23, it was reported that Kyrie was undergoing a minor knee procedure to alleviate some irritation in his knee. He was out for two weeks previous to his surgery with knee soreness. Although the Celtics expected to get him back sometime during the playoffs, they got the worst possible news. On April 5, it was reported that Kyrie would miss the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs with an infection in his knee. This is the same left knee where he tore his patella tendon in Game 1 of the 2015 NBA finals. The screws that were put in have caused the infection and will be removed. It's interesting to note that it was reported that Kyrie threatened to have knee surgery if Cleveland didn't trade him last summer.
Just some food for thought.
Kyrie's injury is probably the most significant of all the playoff injuries. Since Boston remodeled their team over the summer, the focus of the offense has been the excellence of Uncle Drew. He's their only true shot creator and gives Boston a crunch time killer, something Kyrie has proven to be in recent postseasons. His absence is felt especially hard because they lost Gordon Hayward during the first game of the season with a gruesome injury. On top of that, the Kyrie-led Celtics were being talked about as a team that could knock LeBron and the Cavs out of the playoffs, and possibly beat a team like Golden State or Houston in the finals. This was a team with title hopes, even without Hayward but the loss of one of the 10 best players in the world closes the door on that hope.
In the East, Boston is still a dangerous playoff team. They might not be able to win the East let alone the championship, but they'll be a tough out for any team. The injuries alone are staggering, they include Kyrie Irving, Marcus Smart, Gordon Hayward, and Daniel Theis. They still boast one of the best coaches in the league in Brad Stevens and a plethora of players who can have an impact. Al Horford is still one of the best two-way bigs in the game. Jaylen Brown is an excellent wing player capable of giving you 14-17 points a night and lockdown defense. We can't forget about the #3 pick in the draft Jayson Tatum, who's talent level suggests he'll be a star in this league in short order. Terry Rozier has been balling out in the absence of Kyrie and he'll have a game or two in the playoffs. There's still some talent left on this roster and though they might not be better than Toronto, Cleveland, or even Philly.
But, what team in the East wants to play Boston?
I've been saying this since Gordon Hayward went down that this wasn't the Celtics year. They were going to need all hands on deck to beat and come out of the East. Kyrie, as special as he is, wasn't going to take this team, as great as it is, to a title this year. Kyrie's injury is simply the icing on the cake that is Boston's season. I'd be concerned because this is his second knee surgery in three years. I think Boston will be a title threat for years to come, but this wasn't their year.