LeBron James was eliminated from the playoffs in the first round by the Phoenix Suns, who are awaiting their next opponent after sweeping the Denver Nuggets in the second round. Despite not playing any games right now, LeBron still couldn’t help himself. He had to give his opinion on the trend of injuries in the playoffs.
James took to Twitter to lash out at the NBA for not listening to him.
“They all didn’t wanna listen to me about the start of the season”, James said. “…I only wanted to protect the well being of the players which ultimately is the PRODUCT & BENEFIT of OUR GAME! These injuries isn’t just ‘PART OF THE GAME’. It’s the lack of PURE RIM REST rest before starting back up.”
James continued:
“…This is the best time of the year for our league and fans but missing a ton of our fav players.” “…If there’s one person that know about the body and how it works all year round it’s ME! I speak for the health of all our players and I hate to see this many injuries this time of the year. Sorry fans wish you guys were seeing all your fav guys right now.”
The first question James should be asked is when did he want the season to start? The NBA shortened the season and still gave them their full salaries. If the season would’ve started later, it would’ve made this coming offseason shorter as well. A shorter offseason would’ve led to more injuries, according to James’ thinking.
Injuries are Part of the Game
James himself knows injuries are part of the game. He suffered an ankle sprain this season against the Atlanta Hawks. He attempted to grab the ball and a player fell on James’ ankle. That play had nothing to do with rust or lack of rest. It was just two players playing basketball and unfortunately, an injury happened.
This postseason, the major injuries weren’t due to lack of rest. Kawhi Leonard banged his knee up with another player and played the rest of the game before learning he had a knee sprain. Kyrie Irving sprained his ankle because he came down on Giannis Antetokounmpo after a jump shot. Donovan Mitchell came back in the Utah Jazz’s second round series after suffering a less significant injury than Irving’s.
Even James’ teammate, Anthony Davis, suffered an injury because he landed awkwardly after attempting a dunk in the first round. None of these mentioned injuries have anything to do with players being overworked.
Fans’ Favorite Players are Playing Right Now
Not all of the best players in the NBA are playing right now but a lot of fans’ favorite players are. Kevin Durant just dropped 49 points and played every minute of the Brooklyn Nets’ Game 5 win. James Harden played 46 minutes in Game 5 despite having a right hamstring strain. Joel Embiid has had knee issues but continues to play through it. Giannis and Trae Young have played in all of their teams’ playoff games.
So yes, there are stars hurt due to game related injuries but a majority of them are playing and some stars are playing through injury.
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