If you had to narrow it down to one what-if per franchise, which one makes the cut?
I’ll give examples using the team I support (the Celtics):
Injuries - KG’s injury in 2009. The Celtics had a scorching start to the season, but lost in 7 to the Magic. KG’s absence let Dwight loose on the boards, & the next year when they did make the finals the Big Ticket had clearly lost a step.
Deaths - Len Bias in 1986. Red Auerbach had drafted a potentially transcendent player to back-up the greatest frontcourt in the history of professional basketball. Instead, a cocaine overdose killed him hours after being drafted No. 2.
Draft Picks - Kedrick Brown in 2001. Know who the Celtics had wanted to draft? Tony Parker. Unfortunately then-GM Chris Wallace was overruled by Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach.
Suspensions - Ime Udoka in 2022. Just months after taking the Celtics to the NBA finals, the former Spurs assistant was suspended for inappopriate relations with a female employee.
Made/missed shots - Artest’s 3-pointer in 2010. I will always believe we’d have stolen that game if Ron Artest Metta World Peace doesn’t drive that dagger through our hearts.
We were close to pairing Tim Duncan with Grant Hill and TMac…
Knicks- What if John Starks played well in game 7 of the 1994 finals
What if Carmelo tried to layup instead of dunking on Roy Hibbert??
In all seriousness though, half that team was playing injured by that point of the 12-13 playoffs so we wouldn’t have made it far anyway. So maybe the better what if is what if that 12-13 Knicks squad stayed completely healthy? They destroyed the Heatles in their regular season matchups (and the Spurs!), they had as good of a chance as anyone that year
Why didn’t the Celtics take Tony Parker 21st overall? Was still on the board and if you wanted him at 11, you would think you would take him at 21
What if Julis Erving came and played with the Bucks, who drafted him? How many do he and Kareem win?
Zara not stepping under Kawhi
What ifs from my team:
Injuries: Cannot think of many, since I am a pistons fan only since 09 and they have been bad since like 08 so I can think of 3.
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Cade 's injury last year, which robbed him of a full year of development. Hopefully he comes back a different man
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Blake’s injury that cost him his career
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Grant Hill’s ankle injury. Without Grant Hill leaving for Orlando we do not win in 04 but he was a beast from games I have seen from him.
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Suspensions:
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All of Sheed’s tech related suspensions
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Ben’s suspension for the Malice at the Palace.
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Draft Picks:
Darko, Austin Daye, Kyle Singler, Henry Ellenson, Stanley Johnson. Killian Hayes.
- Deaths:
None? Thank god I cannot think of any
- Missed shots opportunities
Sheed not guarding Robert Horry in 05 did cost us a ring so that one.
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Golden State. What if the NBA called moving screens?
Kawhi. I firmly believe that if he doesn’t get injured, this whole shit show doesn’t happen and the Spurs dynasty of winning championships just lives on.
What if the Malice never happened.
What if Granger, PG13 and Oladipo never got hurt.
What if we drafted Bird and sat on him for 1 year like we should’ve.
What if we didn’t trade 1984 FRP (became pick 2 in the MJ draft) for Tom Owens.
What if he didn’t trade Alex English and a FRP for geriatric George McGinnis.
What if Michael Jordan didn’t exist
what ifs are painful for the Bulls: MJ retiring and D.Rose injuries being the biggest
for other teams i think a big what if is the Spurs keeping Kawhi but a less talked about one is paying the 3m clause to bring Scola to the NBA in 2002. the Spurs had Malik Rose, Horry, Massenburg, Nesterovic, Sean Marks, Matt Bonner, Oberto, McDyess, Nazr Mohammed and other big guys trying to fit with TD and none of them did a great job besides Horry for some short stints during the playoffs.
Scola did well as soon as he entered the league and already started all games in his second year. by the third year he was averaging 16.2pts 8.6reb and 2.1ast in a contending team proving he could pair up with dominant big men. meanwhile SA never had a big men to pair up with TD like he did in the late 90s with Robison that came even close to Scola’s level of production. the closest one might be Splitter in the 12-13 season where he posted 10.3pts 6.4reb 1.6ast
i think the Spurs win at least one more title with Scola in those years, a title for 3m seems a pretty good deal.
What if Ellis stays and we traded that skinny bad ankle kid for Bogut instead? What if Klay was traded for Love? Ellis, Love, Bogut… 🤯