While LeBron James practically rested the entire All-Star Game, the Brooklyn Nets added another piece in their quest for the title.
James and his Lakers are steady and the Nets are the league’s highest-scoring team. It is very easy to glimpse a Finals between rivals from both coasts.
But when teams return to play on Thursday – the same date it was suspended last season – the East leaders may not have their two best players.
As Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons of Philadelphia who missed the All-Star Game proved, the coronavirus will remain relevant.
“You are playing every other day. You don’t know when you can train. You do not know what the restrictions will be with COVID and in those situations you do not know if you will have everyone available, ”James acknowledged. “So it’s a challenge for all teams, not just us.”
The biggest problem for the Lakers has been the absence of star forward Anthony Davis with a right calf injury.
The Nets haven’t had one of their luminaries either, though they have hardly missed Kevin Durant due to the brilliant performances of James Harden and Kyrie Irving. On Sunday Blake Griffin agreed to join the team.
“We are fortunate to be able to add a player of Blake’s caliber at this point in the season,” said Nets general manager Sean Marks.
Brooklyn will start the second half half a game behind with Philadelphia. Embiid has been unstoppable this season and has become an MVP candidate, but he and Simmons were ruled out Sunday morning for the All-Star Game because the barber who treated them days before tested positive for COVID-19.
They might not be back if not until the weekend, after the Sixers play their first two games of the second half.
The teams have already got used to it in the first half in which the absence of players and coaches due to the sanitary protocols forced to postpone 31 games.
With multiple teams squeezed into qualifying and another mini-tournament to determine the final postseason spot, even teams that weren’t brilliant in the first half are hopeful.
This includes teams like Miami and Boston – the Eastern finalists last season – as well as Dallas and Golden State, who barely have a winning record.
Some teams might have a chance. At the beginning of the season the Lakers seemed the favorites to repeat the title, but Davis’ injury has put it in doubt.
Maybe Jazz can capitalize. Utah was the team that had coronavirus problems and that led to the March 11 suspension of last season. They now have three All-Star players and are 27-9.
“It’s been rewarding, but we’re not here to celebrate and act like we’ve done something and it’s just March,” Jazz point guard Donovan Mitchell said. “We have to keep improving.”
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