5 'What if?' moments from the 2021 NBA Playoffs
The NBA Playoffs are the stage for teams to perform their best. The top eight teams from each conference go head-to-head in a seven-game series that potentially decides the victor.
The intensity of the NBA Playoffs is undoubtedly on another level. Every advantage is crucial. With adrenaline pumping, the playoffs are the crucible in which legends are born.
The 2020-2021 NBA season saw a return to what playoff atmospheres are like. Due to the pandemic, the experience of the playoffs was somewhat dulled when the NBA Restart took place in the Bubble outside of Orlando, Florida.
As the 2021 NBA Playoffs went into full swing, we witnessed the effect home crowds can play in each game. With each team feeding off the energy the fans brought, the intensity of their play spoke loud and clear.
With some sensational performances in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, a constant question comes to mind. Some stars missed games, while other teams came up short in an unfortunate turn of events. What if things had been different?
Bearing that in mind, we aim to take a look at five "what if" moments from the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
#1 What if Anthony Davis stayed healthy for the LA Lakers vs Phoenix Suns series?
Anthony Davis is the LA Lakers superstar big man. Averaging 21.8 points and 7.9 rebounds, Davis is a key member of the Lakers starting lineup and the focus of their offense in half-court sets.
Anthony Davis was a crucial part of why the Lakers won a ring the previous season, having him healthy against the Phoenix Suns was a necessity.
While the Lakers fell to the Suns in the first game of the NBA Playoffs, the Lakers rallied together to win two consecutive games. Davis displayed some great numbers, getting 34 points and 10 rebounds in Game Two, and 34 points and 11 rebounds in Game Three. The Lakers showed new signs of life as the series progressed.
Calamity struck in Game Four as Davis left at half-time due to a groin injury. The injury would also see him miss Game Five. Although he did try to play in Game Six, his return was short lived and had to leave the game again. The Lakers lost the series 4-2.
With Anthony Davis playing to his potential, the Purple and Gold won consecutive games. This begs the question of how things would have been different had he been healthy.
#2 What if Kevin Durant had his feet behind the three-point line in Game Seven against the Milwaukee Bucks?
The Milwaukee Bucks vs Brooklyn Nets NBA Playoffs series was a battle. Both teams went at each other with everything they had. Their superstars, Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo, put on a spectacle in the final game of the Eastern Conference Finals.
A thriller from start to finish, Durant put on an offensive clinic against the Bucks in Game Seven, scoring 48 points for the game. Down two points with six seconds in the fourth quarter, Durant threw up a potential game winner that went in from deep.
When the shot went in, Barclays Center erupted. But it was ruled a two-pointer because of Durant's foot being on the line. This forced a tie-game situation with one second left on the clock. Eventually going into overtime, the Bucks would come out of this series as victors.
With the notion of his foot being mere centimeters over the line, had the shot been a successful three-pointer, the likelihood of the Bucks winning this series is very low. The likelihood of the Nets winning that series, had Durant's foot been behind the line, would have been almost definite.