The Postseason Hasn't Even Started Yet And Covid Is Already Messing Everything Up

Andy Lyons. Getty Images.

Welllllll shit. The ink wasn't even dry yet on my blog from this morning previewing today's play in tournament matchups and here comes Shams with some pretty devastating news for Pacers fans. As you may have read in the blog, Caris LeVert has been playing at an unreal level for about a month now, easily filling that role as one of the most important players on the Pacers roster. Now, before the play in/postseason can even begin, we get news like this. That's a big time kick to the dick for any Pacers fan out there. 

Sadly, this is how the whole season has gone for a bunch of teams. It's partly what has made this season so wide open, you never know who is going to suddenly be through into health and safety protocols. Not only that, but you also have no idea how long they are going to stay there. I feel like that's been super inconsistent all year. Some guys are out for like 1 or 2 games, other times you see guys out for like 2 weeks. It might be a little dramatic, but you could make the argument that we have our first case of health and safety protocols impacting the playoffs. That's not great!

That's everyone's fear right? At least it is for me. These playoffs are so wide open, the last thing I think anyone wants to see is the best players have to sit out. It changes everything. Caris LeVert isn't a role player, they's arguably their BEST player outside of Sabonis. But this is the risk that comes with not being in a bubble. We were fortunate enough where things were fine last year, but who knows what to expect now that the environment isn't controlled. It's going to suck big time if this happens in other series and with other big time players. It changes the whole dynamic of a series. What if it happens in an elimination game? What if someone is in the protocols and has to miss like half a series? 

You could maybe say that the Pacers weren't going to do anything anyways so what's the big deal. I dunno, I'm just someone that prefers watching "playoff" basketball with the best players available. Who cares if the Pacers weren't going to win the title or maybe even get out of the first round. Shit is better when the best players play. 

It's going to be fascinating to see what happens over these next few months. We could absolutely have a situation where a team's title chances/playoff run is directly tied to if someone gets put in the protocols. What a brutal blow for the Pacers in what has without a doubt been a season from hell.