Injuries can cost a team their chance of hoisting a championship trophy. The Spurs and Celtics are down 0-2 in their series with both of their leaders injured. Kawhi Leonard has been battling an ankle Injury since the semifinal round against the Rockets. Isaiah Thomas has a hip injury that has been bothering him way before the NBA Playoffs started.
These teams both are longshots to come back and win their series, especially getting blown out in their game two matchups. Leonard is out in game three and probably won't play in game four, and Thomas is out for the remainder of the playoffs.
Did the Spurs and Celtics just give up on their season by keeping their star players out?
Lost Leaders
The Spurs and Celtics both lost the leaders of their team in the playoffs. Isaiah Thomas was the little man playing big basketball for Boston, carrying them through two tough series against the Wizards and Bulls. Thomas has averaged 23 points per game in the playoffs, and his scoring burst has made the difference in many of Boston's games. Thomas is the leader of this Celtics squad, and their offense isn't the same when IT4 is off the floor.
The Spurs lose a lot more than the Celtics. Kawhi Leonard is not only an offensive star, but he is a defensive mastermind as well. Kawhi has carried this Spurs team up to this point, being the silent leader for their team.
He has been great on offense, averaging 28 points per game. He is also averaging almost 2 steals a game. The Spurs rely on Kawhi to do a lot on both sides of the court, and not one player can make up for his absence.
Save your energy for next season
Isaiah Thomas is officially out for the rest of the playoffs after hurting his hip in their game two loss against the Cavs.
He didn't even come out to play the second half. Thomas might be for real saying that he can't play with this hip injury, or he might not want to keep getting bullied by the Cavs.
Thomas was shut down in game two, scoring only two points on 0-6 shooting. In game one he scored 17 on 7-19 shooting. Thomas has been battling this hip injury since March, so if he has played through it for this long, why does he cancel his season now?
He didn't want to get smashed by the Cavs and have his name attached to it. Thomas has played well all season, but now that he faced his match in the Cavs, he'd rather save his energy for next season.
Kawhi Leonard has been ruled out of game three because of his ankle injury. The Spurs know that they don't have a good chance without him, as they were demolished in game two by Golden State. In a critical game three, having Leonard out is like a death sentence to their season. If the Spurs fall into a 0-3 hole, there might not be a point in playing him in game four.
Game three was a must win for the Spurs and with Kawhi not playing they might've just given up on their season. If the Spurs lose game three, it would be smart of them just to sit Leonard and allow him to rest his ankle without further injury, as they missed their chance to make this series competitive.
The Spurs and Celtics will now raise questions of whether they gave up on their season now that both of their stars are out due to injury. With Thomas playing through his injury for months and all of a sudden being out for the rest of the season, it does raise some eyebrows if he had enough of being the Cavs punching bag.
The Spurs usually prioritize their player's health, but in a must-win game three you keep your star player out? That doesn't sound like they want to win either. Both teams have an uphill battle in their series, and it didn't get easier with the leaders being out.
