The Dagger: The injury bug – gift or curse?

Very few – if anyone – saw the Golden State Warriors winning the 2015 NBA Finals.

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers were favored, despite the Warriors’ stunning 67-15 finish and the absence of Cavs All-Star power forward Kevin Love.

Then, disaster struck.

Kyrie Irving fractured his kneecap in Game 1 of the NBA Finals and was ruled out the rest of the series. Many basketball pundits and fanatics believe the Cavs would’ve won the 2015 NBA title were if Irving and Love were healthy.

The injury bug, however, gave young stars Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green a chance to break out, change their legacies and cement their names in history.

This year, the injury bug has dramatically changed the playoff landscape but could be the catalyst to helping young stars emerge past the behemoths of the league.

Don’t misunderstand me. I detest injuries because they can distort outcomes and manufacture caveats for future sports conversations.

A record-number eight All-Stars have missed at least one playoff game this season. The injuries of Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown radically shifted the fates of their teams. Even the absence of stars Jamal Murray and Klay Thompson, who weren’t All-Stars this season – doomed their teams’ postseason destinies.

I miss those guys and can now only dream of how they would’ve sensationalized this year’s playoffs.

But now some young stars can shine.  Trae Young, Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell – stars under 25 years old – have a chance play in their first NBA Finals or make deep playoff runs this year because of best players’ ailments.

Steph Curry was 27 years old when the Warriors won the 2015 title. Thereafter, he and his team went on a dynastic three-championship run, and he won two MVPs.

Who knows what a deep playoff run or championship will inspire in these young players?

We’ll see.