by Andrew on Thu Jun 13, 2019 1:06 pm
I used to place more stock in the idea of asterisks, but these days I find it kind of petty. At the end of the day you can only play the opponent that shows up, and you still have to get the job done. You can note factors like injuries, bad calls, whatever, but there are plenty of other things that happen during a series that determine its outcome. Good fortune and misfortune alike affect everyone at some point.
It's possible to get too petty and picky if we're going to start determining which champions actually "deserved" to win, or downplaying championships because the opponent wasn't strong enough for whatever reason (injuries, suspensions, weak conferences, underdog got through, etc). At a certain point it becomes excuses and sour grapes.
Meanwhile, a lot of players around the league seem to be calling out team doctors and executives for Durant going out there and playing. They probably have a point, though I do think Durant has to bear some of the responsibility himself. His competitive drive and desire to contribute are admirable, but only he knows how he feels and if he still insisted on taking the risk, that was his call as much as anyone else's.