Continuing with the discussion in the previous article, we will continue to review a few moments that may have changed history. Jack McCallum came up with parallel space-time in his head, introducing 10 "what if" scenarios that would change the history of the NBA. Each of these decisions, like a butterfly effect, can change the fate of a team or even an entire league.
It's a pity that there is no if, I don't have you
Sometimes, a word from a coach, or even a tone of voice, can change the fate of a team or a superstar. In the summer of 2000, the world was watching Tim Duncan's whereabouts, and just when all indications were that he loved the Orlando Magic more, which was his birthplace, the news that Tim Duncan and Tracy McGrady were going to join was also hotly discussed, but all this, probably because of Doug Rivers's words, made Tim Duncan change his mind.
Tim Duncan, who was meeting with the Magic, heard the statement of then head coach Doug Rivers that he did not want the player's family to take the team's special plane with the team to go away, and Tim Duncan was rumored to be quite disappointed. This statement was confirmed by Hill and Tim Duncan's old comrade-in-arms Bruce Bowen, although it was not directly from the mouth of Tim Duncan himself, it still has some reference value. If this news is true, will magic be able to reach the top? And the spurs' glory in the next few years, is it because of this disintegration? Leave the fans with unlimited imagination.
Of all the hypothetical cases, the most deplorable is undoubtedly this "if" about Derek Ross. In the first round of the playoffs in 2012, there was only 1 minute and 22 seconds left, and the Bulls were 19 points ahead of their opponents, but at this time we saw Derrick Rose's pained look on the court, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament of the knee at the moment, and never found a lightning-like hand.
Three years before the injury, Derrick Rose had just won the Best Newcomer Award, and the previous season before the fall, he had just won the league's MVP, and this injury changed everything. If Tom Thibodeau, who has always liked to the starter, replaced Derrick Rose early in garbage time, could he have a Hall of Fame career?
The combination of three out of two is not correct
Spreading out the 2009 draft roster, there was a large number of attractive defenders listed here, and the Timberwolves chose Ricky Rubio with the fifth pick and then Jonny Flynn with the same position in the sixth pick, such a strange strategy, which is still hotly debated years later.
After the draft, Ricky Rubio spent two more years in Spain before reporting to the team, and his performance in the team for six years was decent, and Jonnie Flynn could only be described as completely unintended, he only played 163 games for the Timberwolves, left the team to become a wandering player, and finally faded out of the league. Reviewing the draft strategy of that year in the current time and space background, if the team still insists on picking two point guards at the same time, they should also take a look at the benevolent brother who landed in the seventh pick, he is Stephen Curry, who set countless three-point records and won three championship rings in the Warriors.
Another choice worth discussing for decades happened to the Thunder. In the 2012 Finals, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden played against the Heat, and finally lost, in October of that year, because the team wanted to avoid luxury taxes, resulting in Harden leaving the team, the Big Three officially broke up.
Turning the clock forward a bit, if the team didn't renew their contract with Westbrook in advance, and chose to leave Harden and Durant, who are more adept at passing, would their fate be different? Will Westbrook be able to reach a senior double-double season one step earlier after flying alone? In both left the fans with unlimited reverie.
In addition to the above discussions, there are also assumptions about the fate of the Lakers and the impact of the alliance' visibility.
Without the two baseball teams that used to settle in New York (the Dodgers and giants) to successfully move west and California, the Lakers owner might choose to move the team to Chicago instead of Los Angeles, and the much-talked-about performance moment would not be played out here.
If ten-year-old Danny Biazorne had been repatriated from Italy on a ship (because of the flu), there would have been no Nationals (the predecessor of the 76ers) or the great invention of the 24-second offensive rule. Such offensive time constraints save basketball from the hell of "procrastination tactics" and have a chance to become a sport that the world pays attention to.
We know that none of these assumptions are possible, but even if they can't be changed in the past, it's good to treat them as an after-dinner topic.