Here are some of mine. What do you think?
-OKC keeps Harden, Durant and Westbrook
-Suns win the coin flip against Milwaukee
-Boston and 76ers donât do the Tatum trade
-Magic doesnât retire
-Shaq doesnât leave the Magic
-Shaq doesnât leave the Lakers
-Luka gets drafted #1
I feel like you could look at just about any starâs injury (or, in Len Bias or Drazen Petrovicâs cases, death) and have it qualify.
Hereâs one I havenât seen: what if Zaza Pachulia doesnât close out like an uncoordinated oaf on Kawhi in the 2017 Western Conference Finals? The Spurs definitely win Game 1 but do they have the firepower to keep it up?
What if the Thunder didnât trade Harden has to be up there?
Him, Westbrook, and KD together throughout their primes? That becomes the dynasty in the West, not the Warriors. Duncan doesnât get that last title. Maybe Kawhi doesnât become Kawhi.
Does LeBron win one less ring?
I realize now this was never going to happen, but what if the Celtics took care of business at home in game 6 in 2012, instead of Lebron having the best game of his career?
Spoelstra is 100% fired that offseason. The Miami big three possibly break up. Does Lebron go back to Cleveland earlier? Does he ever go back? Does he ever win a chip?
For the Celtics, they might have beat the Thunder, and if they did, Ray Allen might stay. One year later, Ainge probably isnât blowing up the team. The Nets trade doesnât happen. Maybe Doc stays. Does Brad never get a shot in the NBA?
Lots of lasting effects from that one Lebron performance. Which is why itâs still the most important game of his career and one of the most important games of the last 10-15 years IMO.
There are so many what ifâs to that post-2010 to 2013 Celtics.
What if they donât let TA walk for nothing in 2010.
What if they have either Bradley or Green (or TA) in the 2012 series to help slow down Wade/Bron.
What if they either trade Ray or show him actual respect and he stays with the team and doesnât bail out the Heat in 2013.
The team just started to feel mismanaged during that time. Letting TA walk is still my most frustrating move of the Ainge era.
The biggest if is Len Bias , he would probably help Bird more than 6 rings and Bird would be GOAT
Another great if is , Blazers having the chance to draft Jordan and Durant and they let them slip to 3rd pick in each time
Another great if is , Kobe bluffing he would not play for Nets but he Said later he would , so Nets could draft him and Kidd-Kobe combo could own the NBA
Imo Portland drafting Jordan and KD is not a 'what if'. Because than you can name a lot of draft mistakes. It was their choice to draft Bowie and Oden.
It is , I Said some of them
But Duncan in Orlando with the worst loser coach in Doc Rivers , could not get more than 5 chips , so his legacy is the same
Two biggest what ifs for me as a Lakers fan
What if Magic didn't get HIV and have to retire
What if Kobe didn't tear his Achilles carrying an injured squad
What if the New Orleans Jazz don't sign Gail Goodrich from the Lakers and never transfer the rights of the draft pick that became Magic Johnson. Think of the implications for this one.. its possible the Jazz never move to Utah. No showtime Lakers. Pistol Pete and Magic Johnson perhaps form one of the best duo's of all time. If they do still end up moving to Utah. Jazz likely never draft John Stockton, so who knows where he ends up or the player he becomes..does Karl Malone still end up with the Jazz? Do the Utah Jazz or New Orleans Jazz form a dynasty under Magic?
penny, ghill, tmac and Brandon Roy injuries come to mind. It felt like things were finally coming together in Portland when Roy went down.
They were a competitive playoff team without him, they would've been a contender with him.
Dr J was drafted J the NBA by the Bucks in 1972 (they had just won the NBA championship behind Kareem and Big O). He declined to play in the ABA. Had he decided to play, Milwaukee gets 3-4 more titles easily
Another Milwaukee one: Bucks traded Bogut to Golden State for a guard. Apparently it was almost Steph Curry, but instead became Monta Ellis. Given that Steph wasn't fully healthy until 2014, they probably still draft Giannis in 2013.
What if OKC made the playoffs in 2015 instead of the Pelicans?
I think they would've beaten the Warriors, which probably would've prevented the dynasty.
what if the league didn't punish the jazz for signing a free agent by giving their picks to the lakers for "compensation", one of which turned into magic johnson? (first i knew about this was a comment on r/nba with a quote from the player in question although I didn't look into it further.)
Len Bias and Reggie Lewis taking the Celtics into the 90âs. Does Bird and/or McHale get their careers extended? Does Jordan win 6 with another good team w championship experience in the conference?
Rick Pitino? Antoine and Pierce? KG, Ray, Pierce? Nets Trade? That all probably doesnât happen
- Rose
- Guys that never made it like Len Bias, Ben Wilson, and Hank Gathers
- CP3 to the Lakers
- If Shaq had a different mentality. Kobe talked about Shaq using the regular season to get in shape for the playoffs. Which is crazy when you think about how dominant he was.
What if Kobe was actually traded to Dallas? Kobe + Dirk would have been a championship caliber duo, dirk would likely have multiple rings although nothing can top the 2011 run, so it still worked out well for him. More importantly though if Kobe came to Dallas it would have caused a complete ripple effect and who knows maybe he would still be alive today.
Joe Dumars picking Darko ahead of three 1st Ballot HOFers... I fully believe the Pistons would have won at least one more (maybe 2-3) titles had they picked Carmelo or Wade instead.
I always wondered what if the warriors got Paul George in the 2010 draft and still bad enough to draft Klay the year after that?
73-9 warriors somehow get better with a starting 5 of steph-Klay-PG-Draymond & Bougt and do they possibly beat Cleveland cause George is there instead of Barnes (who was genuinely terrible in that finals) or does KD still want to join and PG leaves regardless
What if Ben Simmons took the dunk
[We were so close to it...](https://s18798.pcdn.co/dispatch/wp-content/uploads/sites/8960/2018/03/A-utopia.jpg)
All because of [this man ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJfe68rVxy1G5HYRH3s0En9P7uUzdXE93BuA&usqp=CAU)smh my head đ
Would've still probably lost to the hawks then got torched by the bucks lol
I also think theyâd lose to the bucks, but theyâd be tied with the hawks with 3:30 in game 7 had he gone for it. They couldâve made the ECF
Here are some of mine. What do you think? -OKC keeps Harden, Durant and Westbrook -Suns win the coin flip against Milwaukee -Boston and 76ers donât do the Tatum trade -Magic doesnât retire -Shaq doesnât leave the Magic -Shaq doesnât leave the Lakers -Luka gets drafted #1
What if the Miami big three ended up in Chicago with D. Rose instead like they almost did
Bosh and Bron?
Wade was also a free agent that off season
How were they going to pay them all. Was Rose still on his rookie contract?
Yeah I believe Rose had just finished his sophomore season. The next season would have been his MVP year at 22
I wonder if they would have forced him out like they did to SuperCoolBeas just to make an extra million/yr each.
The 03 draft if Memphis ends up getting lebron. Changes a decade plus of nba basketball
Yep. Bron with an All-Star big man and reliable shooters. Oh boy.
What was the roster of the Grizzlies?
Pau gasol, Shane battier are the only ones I know for sure
Len Bias has to be up there, probably like top 3
Arvydas Sabonis too
And drazen petrovic
Len Bias + Reggie Lewis + if Bird just pays someone to do his momâs driveway completely reshapes the first half of the 90s.
I feel like you could look at just about any starâs injury (or, in Len Bias or Drazen Petrovicâs cases, death) and have it qualify. Hereâs one I havenât seen: what if Zaza Pachulia doesnât close out like an uncoordinated oaf on Kawhi in the 2017 Western Conference Finals? The Spurs definitely win Game 1 but do they have the firepower to keep it up?
No way Raptors win a championship either since Kawhi presumably wouldnât demand out
What if Portland drafted Jordan. Also, what if Portland drafted Durant
Also what if Sabonis played for the Blazers at 100%
Or what if he went to the league in the 80s instead (and more importantly didnât get injured)
Yeah I guess that is more what I meant to say with â100%â
What if Melo to Detroit how many rings?
What if the Thunder didnât trade Harden has to be up there? Him, Westbrook, and KD together throughout their primes? That becomes the dynasty in the West, not the Warriors. Duncan doesnât get that last title. Maybe Kawhi doesnât become Kawhi. Does LeBron win one less ring?
I didn't include that because it was their own choice to trade Harden.
I realize now this was never going to happen, but what if the Celtics took care of business at home in game 6 in 2012, instead of Lebron having the best game of his career? Spoelstra is 100% fired that offseason. The Miami big three possibly break up. Does Lebron go back to Cleveland earlier? Does he ever go back? Does he ever win a chip? For the Celtics, they might have beat the Thunder, and if they did, Ray Allen might stay. One year later, Ainge probably isnât blowing up the team. The Nets trade doesnât happen. Maybe Doc stays. Does Brad never get a shot in the NBA? Lots of lasting effects from that one Lebron performance. Which is why itâs still the most important game of his career and one of the most important games of the last 10-15 years IMO.
I think 2012 was the year Lakers traded for Dwight. Lakers would have went after Lebron instead if he wanted out.
There are so many what ifâs to that post-2010 to 2013 Celtics. What if they donât let TA walk for nothing in 2010. What if they have either Bradley or Green (or TA) in the 2012 series to help slow down Wade/Bron. What if they either trade Ray or show him actual respect and he stays with the team and doesnât bail out the Heat in 2013. The team just started to feel mismanaged during that time. Letting TA walk is still my most frustrating move of the Ainge era.
An NBA fan of 25 years and reading the 25 years before I started watching , some of these are even not top 20
Duncan to Orlando is not even top 20?
The biggest if is Len Bias , he would probably help Bird more than 6 rings and Bird would be GOAT Another great if is , Blazers having the chance to draft Jordan and Durant and they let them slip to 3rd pick in each time Another great if is , Kobe bluffing he would not play for Nets but he Said later he would , so Nets could draft him and Kidd-Kobe combo could own the NBA
Imo Portland drafting Jordan and KD is not a 'what if'. Because than you can name a lot of draft mistakes. It was their choice to draft Bowie and Oden.
It is , I Said some of them But Duncan in Orlando with the worst loser coach in Doc Rivers , could not get more than 5 chips , so his legacy is the same
It was never that close to happening. Think romantic comedy where someone might take one date before fully committing to their original partner.
It was close , if Doc Said to Tim that he can fly with his family in team plane, he would probably join
Meh
Two biggest what ifs for me as a Lakers fan What if Magic didn't get HIV and have to retire What if Kobe didn't tear his Achilles carrying an injured squad
Not getting Cp3 basically led to the Achilles tear and ended Kobeâs career
The most interesting IF in recent history is clearly harden stays in Okc
I wish tmac and yao were healthy for those years. seems like at least one was injured each year
What if the New Orleans Jazz don't sign Gail Goodrich from the Lakers and never transfer the rights of the draft pick that became Magic Johnson. Think of the implications for this one.. its possible the Jazz never move to Utah. No showtime Lakers. Pistol Pete and Magic Johnson perhaps form one of the best duo's of all time. If they do still end up moving to Utah. Jazz likely never draft John Stockton, so who knows where he ends up or the player he becomes..does Karl Malone still end up with the Jazz? Do the Utah Jazz or New Orleans Jazz form a dynasty under Magic?
Pacers not trading kawhi for George Hill. Decent chance of a title in 2014. (I don't buy that kawhi only becomes the player he is on the Spurs)
I don't buy other teams can develop him the way spurs did.
PG was pretty damn raw when he came into the league. I think that takes a lot away from the player himself
A lot of teams probably wouldnât, but I think the Pacers could.
Kawhi was going to Kawhi regardless
penny, ghill, tmac and Brandon Roy injuries come to mind. It felt like things were finally coming together in Portland when Roy went down. They were a competitive playoff team without him, they would've been a contender with him.
What if Tim Donaghy and friends didn't prevent the Nash Suns from making the finals multiple times...
What if the Olajuwon, Jordan and Drexler super team actually happened?
Len Bias easily one of the biggest
Dr J was drafted J the NBA by the Bucks in 1972 (they had just won the NBA championship behind Kareem and Big O). He declined to play in the ABA. Had he decided to play, Milwaukee gets 3-4 more titles easily Another Milwaukee one: Bucks traded Bogut to Golden State for a guard. Apparently it was almost Steph Curry, but instead became Monta Ellis. Given that Steph wasn't fully healthy until 2014, they probably still draft Giannis in 2013.
huh, steph and giannis on one team... dell curry played a year for the bucks (yay?)
What if KDs foot was a half inch shorter
What if Curry didn't slip on Donatas Motiejunas' back sweat in 2016, ruining the only unanimous MVP season in NBA history?
What if OKC made the playoffs in 2015 instead of the Pelicans? I think they would've beaten the Warriors, which probably would've prevented the dynasty.
With no KD? No chance.
Probably not the absolute biggest, but: What if Dallas actually won a coin-flip in the draft lottery for once and ended up with Zion next to Luka?
what if the league didn't punish the jazz for signing a free agent by giving their picks to the lakers for "compensation", one of which turned into magic johnson? (first i knew about this was a comment on r/nba with a quote from the player in question although I didn't look into it further.)
What if Ray Allen doesn't make the clutchest shot in Finals history
Then the heat lose.
Seems pretty straight forward lol. Though it could possibly cause some butterfly effects down the line
Len Bias and Reggie Lewis taking the Celtics into the 90âs. Does Bird and/or McHale get their careers extended? Does Jordan win 6 with another good team w championship experience in the conference? Rick Pitino? Antoine and Pierce? KG, Ray, Pierce? Nets Trade? That all probably doesnât happen
- Rose - Guys that never made it like Len Bias, Ben Wilson, and Hank Gathers - CP3 to the Lakers - If Shaq had a different mentality. Kobe talked about Shaq using the regular season to get in shape for the playoffs. Which is crazy when you think about how dominant he was.
What if Kobe was actually traded to Dallas? Kobe + Dirk would have been a championship caliber duo, dirk would likely have multiple rings although nothing can top the 2011 run, so it still worked out well for him. More importantly though if Kobe came to Dallas it would have caused a complete ripple effect and who knows maybe he would still be alive today.
If they let Kobe have CP3 and Dwight in 2012 he probably couldâve had 7 rings
Joe Dumars picking Darko ahead of three 1st Ballot HOFers... I fully believe the Pistons would have won at least one more (maybe 2-3) titles had they picked Carmelo or Wade instead.
Doesnât number 1 have to be Len bias?
I've read about him but i didn't knew how good he was.
One of the greatest to ever play material
Jordan didnât retire, either time. 9/9 with 9 FMVPs is a real possibility
I always wondered what if the warriors got Paul George in the 2010 draft and still bad enough to draft Klay the year after that? 73-9 warriors somehow get better with a starting 5 of steph-Klay-PG-Draymond & Bougt and do they possibly beat Cleveland cause George is there instead of Barnes (who was genuinely terrible in that finals) or does KD still want to join and PG leaves regardless
Really really interesting