I know the season is still official and the champions will be marked as such in the record books, but does anyone else feel that shortened seasons are tainted in some way? If someone like Lebron only ever wins the championship this season, will people in years to come say "Yes he did win it all...but it was the lockout season so..." I'm curious because I've seen people regard the Spurs championship in '99 with an asterix. How do you think players feel about this season? Let's say a veteran such as Steve Nash wins it all this year (I know he won't, just using as an example), would he be content that he's finally an NBA champion, or would it feel slightly off?
I still think the first Spurs championship is tainted. That said, they played the hand that was dealt better than anyone else. With 66 games instead of 50, we'll see.
LOL. Is this what the Lebron haters will resort to when the Heat coast to the Championship this year? An asterisk?
Meh, everyone still has the same chance to make it there. The champion is the champion whether playing 10 games or 100 games. Just have to play with the cards you're dealt.
Any team that can win a championship with this jacked up schedule deserves an extra ring lol. I can't remember was the 50 game season this bad with the number of back to backs and back to back to backs?
Listen it can be a 150 game season or a 20 game season and people will always complain and ridicule everything/never be happy. Its not like when a team wins a championship in 82 games its smooth sailing to the talkers. Everything is always questioned! Now the with the way the Heat are looking (i know one game) if they win it all then there is no doubt that people will need some tape on there face hole. Remember a shortened season means congested games and 3 back to backs
I guarantee if the Knicks won those finals you would never hear anything about an asterisk in the media. They still act like the Knicks are one of the most storied franchises in sports and they haven't won since 1973.
Poor guys. They have to fly in an airplane and then play basketball for a couple hours. Without one day of rest in between!
No reason to feel slighted or to hate on whomever wins it this year everybody is trying to win. Just like in 1999 and in 1994 when Jordan was trying to hit a curve ball. A ring is a ring IMHO
Your acting like they play a couple of back to backs and then rest for a week. Its nonstop basketball. You also have the practices and drills.
Tainted? Hell, I'd argue it's more impressive. The games are more compact with less rest time between them. You don't need 82 games in a league where more teams make the playoffs than don't. That's ridiculous. 50 games is perfect.
Not tainted at all. Whoever wins the championship this year would have made the playoffs regardless of whether its a shortened season or not and the regular season is just a warmup for the playoffs, which are normal length.
Not tainted at all, every team plays the same amount of games, the playoffs are the same length than a normal season, the rules are the same. why do you have to put and asterisk?
The "tainted" excuse is just made up by the jealous assholes of the NBA world. Like all the dumbasses who call both of the Rockets championships tainted.