The second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs was significantly impacted by injuries, with numerous key players sidelined or playing through ailments. The Cleveland Cavaliers saw all three of their All-Stars suffer injuries by the end of their second-round loss. The Boston Celtics faced multiple physical challenges, including a severe injury to Jayson Tatum, while Jrue Holiday and Jaylen Brown endured pain, and Kristaps Porziņģis battled illness. Stephen Curry missed the majority of the Golden State Warriors` second-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a hamstring injury. Adding to this list, Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets played through a hamstring issue during his team`s elimination by the Timberwolves on Sunday.
Gordon sustained his injury on Thursday night in Game 6 and returned to the court just around 60 hours later on Sunday afternoon. Although he made a valiant effort, securing 11 rebounds, he was visibly limited by the injury. This pattern of players struggling with physical issues was prevalent throughout this round.
Gordon indicated that had the Nuggets advanced to the Western Conference finals, his injury would likely have sidelined him for two or three games. While acknowledging that just one extra day of rest wouldn`t have fixed his hamstring, he stressed the immense physical toll the 2025 postseason schedule has taken on him and other players.
Aaron Gordon voiced his specific suggestion, stating, “I would really, really appreciate it if there were a couple of days in between games in the playoffs instead of every other day.” He argued that this change would significantly improve “the product of the game,” leading to a “higher level of basketball” and likely “less blowouts.”
While the schedule in the second round doesn`t strictly enforce games every other day for every series, it often serves as the standard, and intervals can sometimes be even shorter. An instance cited was the Nuggets and Thunder playing Game 3 on a Friday night followed by Game 4 on Sunday afternoon, with approximately 39 hours between starts. Both upcoming conference finals series are slated to be played every other day to adhere to the planned June 5 start date for the NBA Finals.
It`s challenging to definitively determine if the condensed schedule is the primary cause or an exacerbating factor for injuries. However, it`s widely accepted that modern basketball is significantly more physically demanding than in previous eras. Players cover greater distances, and defense requires constant five-player engagement, leaving fewer opportunities for players to rest on that end of the court. By the time teams reach the playoffs in May and June, players have usually participated in 90 or more games, leading to exhaustion that can result in sloppiness and a higher risk of injury.
Finding an easy solution to this issue is difficult. The NBA could incorporate more rest days into the playoff schedule, but these days would necessarily need to be offset elsewhere in the league calendar. Potential adjustments include starting the season earlier, concluding it later, decreasing the number of regular-season games, or reducing rest days during the regular season. Each of these alternatives comes with its own disadvantages, affecting finances or potentially player well-being in other ways.
Nevertheless, the past several NBA postseasons have been notably impacted by wear and tear. Injuries continue to plague players, and teams frequently appear exhausted. This situation ultimately detracts from the game`s quality for both the participants and the viewers. Aaron Gordon is not the first individual to raise these concerns, but a straightforward solution remains elusive. It appears that addressing this challenge will necessitate some level of sacrifice from the league, the players, or a collective agreement involving adjustments to other parts of the basketball calendar.
Jasper Hawthorne