After a long semifinal round between the Denver Nuggets and the Oklahoma City Thunder, Game 7 finally has a conqueror. The Thunder came up with the goods against an injury-struck Aaron Gordon and Co. and delivered an emphatic performance.
As for Gordon, he played the game with a hamstring injury, and most fans rubbed their eyes while witnessing the level of determination of the NBA champion.
That’s what it takes to be a champion, and Gordon demonstrated it to the Thunder players.
However, he had his say regarding the league’s scheduling and gave an interesting viewpoint. It’s a much-talked-about subject recently, with player health and recovery sidelined for entertainment value.
Hence, Gordon pointed out a critical point regarding rest.
Aaron Gordon Expresses the Need for Player Rest
During the post-game press conference, Gordon emphasized the significance of focusing on players’ health for the betterment of the league.
He mentioned, “I would really, really appreciate it if there were a couple of days in between games and the playoffs instead of every other day, regardless of whether you go seven games. I understand if you do your work early, and you get 1st seed, and then you can have some time off.”
Gordon pointed out that the teams that close the series early must have a benefit. Otherwise, what’s the point? But he prefers a rest between the season and the playoffs, as the playoffs are high-intensity battles that require full energy.
The NBA’s regular season concludes by April, and the playoffs start late April or early May. The season extends until June or July, depending on the games played. Usually, there are no breaks, and injuries have been common because of this.
While you can’t do anything about Jayson Tatum’s unfortunate injury, proper rest can prevent muscular injuries. So Gordon explained the situation right now and wanted more rest.
“But, I think the days in between games, not just off day and travel, the travel day, and a recovery day. Just two days, I think. The product of the game would be a lot better. Just a better product on the floor, just to give all these professional athletes one more day of rest. You’ll see a higher level of basketball. Probably less blowouts,” said Gordon.
Aaron Gordon on the playoff schedule:
“I would appreciate it if there were a couple of days in between games instead of every other day. The product of the game would be a lot better. You’ll see a higher level of basketball. Probably less blowouts”pic.twitter.com/gdZ3vW7MWs
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Load management exists because the players have no complete rest during the regular season, and multiple players earn their rest to replenish both physically and mentally.
It harms the fans, who come to watch high-quality games and don’t get what they deserve despite paying an exorbitant amount.
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Thus, Gordon’s talk about better scheduling could help the players get adequate rest, refuel their energy, and play high-level basketball. In the end, the fans would also get better-quality games.
