But mostly: Kevin Durant joined a 73-9 team because of a cap spike. With less miles on their tires, the Lakers cruised to the title against their more-fatigued foe. Because of that, and all the significant setbacks due to the coronavirus, no matter who is crowned, the 2020 NBA champion will have an asterisk next to that team’s name in the history books. Case in point, playoff games played before the Finals: Sixers 15, Lakers 8.Asterisk reason: To win the NBA Finals, the Celtics needed to beat a 40-42 Houston Rockets team. You tell me.Asterisk reason: Kobe Bryant dodges LeBron James yet again. Too close to call, in my opinion.Asterisk reason: A year after winning Sixth Man of the Year for the title-winning Celtics, Bill Walton's feet gave out yet again and the Lakers won the championship without having to face one of Boston's key players. The NBA is not going to do that.There has long been a call for the NBA to make changes — to the schedule, playoff format, lottery format, conferences, playoff seeding, and everything in between — and in order to crown a champion this year and begin the 2020-21 season, the league’s hand is being forced to implement some of the changes that have been suggested.On Thursday, NBA commissioner Adam Silver is expected to present a plan to the board of governors for the resumption of the season. The storylines were incredible and priming the league for an amazing postseason run.There were going to be intense battles for the lower playoff seeds, the reigning champion Toronto Raptors were thriving without Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard after his departure to the Los Angeles Clippers, which has largely been considered the only team that could battle the LeBron James-led Lakers, who were dominating the Western Conference, and the Milwaukee Bucks were tearing through the East with reigning NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had a legitimate shot at winning not only a consecutive MVP honor, but was in the running for Defensive Player of the Year.There were of course other intriguing and tantalizing storylines and scenarios playing out, but there was also incredible sorrow that had befallen the NBA. The franchise isn't the only thing stolen from Seattle.Asterisk reason: Michael Jordan was playing golf.Asterisk reason: Michael Jordan was playing baseball.Asterisk reason: Voters got bored (again) and gave Charles Barkley the MVP and thereby gave life to MJ's vengeful loins. (Ten of the 24 All-Stars in 1977 were former ABA players, including All-Star Game MVP Julius Erving and five of the 10 starters in the 1977 Finals were ABA players).Asterisk reason: Half the best players were in the ABA.Asterisk reason: There were only 10 teams.Asterisk reason:  There were only nine teams.Asterisk reason: There were only nine teams.Asterisk reason: There were only eight teams.Asterisk reason: There were only eight teams. Well, technically 11, but the Washington Capitols (.Asterisk reason: In the inaugural NBA season, there were 17 teams, six of which were contracted by Year 2 of the NBA. Mike Conley for Paul George? All other teams were touched by mere mortals. Very questionable circumstances.Asterisk reason: In Game 1 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio, the Spurs' home arena's air conditioning "malfunctioned" due to electrical failure and LeBron had to be carried off the floor due to leg cramps. The top three favourites remain unchanged from prior to the season's suspension back in March. Lakers catch another break.Asterisk reason: Celtics legend Kevin McHale called up his former Celtics teammate Danny Ainge and traded him Kevin Garnett in his prime. Scandalous.Asterisk reason: Draymond Green got suspended in a potential clinching Game 5 for things he did two months prior and Stephen Curry might have been hobbled and Harrison Barnes missed several very open shots. They’ll do it without fans, without home-court advantages, without a guarantee of safety and health, in the midst of the one of the most uncertain times the world has ever seen.There will always be an asterisk on this NBA season. There are enough people who believe this season has been disrupted so much that the championship will be looked at differently.It is clear from the conversations that have already been had within the NBA, and are continuing to take place this week, that there is almost zero chance the league is going to bring all 30 teams together to complete the 82-game season plus the playoffs. The real voter fraud that no one is talking about.Asterisk reason: Arvydas Sabonis, arguably the best basketball player in the world not named Michael Jordan at the time, was in his prime playing for Real Madrid instead of the Blazers who had drafted him in 1986. Let's chalk this up to divine intervention.Asterisk reason: Celtics starter Cedric Maxwell, who won the 1981 Finals MVP, missed 25 games following knee surgery late in the season and was a shell of himself upon his return. Supreme Court vacancy puts Mitt Romney in difficult spot.Utah Sen. Mitt Romney is among a handful of Republican senators who will be under pressure to fall in line with party leadership over voting on a replacement for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.Bill Gates predicts when the world will return to normal.Bill Gates said in a recent interview that the pandemic might run through 2021, too.Ex-BYU grounds supervisor charged with sexually abusing employee.A former supervisor in the groundskeeping department at BYU faces two felonies accusing him of sexually assaulting one of his employees after displaying a gun.Body camera videos show Salt Lake police chasing, shooting 13-year-old autistic boy.Salt Lake police on Monday released body camera video showing officers chasing and shooting a 13-year-old boy with Asperger’s syndrome.Sign up for the That plan will include the league descending on Walt Disney World in Orlando as the sole location for whatever format Silver deems appropriate. Of course, these are unprecedented times and will bring about unprecedented bemoaning.Ending the regular season where it currently stands and heading into a postseason consisting of the top eight teams in each conference would give a team the best chance at being viewed through the most traditional lens as a legitimate champion.Here’s the thing. Diluted title.Asterisk reason: After averaging 18 points in the first round of the playoffs, Los Angeles Lakers forward Karl Malone's knee imploded by the NBA Finals. All Rights Reserved.Commentary: Putting an asterisk next to the 2020 NBA champion is unavoidable, but is that a bad thing?50 homes in one Latter-day Saint ward were destroyed by fire, but that’s only part of the story. The Spurs go on to face a 50-win team in the Finals. An asterisk among asterisks.Asterisk reason: The disparity in free throw totals were so egregious in the Finals, Mavs owner Mark Cuban.Asterisk reason: The league expanded from 29 to 30 teams. If for no other reason than bringing in the most amount of revenue it can, the NBA is going to shake things up when it comes back and, for what it’s worth, I say shake it hard. Thus, the No. Also, Scottie Pippen.Asterisk reason: Adding the Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies this season diluted the overall talent pool for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to feast on. Call it the Arvydas Asterisk.Asterisk reason: Lakers' top scorer James Worthy and top shooter Byron Scott both got hurt and couldn't play the decisive Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The franchise is looking to win its first championship in franchise history. Go big or go home.You want to put an asterisk on this season? He moved them to help," said Oregon fire survivor Misty Pantle.U.S. And, who else should the Jazz target?What we learned from the NBA bubble and what it means for the 2020-21 season,Donovan Mitchell appears on ESPN’s College GameDay with Lamar Jackson, Jack Harlow,How the Utah Jazz can bolster their bench this offseason,Rudy Gobert, Damian Lillard named to All-NBA teams,American couples in 2020: More political talk, less sex,Your husband thinks he’s doing equal housework. If that's not asterisk-y enough for you, I don't know what is.Asterisk reason: Philly, as it was in 1982, played the Lakers in the Finals with the burden of playing an extra series. However, they’ll have to get through the,Thompson will be searching to get back to the NBA Finals next season after missing the entire 2019-20 campaign. If not now, when?On the other hand, because things are already so strange, and there will already be an asterisk, changing things even more than necessary could further delegitimize this year’s champion.There are definitely arguments for both courses of action.Let’s talk about this season, before the pandemic. But more importantly, as late as 1960, it was understood that only four Black players were allowed per NBA team.Asterisk reason: There were only eight teams. You probably disagree.Relationships are helping people through the pandemic. Not a typo. Well, technically nine, but the Baltimore Bullets disbanded 14 games into the season.Asterisk reason: There were only nine teams. On Monday, the Toronto Raptors arrived in Southwest Florida, the first of 22 teams expected to start making their way toward the Orlando campus.On Tuesday, teams began mandated coronavirus testing. Then, the tragic death of Kobe Bryant covered the NBA in a blanket of mourning.The NBA season being completely halted due to a global pandemic that was as unexpected as anything and has only added to the already-enormous weight that this year’s Larry O’Brien championship trophy carries.The argument that changing the playoff format would create more chaos and bring more strangeness to an already-completely bonkers season has absolute merit. New rule: if rebounds aren't counted, the title shouldn't either.Like us on Facebook to see similar stories,Street artists memorialize Black lives lost to racism and police violence.Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.2020 NBA champion will join long list of titles with asterisks.Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours.More From NBC Sports Regional: Philadelphia.Connect with friends faster than ever with the new Facebook app. His pick can be seen at the 4:23 mark of the,The Bucks have the best record in the NBA for the second straight season. Your answer may depend on your political party affiliation,Do you talk race with your children? Now, the tough part begins.The list of players opting out of the NBA bubble is growing. Derrick Rose tore his ACL and Joakim Noah injured his foot, torpedoing the No. What could have been?Asterisk reason: Again, Sabonis wasn't playing in America so the Pistons avoided him starting for the Blazers in the Finals and flipping the NBA paradigm. Of the 229 individual opponents that Kobe faced at least 20 times in his career, Kobe's lowest win percentage came against LeBron, losing 6 of his 22 games against the four-time MVP, per Basketball Reference. "We felt carried in the ways I think the Savior would carry us if he could in a physical form. No Walton, no glory.Asterisk reason: In the first season with the NBA-ABA merger, the Blazers made the playoffs for the first time and won the title all in the same season. The Indianapolis Olympians dropped out after they went 28-43 and got swept 0-2 in the playoffs.Asterisk reason: There were only 10 teams. Earlier this week, Washington Wizards sharpshooter Davis Bertans (injury concern), Los Angeles Lakers guard Avery Bradley (personal matters) and Portland Trail Blazers wing Trevor Ariza (personal matters) voluntarily declined to partake in the resumption.Bertans, Bradley and Ariza join a number of stars and high-profile players who won't be participating in the resumption of the 2019-20 season in Walt Disney World due to injury concerns including Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving, Washington Wizards guard John Wall, San Antonio Spurs center LaMarcus Aldridge, Phoenix Suns wing Kelly Oubre and Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic.And that list figures to get longer and more star-studded as injuries and virus-related issues inevitably arise.In other words: get ready for asterisk talk.Even though every team is managing through the same global pandemic, many have said the 2020 NBA title will be tainted by the advantages afforded to the eventual champ.I think it's only appropriate to place this year's playoffs in proper historical context. Also, James Harden tallied 12 turnovers in the Western Conference finals-clinching loss in Game 5, but it's unclear what another referee audit might uncover. The latest odds to win the 2020 NBA championship have been released by Caesars Entertainment. If Wilkes doesn't get the bug, Boston doesn't get the trophy. The Lakers cruise again with their Finals opponent battered.Asterisk reason: Hall of Fame forward Jamaal Wilkes was averaging 17 points per game for the Lakers that season and then missed the first round of the playoffs dealing with a gastrointestinal virus. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers are the favourites to win the title followed by the Bucks and Clippers. Soft!Asterisk reason: In a rematch of the Bullets-Sonics Finals a year ago in which the Bullets won, the Sonics benefitted by injuries knocking out two Bullets starters Kevin Grevey (hamstring) and Tom Henderson (ankle) in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. 2-seeded Heat cruise by default and take down the up-and-coming Thunder that never fully arrived. To that end, here's a comprehensive list of NBA titles, in chronological order, that deserve an asterisk due to unfair and/or questionable circumstances.Asterisk reason: Kevin Durant ruptured his Achilles tendon in Game 5 and Klay Thompson tore his ACL in Game 6. Please check back for updates. Thompson, a three-time NBA champion, is predicting the Bucks to beat the Clippers in seven hard-fought games. David beats Goliath, but if only Goliath had no knees left.Asterisk reason: If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound?Asterisk reason: Ask the Sacramento Kings.Asterisk reason: The Lakers lost both games to Ray Allen and the top-scoring Milwaukee Bucks in the regular season, which is notable because Allen,Asterisk reason: The referees swallowed the whistle when Shaquille O'Neal.Asterisk reason: Lockout season. Jordan inexplicably finished third in MVP that year. Unsportsmanlike conduct. The sharpshooter used this year to recover from his ACL injury. Unfair.Asterisk reason: LeBron James "pretty much" broke his hand. Lucky LeBron.Asterisk reason: They played a lot of zone. If it doesn't turn to mush, this is Sonics in six, not the Bulls. Thompson has been cleared to train without restrictions since June.While the Warriors did have the worst record in the NBA this season, they should at least be playoff contenders next season with Klay Thompson back in the lineup alongside Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins. Seems totally legitimate except for this important detail: the NBA referees.Asterisk reason: Half the best players were in the ABA. Need I say more?Asterisk reason: Reigning 2012 Western Conference champs traded away future MVP James Harden before the season and lost Russell Westbrook to injury when Patrick Beverley needlessly collided with him in the first round of the playoffs, paving the way for the Heat to repeat. Doesn't count.Asterisk reason: Voters got bored and gave Karl Malone the MVP and thereby gave life to Michael Jordan's vengeful loins. Not basketball. Kobe and the Lakers faced Dwight Howard instead. Period.It doesn’t matter if I think this year’s NBA champion is legitimate no matter how they get to their trophy, and it doesn’t matter if you agree with that. Though, the asterisk next to the 2020 champion should be looked at as a badge of honor and any changes the NBA makes will only make that badge stronger and more legitimate.Start your day with the top stories you missed while you were sleeping.Copyright © 2020 Deseret News Publishing Company. Go ahead.As someone who covers the NBA, I will make it my duty to remind people of everything the 2020 championship team had to endure in order to claim its crown.Because things are so strange, and this season will already have an asterisk, now could be the time to blow things up and make big changes. They got to the Eastern Conference Finals last season but lost to the,The Clippers, meanwhile, are in second place in the Western Conference standings. 1-seeded Chicago Bulls' season. Spurs won Game 1 by 15. Partner of iOne Digital / Cassius Network.and is in the gym splashing shots left and right.Russell Westbrook’s status for start of playoffs in doubt after MRI on quad,Marcus Smart channels inner weatherman in latest forecast for the Cs,REPORT: Bulls set to make big decision in coaching search,Magic Johnson gets temporary restraining order against stalker who threatened him,Pelicans’ JJ Redick names Marcus Smart, Patrick Beverley as biggest floppers in NBA,Jayson Tatum ‘better than Paul George,’ claims West exec,Sixers’ Josh Richardson sends warning to NBA about ‘pissed’ Lakers star LeBron James,A rare positive tweet on Lakers’ LeBron James by Skip Bayless,Ty Lawson banned for life from CBA after strange, inappropriate Chinese woman social media photo,LeBron James, Dwyane Wade clown Lance Stephenson’s selfie, ‘sugar daddy’ appearance,Nets star Kevin Durant’s hilarious reaction to Danuel House allegedly letting female COVID-19 tester into hotel room,54-yard Daniel Carlson FG after DPI on Saints’ Janoris Jenkins seals Raiders’ win in first Vegas home game,Jalen Richard overcomes fumble with 20-yard TD; Raiders up 31-17 over Saints,Seahawks’ Russell Wilson hits DK Metcalf for tying 54-yard TD vs Patriots,Seahawks’ Russell Wilson responds to pick-6 with TD pass to Tyler Lockett vs Patriots,Broncos’ Jeff Driskel hits Noah Fant for 21-yard score, first TD pass for Denver. You’re not alone. Also, the Pistons couldn't beat Michael Jordan in basketball so they turned to boxing and football tactics in their Eastern Conference battles. The format will almost certainly include either a World Cup-style group stage for the playoffs, or a play-in tournament.Even if this is an experimental phase that leads to larger changes down the road, the NBA should roll with it.The team that comes out of this unusual and fascinating season, having endured a multiple months-long hiatus and becomes the 2020 champion should take pride in being able to overcome all the obstacles before rising to the ultimate prize in professional basketball.This year’s Finals winner will have been a part of NBA history as the first team to win by way of group stage or a play-in tourney.