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. Kawhi Leonard rested all season and a timely gust of wind at the end of Game 7 against Philadelphia 76ers nudged the ball just enough to fall in the basket. 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. 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. Chris Paul's hamstring popped. 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. 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. The resumption of the NBA season is around the corner. Can't argue with science.Asterisk reason: Notice that Moses Malone's famous quote is "Fo', fo', fo'" and not "Fo, fo', fo', fo'." 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. 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. * * * 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. Kobe and the Lakers faced Dwight Howard instead. Go big or go home.You want to put an asterisk on this season? The top three favourites remain unchanged from prior to the season's suspension back in March. But the real reason for this asterisk is two-time All-Defense member Nate McMillan's back. Not basketball. Golden State Warriors All-Star shooting guard Klay Thompson believes the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Clippers will meet in the 2020 NBA Finals. I think we can all agree that real champs win four series.Asterisk reason: Again, top seeds skipped the first round. Published September 8, 2020, 4:26 PM by Agence France-Presse Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers drives the ball against Gary Harris #14 of the Denver Nuggets during the third quarter in Game Three of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 07, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. If it doesn't turn to mush, this is Sonics in six, not the Bulls. 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. 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. The franchise is looking to win its first championship in franchise history. 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. The Spurs go on to face a 50-win team in the Finals. Stars aligned a little too well, don't you think?Asterisk reason: Did Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving even play in the Finals? 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. 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. If the NBA implements group stages into the playoffs and the Bucks or Lakers are bounced before the traditional seven-game rounds begin, believe you me that fans will forever undercut any other champion.If a play-in tournament is introduced for the seventh and eighth seeds in each conference, there will be timeless hand-wringing and what-ifs that are never answered and therefore results always in question.The simple response is that you can never make everyone happy and fans will always bemoan circumstances that do not favor their team or situation. 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. He lost his starting gig and became a non-factor in the playoffs, scoring double-digits just once the rest of the way. 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. Now, the tough part begins.The list of players opting out of the NBA bubble is growing. "We felt carried in the ways I think the Savior would carry us if he could in a physical form. 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. 2-seeded Heat cruise by default and take down the up-and-coming Thunder that never fully arrived. All other teams were touched by mere mortals. 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. 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King James averaged 38.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists for the 66-win Cavs in the Eastern Conference finals, and somehow it wasn't enough. 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. LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers are the favourites to win the title followed by the Bucks and Clippers. The sharpshooter used this year to recover from his ACL injury. 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. (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. 1-seeded Chicago Bulls' season. 3 seed, had to play an extra series in their disproportionately grueling road to the NBA Finals. Well, technically nine, but the Baltimore Bullets disbanded 14 games into the season.Asterisk reason: There were only nine teams. 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. Not a typo. Thus, the No. 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. That plan will include the league descending on Walt Disney World in Orlando as the sole location for whatever format Silver deems appropriate. 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. By beating the Bulls and sending Jordan home, the Celtics were literally the only team that postseason to be touched by the hand of God.