Forging a New Frontier in Sports Medicine Analysis
Chris Paul. (Credit: Richard Giles on Flickr).
The whole NBA world (myself included) cringed when Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul landed on his back after a spin move and grabbed his right leg in the final minute of Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against Golden State. I knew immediately what had happened, and given Paul’s history, it should be no surprise that he suffered a right hamstring strain. Take a look at the video. I’ll wait.
Andre Iguodala has a knee contusion. What does it mean? (Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr).
If you watched Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Warriors-Rockets, you may have noticed Andre Iguodala leave midway through the fourth quarter with an injury that was initially called a “left lateral leg contusion”. Heck, even if you didn’t watch, you probably have heard by now if you have even passing interest in the series, considering Iguodala is vital to unlocking Golden State’s three of their five best lineups this postseason (in lineups that have played together at least 15 minutes), including their most heavily used lineup. And Golden State is already facing decreased wing depth.
Patrick McCaw. (Credit: TastyPoutine.)
On March 31, 2018, Golden State Warriors guard Patrick McCaw had a scary fall that potentially put his career in doubt.
The highlight of the play is on Youtube. McCaw goes up for a dunk and lands on his back and is visibly in pain. He clutches his lower back, is immobilized in a cervical collar, and taken off the court on a stretcher.
Afterwards, we learned that McCaw experienced numbness in his legs. So how is this different than Michael Porter Jr.’s injury that has the NBA Draft world abuzz?