Why is this sport a war of attrition?

Injuries don’t have to drive the NBA story

BY HENRY ABBOTT

ELSA/GETTY IMAGES

With about four minutes left in Wednesday’s Game 2 between the Mavericks and the Clippers, it struck me that there was not a lot of running or jumping happening. Whole plays unfolded at walking speed. The Clippers hadn’t scored in ages; their only bucket had been an unguarded, standing-still Russell Westbrook, once the most explosive athlete in the NBA. 

Now: maybe nobody was?

The Mavericks’ offense featured a lot of standing, as everyone watched Luka Dončić shove his butt into some Clipper. When this style of offense was common in the NBA, they changed the rules to inspire more movement, to make the game more fun to watch.

Soon enough, Luka drained a 3 and may have frightened Tom Haberstroh’s child. To my eyes, though, it was relief more than vigor. Luka looked exhausted before that shot and had been missing short for a while .

Poor Jared Greenberg, TNT reporter, happened to be going off about how Luka, this year, really had dialed in his conditioning. Pre…