If you had to narrow it down to one what-if per franchise, which one makes the cut?
I'll give examples using the team I support (the Celtics):
Injuries - KG's injury in 2009. The Celtics had a scorching start to the season, but lost in 7 to the Magic. KG's absence let Dwight loose on the boards, & the next year when they did make the finals the Big Ticket had clearly lost a step.
Deaths - Len Bias in 1986. Red Auerbach had drafted a potentially transcendent player to back-up the greatest frontcourt in the history of professional basketball. Instead, a cocaine overdose killed him hours after being drafted No. 2.
Draft Picks - Kedrick Brown in 2001. Know who the Celtics had wanted to draft? Tony Parker. Unfortunately then-GM Chris Wallace was overruled by Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach.
Suspensions - Ime Udoka in 2022. Just months after taking the Celtics to the NBA finals, the former Spurs assistant was suspended for inappopriate relations with a female employee.
Made/missed shots - Artest's 3-pointer in 2010. I will always believe we'd have stolen that game if ~~Ron Artest~~ Metta World Peace doesn't drive that dagger through our hearts.
Injuries: IMO there's 2 viable answers here: Yao going down in game 3 of the 2009 semis vs the Lakers or CP3 going down in game 6 of the 2018 semis vs the Warriors. Both series went to 7 against the eventual champs. Both big "what ifs?". I think the 2018 Rockets would've easily won vs the Cavaliers but the 2009 Rockets would've been a toss up vs the prime Dwight Howard led Magic.
Missed shots: 0-27
Draft Picks: Nikola Jokic was picked 41st overall in 2014 by the Denver Nuggets. Nick Johnson (has to be a 2K generated player) was picked 42nd overall by the Houston Rockets. Imagine the Rockets setting the NBA on fire with a Harden/Jokic pick and roll...
This one’s interesting, because I’m not sure he ever makes it off of the bench in Houston. It took a long leash on a bad team with a lot of patience for the nuggets to figure out what they had. If Houston picks him, he might be playing in Serbia now.