The path to an NBA title might have just gotten a little easier for whichever teams wins the Eastern Conference.
Two of the most important players remaining in the Western Conference playoffs, the Suns' Chris Paul and Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers, are reportedly out indefinitely.
Paul, whose Suns advanced to the conference finals by sweeping the Denver Nuggets, has reportedly been placed in virus protocols, while Leonard is out for at least Game 5 of his team's semifinals series against the Utah Jazz.
The Suns, with or without the 36-year-old Paul, will face the winner of the Clippers-Jazz series. His status for the conference finals was in jeopardy, according to Malika Andrews of ESPN, and the duration of his quarantine would be determined by whether he was vaccinated. Leonard meanwhile aggravated his knee in Monday's Game 4 against the Nuggets, according to Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN, and could be out for the rest of the series.
While Paul's and Leonard's absences are nothing to celebrate for the sport at large, it could bode well for one of the four teams remaining in the East -- the Nets, Sixers, Bucks and Hawks. The Suns without Paul and the Clippers without Leonard will be hard-pressed to take down the Jazz, a solid all-around team.
Brooklyn took a 3-2 series lead over Milwaukee with a win on Tuesday, while Atlanta and Philly were tied at 2 games apiece, with Game 5 scheduled for Wednesday night.
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