Vaccination, a possible problem for the Playoffs

Asked directly in the past 24 hours if their teams were fully vaccinated, both the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers declined to comment to ESPN, opening up the possibility that both teams are missing players in road games. home of a possible first round playoff against the Toronto Raptors.

Going into play Wednesday, the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Celtics and 76ers are within one loss of each other atop the Eastern Conference standings, meaning they could finish in virtually any order between now and the April 10 regular season finale.

That also means either of them could face the possibility of having to travel to Toronto for a first-round playoff series against the Raptors. As of January 15, 2022, players must be fully vaccinated in order to enter Canada.

The Heat and Bucks confirmed to ESPN that their teams are fully vaccinated and therefore will have no problem playing in Toronto.

The Celtics played their first game in Toronto since the vaccination requirement went into effect Monday, when they lost in overtime.

After beating the Minnesota Timberwolves at home on Sunday, Boston ruled out four players for Monday’s game in Toronto for the second night in a row: Robert Williams, who strained the meniscus in his left knee during Sunday’s game; Al Horfordwho missed the games on Sunday and Monday for personal reasons; Jayson Tatumwhom the Celtics listed as out with right patellar tendinopathy and Jaylene Brownwho was listed as out due to pain in his right knee.

Sources told ESPN that Williams is vaccinated, while Tatum said at the Celtics’ press day that he was vaccinated, but no one should be put on trial for choosing not to be.

“I mean, it’s your own decision,” Tatum said. “I fully understand the concerns of those who are not vaccinated who don’t want to, and I understand people like me who did. It is their own personal health and their reason. No one should be judged one way or the other, whatever is their decision”.

Brown, for his part, said then that the vaccine was a personal choice.

“I have my own thoughts on it, but I respect my teammates’ decisions and things like that,” Brown said. “I know everyone has their own opinion on it, but I think it’s a personal choice.”

Brown and Horford entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols in October, and Horford did so again in December.

Meanwhile, the 76ers haven’t played a game in Toronto since the rule change took effect in mid-January. The 76ers, who first played the Raptors in Toronto on Dec. 28, will play them again next Thursday, April 7, to wrap up a three-game road trip.

Going into play Wednesday, the Celtics (47-29) are third in the Eastern Conference, a half game behind the second-place Bucks (47-28). The 76ers are in fourth place at 46-29, a half game behind the Celtics. The Raptors (43-32), sixth, are a half game behind the Chicago Bulls (44-32), who are in fifth place. The Cleveland Cavaliers are one game behind the Raptors in seventh place.

The playoffs are scheduled to begin on April 16 and 17 and Games 3 and 4 of the first round, which would take place in Toronto, are likely to be played three weeks from Wednesday.

For a person to be considered fully vaccinated in Canada, two weeks must have elapsed after a single injection of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or two weeks after the second injection of the two-dose vaccines.

That would mean any unvaccinated player would have about a week to receive the one-dose vaccine in order to be fully vaccinated in time to play in every game of a first-round playoff series.

The most prominent example of a player missing games for not being vaccinated this season is Brooklyn Nets star, Kyrie Irvingwho was unable to play in New York, either at Barclays Center or Madison Square Garden, before the city rolled back its vaccination rules last week to allow unvaccinated athletes playing for local teams to see action at the home games.

Irving played his first game in New York on Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets.

Irving’s condition was a topic of discussion throughout the season due to the current law that prevents unvaccinated Knicks and Nets players from playing in the city. However, there have been no such limitations in Boston or Philadelphia, making players’ vaccination status less of an issue.

However, with the playoffs drawing near, and with them a possible matchup with the Raptors in the first round, or beyond, that is no longer the case.