Editor note: This story has been updated with an embedded tweet containing information from the NBA about the 17 tendon and ligament research studies it has helped fund since 2016.

Play or not play?

A simple question with often complex answers and implications - a conundrum with which injured athletes, teams and medical staffs have grappled for decades.

The Golden State Warriors and Kevin Durant took what they believed was a medically low-risk gamble on Monday night, only to have Durant collapse in pain and anguish, to the horror of most of us watching Game 5 of the NBA finals - except for those appalling Raptors fans who actually cheered.

I wonder what Dirk Nowitzki was thinking. Why? Recall that on May 29, 2003, Nowitzki was medically cleared to play Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals against San Antonio, eight days after spraining his left knee in Game 2.

Mavericks coach Don Nelson, however, adamantly refused to play Nowitzki in what became the series-ending Game 6 loss. Nelson told The News in 2006 that his decision "helped destroy" his relationship with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who cited then-Mavericks physician T.O. Souryal's opinion that Nowitzki didn't risk further injury by playing.

We'll never know whether Nowitzki's knee would have held up, or whether the Mavericks would have rallied to topple the Spurs, who went on to beat New Jersey in the NBA finals.

What we're certain of is that Nowitzki led the Mavericks to the 2006 NBA finals, that he became league MVP in 2007, that he won the 2011 NBA championship as a Maverick and that he retired two months ago, having set a record for playing the most NBA seasons (21) for only one franchise.

As for Durant, 30, we don't yet know the extent of his injury, though reports are that the Warriors fear that he has a torn Achilles, an injury that historically takes 10-to-12 months from which to recover.

Cuban on Tuesday tweeted that the takeaway from Durant's injury is that the NBA and NBA players association should invest into research of "diagnostic tools that allow for proactive analysis of tendons and ligaments so that we can pre-empt the devastating injuries" like those suffered by Durant, DeMarcus Cousins, J.J. Barea, Kristaps Porzingis and Wesley Matthews.

The take away from last nights finals gm should be that the @nba & PA invest in research into diagnostic tools that allow for proactive analysis of tendons and ligaments so that we can pre-empt the devastating injuries @KDTrey5 , @boogiecousins, @jjbareapr @kporzee,@WessyWes23 — Mark Cuban (@mcuban) June 11, 2019

"The reality of sports medicine is that it is still as much art as science," Cuban continued. "However, technology is turning a corner and we can accelerate the advances through investment."

But it’s now time to invest as a league, even if results may be 10 or 20 years away , we would benefit players who are coming into the league now. It’s our responsibility to the players who make this league so successful — Mark Cuban (@mcuban) June 11, 2019

Even if results are "15 or 20 years away," he added, "we would benefit players who are coming into the league now. It's our responsibility to the players who make this league so successful."

Yesterday Mark Cuban sent a series of tweets imploring the NBA and players association to invest in further research on tendons/ligaments, to hopefully pre-empt injuries like those to Durant/others.



Today the NBA reached out with info about its collaboration with GE Healthcare. pic.twitter.com/BKBbe3pXk2 — Brad Townsend (@townbrad) June 12, 2019

Players, teams and doctors make difficult play-or-sit decisions at all levels of all sports, but the NBA's Nowitzki and Durant examples are most remembered because they occurred during high-profile playoff series.

There also is the unfortunate example of Naismith Hall of Famer Grant Hill, who tried to play on a sprained left ankle in the first round of the 2000 playoffs for Detroit. Aggravating that injury knocked him out of that summer's Olympics and limited Hill to four games on the court in 2000-01, 14 games the next season, 29 the year after and zero in 2003-04.

During those same 2000 playoffs, San Antonio sat injured Tim Duncan and got ousted in the first round by Phoenix.

The most striking differences in the Nowitzki and Durant cases, besides the decisions themselves, were the aftermath stances of the head coaches.

Nelson took full responsibility for the Nowitzki decision, while on Monday night Warriors coach Steve Kerr deferred all questions about the Durant decision to Warriors general manager Bob Myers.

"It wasn't the right thing for this organization to have him play in a game and it wasn't right for him," Nelson said of Nowitzki after the Mavericks' 90-78 Game 6 loss in 2003. "He wanted to play and I wouldn't let him play."

That game was played at American Airlines Center. Even without Nowitzki the Mavericks had a double-digit lead until the Spurs reeled off 23 straight points, getting a huge off-the-bench boost from 37-year-old guard Kerr in what would be his last season. He sank all four of his 3-point attempts.

When the Mavericks and Nowitzki this season played in Oracle Arena for the final time, on March 23, Kerr said one of his most vivid memories of that playoff run was Nowitzki's injury.

"That was a huge blow for Dallas," Kerr said. "I was thrilled to play on a championship team my last season, but I'll always remember that series for Dirk's injury. What would have happened? Who knows? But that was a tough blow for the Mavs."

As the Warriors prepare to host Toronto in Thursday's Game 6, one wonders about the Durant-decision conversations that occurred before Game 5, and those since.

The '03 Nowitzki episode is well-documented, though Cuban and Nelson over the years have had slightly different recall.

Nowitzki had injured his knee during the second quarter of Game 2, when he grabbed a rebound and landed on Manu Ginobili's foot. The initial prognosis was Nowitzki would be out 10-to-14 days, although Souryal noted that Dirk was a fast healer and might, with treatment, be able to return late in the San Antonio series.

Dallas lost Games 2, 3 and 4 to fall into a 3-1 series hole, but Nelson, remembering a similar knee injury he'd had as a player and a promise he'd made to Nowitzki's father that he would take care of him, refused to consider playing Dirk in Game 5.

"He's concerned about my health and body for the future," 24-year-old Nowitzki said that night. "We have a lot more [conference and NBA] finals to come in the next few years for this organization. And that's way more important.

"If I was 34 or 35, I probably would have played, but this is the beginning of my career. I have 10 or 12 years of basketball ahead of me. It's way too early to be taking any chances with my career."

Nelson recalled to The News in 2006 that prior to Game 6, he had a heated exchange with Cuban in which he told the owner that the only way Nowitzki would take the court is if Nelson was fired on the spot.

During a June 24, 2008 arbitration hearing to settle a contract dispute between Cuban and Nelson (ultimately won by Nelson), Cuban disputed the coach saying that the pre-Game 6 meeting was confrontational.

"I never raised my voice to Mr. Nelson," Cuban said, adding "I don't remember him saying 'Fire him. I remember him saying that if you want him to play, then you will have to coach the team."

Kevin Durant’s injury conjured memories of Don Nelson not allowing @swish41 to play in Game 6 of WCF, which caused me to dig out 2008 Cuban-Nellie contract arbitration transcript in which Cuban is asked about disagreement over sitting Dirk. (ignore the old highlighted portions) pic.twitter.com/tHqVZKEvWb — Brad Townsend (@townbrad) June 12, 2019

In 2006, though, Cuban had told The News: "It was there I realized what I had suspected before, that Nellie really preferred to be the underdog. Even with a championship at stake."

On March 28 of this season, when the Mavericks were in Miami to play a Heat franchise that it lost to in the 2006 finals and beat in the 2011 finals, Cuban was asked if he thought the Mavericks conceivably should have won three championships.

"You'd think so, right?" he said. "There was '06, then '07 (when No. 1 seed Dallas lost to No. 8 seed Golden State, coached by Nelson) and then the one we won. One taken, one we blew."

"What about '03?" someone asked.

"Yeah," Cuban said, "if Nellie would have played Dirk. All the doctors said he could play."

We'll never know. Golden State's doctors obviously believed Durant could play on Monday, after a 32-day absence due to what was described as a calf injury.

Wednesday marks the eighth anniversary of the Mavericks winning their only NBA title, on June 12, 2011. Who would have thought Nowitzki would play 16 more seasons after the '03 Decision? By 2006, however, he didn't need additional hindsight to render an opinion about Nellie's call.

"It was the right decision," he said. "I remember going down to shoot before the game. I was going on adrenalin because I wanted to play.

"But I remember when I was standing in a timeout, my leg was real tired. So I don't think I could have played."