They call it “Ewing Theory,” and its premise is frighteningly valid. Former ESPN columnist Bill Simmons first popularized the term when he explained how the Knicks soared to the 1999 NBA Finals as an 8 seed after their star, Patrick Ewing, succumbed to injury in the playoffs.
Since then, Ewing Theory examples have sprouted up consistently.
There was the Tennessee football team, which failed to beat Florida all four years Peyton Manning was behind center, then won the national title the season after he graduated. There were the 2001-02 Raptors, who were 31-39 when Vince Carter went down with a season-ending injury, then won 11 of their final 12 games to sneak into the playoffs.