Stephen Curry out for first round of playoffs, but Warriors will be more than fine

Steph Curry is going to miss the first-round of the NBA playoffs, but if everyone else is healthy the Warriors are going to be fine.

Stephen Curry returned to the lineup from an ankle injury but he didn’t last very long as he was forced out with what was later diagnosed as a Grade 2 MCL sprain.

The initial report from the team was that the former league MVP will be sidelined for the rest of the regular season, but now that wait will be longer. Warriors coach Steve Kerr announced on Sunday that Curry will not suit up for the first round of the playoffs.

The Warriors are 4.5 games back of the Houston Rockets for the top seed in the Western Conference and there’s a logjam of teams jockeying for position at the bottom, so the Warriors could face New Orleans, San Antonio, Minnesota or Utah in the first round.

Chances are, the Warriors can beat any of those four teams in the first round without Curry. However, that’s largely contingent on the recovery of Curry’s teammates from their list of maladies.

The Warriors have looked like the walking wounded vs. a team on the cusp of winning another NBA title of late. In addition to Curry battling injury, the Warriors have been without Kevin Durant since March 14 with rib soreness. He’s missed 12 games this year and is without a timetable to return. I’d expect the team is cautious with him as they’re locked in the No. 2 seed.

Outside of Durant, Klay Thompson has been out since March 11 with a fractured thumb but should return soon. Nick Young has had a sore knee but he’s playing. Draymond Green returned on Sunday after suffering a pelvic contusion on Monday that held him out of Friday’s game. Further, Omar Casspi and Patrick McCaw are nearing a return from their injuries.

Provided Durant, Thomson and Green are healthy for the first round, the Warriors are still so much more talented and playoff-tested compared to any team they’d meet. They can absorb the loss of Curry, for the first round, but the second round, if they meet Portland or Oklahoma City, would test their depth if Curry is still sidelined.

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Nevertheless, the Warriors are doing the right thing letting their stars sit out and get healthy because it’s all about the postseason at this point and after chasing regular season glory two years ago, they know it’s about rings and nothing else.