5 reasons we won’t get a Cavaliers-Warriors Finals rematch
By Chris Stone
1. The Warriors’ injury questions still linger
Injuries are forever and always the worst part of sports, but given the thin margins in the NBA Playoffs, the team that ultimately wins the title is almost always the healthiest. Although the majority of its players are healthy now, Golden State has dealt with a litany of injuries this season and its hard to erase the possibility of those creeping into the postseason.
Nearly every relevant Warriors rotation piece missed double digit games this season, including Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala. It’s the lingering injury to Stephen Curry, though, that remains the most important. The 30-year old point guard has missed the last month of the season recovering from a grade 2 MCL sprain. He played just 51 regular season games.
Curry is the Warriors most important player. Golden State has been 13.0 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor this season, per Cleaning the Glass. No other Warriors comes close to that level of statistical impact.
Curry remains the swing piece that makes Golden State’s offense run at its best. It is 15.1 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor. He is the league’s most gravitational shooting threat, drawing the attention of opposing defenders and opening up space for his teammates to operate. On a recent podcast, ESPN’s Zach Lowe revealed teams around the league don’t fear facing the Warriors without a healthy Curry.
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The 6-foot-3 point guard is expected to definitely miss the first round of the playoffs. His return date isn’t yet set, although initial estimates seemed to indicate he could be back for the second round. How he’ll handle a return to full speed basketball remains to be seen. At a time when teams need to be at their best, having Curry at anything less than 100 percent would be a concern.