Warriors Surge in Final Minutes to End Rocketsã¢â‚¬â„¢ Season Again
Stephen Curry is out at to the lowest degree 2 weeks with a left foot injury.
Subsequently Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Back-scratch tumbled to the floor, Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart inadvertently pigeon toward his knees. Will the Warriors' NBA title chances also dive because of that sequence?
The Warriors said they will reevaluate Back-scratch in two weeks after an MRI revealed that he sprained a ligament in his left foot ligament following Smart's collision in last Midweek'due south loss to Boston. That ensures that Curry volition have missed seven contests, which includes Sunday'due south loss to San Antonio equally well as games against Orlando (Tuesday), Miami (Wednesday), Atlanta (Friday), Washington (Sunday), Memphis (March 28) and Phoenix (March 30).
Just what near after that? Will Curry play in any regular-season games? How about the playoffs?
There are lots of unanswered questions near him and information technology'southward no wonder, then, that a few Curry-related questions have appeared in this calendar week's mailbag.
For future mailbags, transport your question to me through e-mail or Twitter.
1. How worried should the Warriors feel well-nigh Steph'southward absence?
— Bram Feinstein-Hillsman, San Francisco, CA
The Warriors should have two reactions to Back-scratch'southward injury.
The half-glass full reaction? The news could take been a lot worse. At to the lowest degree Curry didn't suffer a season-ending injury. At least the Warriors hold a healthy position for the No. 3 in the Western Conference reaction. The Warriors have iii other All-Star caliber players (Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins) and a handful of young players (Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga) to hold things downward. The focus for Gilt State can shift to bolstering their defense with Green'due south guidance. Lastly, Warriors double-decker Steve Kerr told reporters that Curry could even return for some regular-season games.
The one-half-glass empty reaction? The Warriors have only had 1 ane/2 games to characteristic Curry, Green and Thompson because of overlapping injuries. Though the Warriors' stars have built plenty chemistry through three NBA championship runs, the majority of the Warriors' players take never played with Back-scratch, Thompson and Light-green together. That may put pressure on Green and Thompson to assume a heavier workload just as they are returning recently from their own injuries. That could put too much responsibility for Poole, Wiggins and others to assume. All of which may result in more losses, likewise.
Stephen Back-scratch is remaining optimistic as he heals up from his foot injury.
Nonetheless, the Warriors will probable tolerate brusque-term pain both considering of their philosophy and circumstances. Kerr has historically placed health equally the team'south nearly important variable to manage. Therefore, don't expect Green and Thompson to have an increased burden and risk leaving them more than vulnerable to farther injury. Poole, Wiggins and Kuminga have shown varying degrees of consistency, but they have all become capable of assuming larger short-term roles.
Either way, the Warriors are neither good enough to surpass the Phoenix Suns nor the Memphis Grizzlies in the standings. Nor are the Warriors bad enough to fall below where the Utah Jazz or Dallas Mavericks are in the seeding. That framework gives the Warriors some relative condolement level that they can simply business organization themselves with maximizing wellness and building skillful habits so that they are set up to make a title run once Back-scratch returns.
Stephen Curry'south pes injury leaves Golden Country looking to other options over the season's final stretch.
2. Will Kerr put Steph on minutes brake when he comes back for the playoffs?
— @DubMnE
I suspect that Kerr will have Curry on a minutes restriction, even to open the playoffs. Consider how Kerr handled Back-scratch's workload in the 2018 postseason. After missing a combined 10 regular-season games and vi playoff appearances because of a Course 2 MCL sprain in his left knee, Curry came off the bench and played only 27 minutes in the Warriors' Game 2 win confronting the New Orleans Pelicans in the West semis. Curry started after that, just still logged limited minutes in Game 3 (29 minutes) and Game iv (31).
Warriors motorcoach Steve Kerr may take to take star guard Stephen Curry on a minutes brake once the playoffs begin.
I need to acknowledge the apples-to-orange comparisons hither. Ane, the Warriors could also rely on Kevin Durant during Curry's initial absence in 2018. Two, it initially appears Back-scratch won't have the same severity of injury as he did toward the stop of the 2017-18 campaign. But the Warriors historically take ever placed health as their biggest priority. Look that the Warriors will neither blitz Back-scratch back nor give him a heavy workload once he returns.
3. What has to happen for the Lakers to get into the Play-In? Could Advert be set by so?
— @Blabber75041513
The Lakers have to finish anywhere between seventh to 10th in the Western Conference to ensure a spot in the Play-In Tournament. Mathematically, the Lakers take a hazard to climb up in the standings. Realistically, they don't. The Lakers take still to prove they can build off of tremendous efforts, the latest including their overtime win on Friday in Toronto. Otherwise, the Lakers have get mired in inconsistency. Through that lens, the Lakers just need to ensure they can collect a handful of wins so that neither the Pelicans, Trail Blazers nor the Spurs supplant them.
Given the Lakers' slim margin for fault, however, they take no use to number crunch these scenarios. They but need to win every bit many games every bit they can. No doubt, Anthony Davis' availability could factor into the Lakers treading above water. When that will happen, though, remains uncertain. Davis has completed shooting drills in the past week, simply has yet to receive medical clearance to practice.
LeBron James piled upward a 38-point triple-double in the Lakers' win vs. Cleveland on Monday.
Regardless, the Lakers only face up a best-case scenario with winning two Play-In games before losing to the Phoenix Suns or Memphis Grizzlies in the first round. Fifty-fifty with a fully good for you roster, the Lakers have not shown they tin can play consistently well enough to beat the NBA'due south best teams.
4. Nuggets can win the NBA championship if ______?
— @MINDOFDAVIS
There are so many qualifiers. If Nikola Jokic continues to play at an MVP level. If Michael Porter Jr. returns from injury. If Jamal Murray does the same thing. If the Nuggets' role players play consistently. If the other height Western Conference teams take star players suffer major injuries.
The Nuggets deserve all the praise for their resiliency and squad-oriented play. Just assuming the Suns, Grizzlies and Warriors stay good for you, the Nuggets don't take plenty to shell any of those teams in a playoff serial.
A unique talent with a special journey to the NBA, here's an all-admission look at reigning Kia MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.
5. Would the Celtics exist more unsafe putting Jayson Tatum in the point baby-sit position rather than trying to become a star betoken baby-sit?
— @shalamarthagawd
Jayson Tatum is and then talented that he can play at whatever position. Before joining the Celtics' front function, former coach Brad Stevens played Tatum at the point guard spot concluding season when the team nursed some injuries to its backcourt. Philosophically, I'chiliad not opposed to this thought and then long as the Celtics acquire other wing players to relieve Tatum'south workload.
Information technology'southward not like Tatum is trying to fight Father Fourth dimension — he's 24 years old and in his fifth NBA season. Only it wouldn't be fair to Tatum to accept him play a hybrid point guard/wing role without any reinforcements. The Celtics are meliorate off trying to ensure that Tatum and Jaylen Brown have good complementary teammates around him than asking them to practice more than. They already have done enough.
Jayson Tatum continues to stay hot as the season wears on for Boston.
NBA Trivia
This week'south NBA trivia question comes courtesy of one devoted reader.
Question: What was the everyman-seeded team that won the NBA championship? (via @mrjongjongz)
Answer at the bottom
Hoops Around the World
We all know that the NBA has become a global brand and that basketball has become a global game. But what fuels your basketball game fandom?
Got a good basketball story to tell? Write it up and send information technology my way. The best essays will be used in this characteristic throughout the season.
We'd also love to see a photo of the hoop you play on, whether it be in your neighborhood gym or in the backyard of your driveway. Got a adept epitome? Then pass forth and we'll feature it.
Trivia Answer
The 1994-95 Houston Rockets. Despite entering the NBA playoffs as a sixth seed in the Western Conference, the Rockets defended their NBA title after overcoming two 2-0 deficits in the showtime round (Utah Jazz) and the semifinals (Phoenix Suns). With Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and a potent supporting cast, the Rockets and then breezed through half-dozen games in the Western Conference finals (four-two serial win vs. San Antonio) and iv games in The Finals (Orlando Magic).
Watch how the Rockets earned the title of dynasty with their back-to-back championship in 1995.
* * *
NBA Digital Sr. Analyst Marker Medina will be answering questions each week in his NBA Mailbag.
How can you participate? But email your question to Mark here, or employ your Twitter account and become your question to him here.
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Source: https://www.nba.com/news/nba-mailbag-2021-22-march-22-edition
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