Clippers’ shot at West Finals rises with Stephen Curry’s injury
By Tom West
If Stephen Curry (knee sprain) misses any of the second round or returns with limited minutes, the Los Angeles Clippers will receive their best chance to make the Western Conference Finals.
After the becoming the first team in NBA history to win 73, it seemed the only way the Golden State Warriors wouldn’t repeat as champions in 2016 would be for the San Antonio Spurs to play the series of their lives or for an injury to occur. And while the Spurs factor is still a possibility, an injury has already occurred to put some concern into Golden State’s early playoff run: Stephen Curry is hurt.
As his left foot slipped and rid him of his balance immediately, causing him to nearly do the splits as his right leg tumbled down at an awkward angle, Curry was forced to leave Game 4 against the Houston Rockets as he hopped into the locker room.
He tried to make a return for the second half, hobbling back and taking a few practice shots, but he was forced to leave the court again after consulting with Steve Kerr and the Warriors’ training staff. To add to the ankle issue that had caused him to miss the previous two games, a possible MCL sprain adds serious doubt and concern.
ESPN’s Ethan Sherwood Strauss reported the following, which will do nothing but keep the Warriors and their fans holding their breath:
"There will be an MRI on Monday, which could bring a cold clarity to the situation. Early indications point to a knee sprain, possibly an MCL sprain. Even optimistic speculation has the MVP missing games."
So, while no one wants to see a player injured, especially a historically brilliant entertainer such as Stephen Curry, it can’t be ignored that his health situation could be a major factor for the second round. If we look toward a likely matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers, who should be able to escape the Portland Trail Blazers within six games, the matter of Curry’s health becomes extremely prevalent.
In fact, as Sam Amick of USA Today Sports has reported, there’s a chance that Curry may even miss the entire second round:
"According to Jeff Stotts, a certified athletic trainer whose web site, InStreetClothes.com, is a popular resource for NBA injury information, the average absence for players who had low grade MCL sprains this season was 15 days (based on 11 cases in all). In other words, assuming the Warriors can finish the job against the Rockets in Game 5 at Oracle Arena on Wednesday, Golden State’s best-case scenario may demand that they survive the second round without Curry."
For both the Warriors’ immediate future and from a Clippers standpoint, Curry potentially missing significant time in the second round or not appearing at all changes the tide immensely.
Simply because, well, he’s the best player on the planet. His range is unprecedented and his shooting stroke is impossible to stop when he finds his rhythm creating off the dribble. Even for an All-Defensive first team player like Chris Paul, slowing down Curry is beyond challenging.
Whether he’s firing from 30 feet or using his handle and interior game to make 69.6 percent of his shots within three feet, his scoring onslaught will come from somewhere.
And no matter how excellent Shaun Livingston has been this season as the Warriors’ backup point guard, any time Curry is out is extremely costly. It places more pressure on Livingston and Draymond Green to run the offense and adds more pressure on the likes of Klay Thompson to catch fire from deep, consequently allowing the Clippers to focus their defense on inferior threats than Curry.
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The real question is what the MRI will reveal. Will Curry miss just one game or the entire series? Will he return but receive slightly limited minutes to avoid aggravating his knee? We really can’t know until those vital MRI results are known, either setting the MVP on a potential path to another championship or placing him on the sidelines watching his teammates fight onward.
They did everything that could have been asked of them in Game 4 against the Rockets, scoring 41 points in the third quarter alone after Curry went down and trouncing Houston 121-94. However, the Clippers aren’t the lacklustre, no-defense, no-chemistry mess that the Rockets have been this season.
Despite having a weak shooting night with lapses of energy in a Game 3 loss to the Blazers, a game in which Blake Griffin showed the signs of being out for three months, the Clippers are still far better than they were a year ago. Paul has been putting on a masterclass for months now, Griffin can really trouble the Warriors inside if he keeps any consistent form, and L.A.’s 4th ranked defense is far more resilient than their 15th ranked defense from last season.
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If Curry is out, these attributes are only more beneficial to the Clippers in a now-or-never situation. Even without Steph the Warriors are incredibly formidable, but with no Curry to bury unbelievable shots and pull in multiple defenders with the gravity of his ability to free up others, his potential absence can’t be understated. After all, that’s why he’s the best player in the world and raises the offensive rating of the best team by 13.8 points per 100 possessions whenever he’s on the floor.
The Warriors leading by an average of +17.9 points per 100 possessions this season is all you need to know. But without him, that number plummets to -4.3.
Whether Curry misses a game, two games or even more, the Clippers have an opportunity to try to steal an early series lead, one that could possibly put them in the position for an upset. Alternatively, the rest of the Warriors may reaffirm what they’re capable of without their MVP, and may even see him return earlier than they’re fearing could be the case.
If Curry does miss time, though, this Clippers team will never have a better shot to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in their troubled history.
Unfortunately, it’s just come in the wrong circumstance for everyone.
Next: Why Clippers need the Conference Finals more than ever
There aren’t many times that a potential championship could be so heavily impacted by one man’s right knee, but that’s the case right now.