As I’m sure you have already heard, Kevin Durant is hurt. His injury adds uncertainty to the season that it lacked. Let’s look at how it impacts the Clippers going forward.
For those of you who may live under a rock, Kevin Durant got injured. Per the Warriors PR Twitter, he suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and a bone bruise.
Injury Update: Kevin Durant suffered a Grade 2 MCL sprain and a tibial bone bruise.
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) March 1, 2017
Full details below. pic.twitter.com/t3JkVnMmqa
First off, it sucks that Kevin Durant got injured, and no one should ever wish an injury on somebody. However, KD getting hurt could be the difference in the Clipper having a successful season and the Clippers having an unsuccessful season.
Everyone knows that if you want to win a NBA title, you most likely have to go through Golden State.
Scenario #1 : Warriors stay 1st, Clippers climb to the 3rd seed.
This is the scenario most Clippers fans were hoping for before Kevin Durant’s injury. The Clippers moving up to the 3rd seed would make the inevitable match up with the Warriors wait until the Conference Finals. It would have required a ton of luck and effort for LA, but this was the best case.
Now that KD is hurt, this most likely won’t happen. In my opinion, Golden State won’t be able to hold onto the #1 seed.
Yes, I realize the Warriors still have Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Donkey Draymond Green. Their biggest problem though is that they gave up most of their depth to sign KD. So while that trio was good enough the last few years, they lost almost all of the role players that made it possible.
While they will still be a pretty darn good team, I don’t think they can hold off the always consistent San Antonio Spurs.
(It’s worth noting that the Clippers could also avoid the Warriors if they dropped to the 6th seed, but that is not looking too likely.)
Scenario #2 : Warriors Drop To 2nd, Clippers stay at the 4th/5th Seed.
This is the best case scenario. The Spurs are doing what they do best, which is flying under the radar. San Antonio is only four games back of the Warriors right now, so it’s not out of the question that they can pass them in the standings.
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Meanwhile, the Clippers are 5 games back of Rockets for the 3rd seed; it’s doable but not ideal. LA just survived a brutal February, now they have to play through a just as tough March. They will have six back-to-backs and 18 games in 30 days. So, if the Clippers get hot, they could shoot up the ranks. It just seems more likely they will stay right around the 4th/5th seed.
The Warriors dropping to #2 is the key here. If they drop, and LA wins its match-ups in the first two rounds of the Playoffs (Most likely against the Jazz and then Spurs), they wouldn’t have to face Golden State till the Conference Finals. That would be a win/win situation for LA.
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What to Expect
The West is wide open now. Teams are now hopeful that if just one or two things break their way, they can emerge victorious. The Clippers shouldn’t try to focus on who is seeded where and just play basketball. Their goal should be the NBA Finals, no matter what scenario presents itself. However, as a fan base, it’s hard to argue a Conference Finals birth would be a disappointment. On one hand, even if they were lose to Golden State in the Conference Finals, the team would break free of the reputation of never making it past the second round. This would helps the case of re-signing both Blake Griffin and Chris Paul once the season is over. On the other hand, they could beat everyone Golden State Warriors and make it to the Finals.