The Golden State Warriors are gearing up for a playoff run after missing out on the postseason last year. The Warriors had a bit of a skid to end the season. They ended as the third seed in the Western Conference despite being a top-two seed for most of the year. A big part of this was due in large part to injuries to key players. Players such as Draymond Green and the two-time MVP, Stephen Curry. Curry has been sidelined for a good part of the regular season post All-Star break. However, help may be on the way for their series against the Denver Nuggets.
Stephen Curry Injury
In a March 16th loss to the red-hot Boston Celtics, Curry suffered a foot injury. In a sequence where Klay Thompson stripped the ball from Jayson Tatum, Steph ended up diving for the ball and twisting his foot awkwardly while getting tangled up with the Boston Celtics’ shooting guard, Marcus Smart. The Golden State point guard would leave the game and head coach, Steve Kerr, even had choice words for Marcus Smart after he not only got tangled up with Curry, but also committed a dangerous foul on Klay Thompson at the end of the play. Stephen Curry has been sidelined since then.
Injury Update on Steph
It is still up in the air whether Stephen Curry will be available in Game 1 on Saturday. However, it is inching closer and closer to him being a certainty to suit up in Game 2. Steve Kerr recently gave an update on this season’s All-Star Game MVP. “I talked to Steph yesterday, and he’s still sort of in rehab stage,” Kerr also said “He’s not on the court yet. Everything’s going well, and again they’re gonna be cautious and make sure everything is in order by the time he really gets back on the court.”
Clearly the Golden State staff is being cautious with their best player. However, the rehab seems to be going too well for them to not unleash him in the first round rather than risk getting upset in the first round by the Nikola Jokic-led Denver Nuggets. In even more recent reports, it is being said that Curry took full part in Golden State’s Wednesday practice. If Steph was able to scrimmage, then a Game 1 return is not out of question.
How a Steph Curry Return will Affect the Series
Clearly if you are a Denver Nuggets fan, you are praying he will wait until Game 2 to return. This would open the door for the Nuggets to steal the first game and go up 1-0 in the series. However, if Curry is playing, the Nuggets are going to be in desperation mode right out of the gate. Denver does have the reigning MVP in Nikola Jokic, but with no Jamal Murray or Michael Porter, Denver simply does not have the firepower to match Golden State.
Plus, the perimeter defense for Denver has been suspect all season. The Nuggets will already have their hands full trying to contain Klay Thompson. However, with the other splash brother on the floor, Denver may just need their point guard to make a miraculous return in order to have a chance in this series. Expect Stephen Curry to make a return in maybe Game 1, if not, definitely Game 2 of the first round.
