The Golden State Warriors are in a good spot, having taken a 2-0 series lead over the Houston Rockets, mostly in blow-out fashion. That does not mean, however, that they do not potentially have a major problem on their hands.
Star point guard Steph Curry tweaked his ankle in game one of the series and after going through warm-ups before game two, it was decided that he would sit out that game as well. The Warriors were able to beat the Rockets handily without their star, but the potential of this being a more significant injury looms large on a repeat title-winning run.
This is why, according to head coach Steve Kerr, the team will be extra cautious in determining whether Curry will play in game three and the rest of this series.
“We’ll see how he responds the next couple of days, and if he’s not right, obviously being up 2-0 does give us more cushion if we decide to sit him. But it will be based on his health, not the series score,” Kerr said.
“I’d like to think if it were 1-1 and he was still not able to play, we wouldn’t play him,” Kerr said. “We’d never want to put winning ahead of a player’s career and his health. We’ve seen teams do that and paid for it. Players have paid for it in the past. So we want to make sure Steph is right and his [ankle] is fine and healthy.”
“We will definitely err on the side of caution,” Kerr said. “If he’s not right, then he’s not going to play. It’s not worth risking turning this into a long-term issue.”
Clearly, Curry’s health is the only thing standing between the Warriors and another championship. (OK, maybe the Spurs, too but Curry’s health is more important.) But the Warriors have played well without him against the Houston Rockets and so sitting him should be an easy choice.
Of course, by playing a mostly healthy Steph, the Warriors would all but ensure a first round sweep to give them maximum resting time before their second round matchup against either the Clippers or Blazers. But rest is insignificant if the point guard injures his ankle further.
Kerr is making the right choice and until he receives 100% clearance from both Curry and team trainers, he should continue to sit out his best player. The long-term view is more important than winning this series quickly.
