Golden State Warriors: 5 Takeaways From Game 1 vs. Blazers
1. No Need To Rush Curry Back
Forget about Klay Thompson’s 37 points and Draymond Green’s 23-13-11 triple-double. Because even without the gaudy, eye-popping stat lines, Game 1 of Golden State’s semifinals series was a pretty clear indicator that the LAST thing the Dubs should be doing is rushing Stephen Curry back.
On the one hand, the Warriors are hoping that Curry can return soon, not only because he’s the freaking MVP, but because — assuming they win three more games against an inferior Blazers team — they’ll want him to get readjusted before their seemingly inevitable clash of Western Conference titans with the San Antonio Spurs.
Based on Kerr’s words that left the door open for a Game 2 return, it appears Curry is closer to returning than most people were expecting:
Steve Kerr on Steph Curry: "I'm not going to rule him out for Tuesday (Game 2 against Portland) but there's obviously not much of a chance."
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) April 30, 2016
There’s nothing wrong with getting Curry back sooner than later, but the Warriors also have the bigger picture to think about here. The original timetable had him returning some time around Game 4, so even though having him back for Game 3 would be great for the fans and for the aesthetic pleasure of watching him play basketball, it’s not worth the risk.
Against a more determined, well-coached team like the Blazers, there were some concerns about how the Dubs would fare without their best player. Game 1 put those concerns to bed, with Thompson and Green leading the charge in reminding the world this team would’ve been pretty damn good without Curry.
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There’s still a lot of work to be done in this series, but the Warriors are hands down the better team. As long as they remain focused and take care of business, Curry’s return shouldn’t be rushed in the slightest.