Golden State Warriors: 5 Takeaways From Game 5 vs. Cavaliers

5. Bogut’s Health Will Have An Impact

When Andrew Bogut went down with a knee sprain in the third quarter, holding his leg and writhing in pain after landing awkwardly from a block on J.R. Smith, the Warriors were down three with 10:07 left to play in the period.

From that point on, the Dubs were outscored by a 45-33 margin and dropped their best chance to close out the 2016 NBA Finals on their home court.

Though Golden State’s starting center was reportedly putting weight on his left leg after the game, Tuesday’s MRI will reveal the full extent of the damage. More than likely, however, a hyperextension of that nature — especially to a seven-footer — is not a great sign.

Full disclosure: I’m not a doctor. Nobody on NBA Twitter last night was a doctor, except for, you know, actual real life doctors who just so happen to be on Twitter and enjoy professional basketball.

In any case, the point still stands: We can’t — and shouldn’t — jump to conclusions until the results of the MRI are revealed.

But as much as it sucks for Bogut, especially if his injury requires a significant surgery or rehab time, his absence could force Steve Kerr to ride Golden State’s devastating small-ball lineups to victory in Game 6 and close this thing out on the road.

Through the first five games of this series, Bogut’s impact has been hit or miss. He was mostly solid through the first two games, but when the series shifted to Cleveland, it felt like he was verging on becoming unplayable again.

For the Finals, Bogut is a -5, the worst plus/minus on the entire roster. If he has to miss Game 6 — which feels likely at this point, though again, I’m no doctor — the Warriors might have no other choice but to go small for long stretches…which might just clinch the series for them.

Next: No. 4