Although the Warriors won the West Semis opener on Tuesday, they could not fully enjoy the road victory. That’s because they had a major concern to worry about, one that puts their season in serious jeopardy. Stephen Curry suffered a Grade 1 left hamstring strain that forced him to miss the entire second half. Even worse, he is now sidelined for at least a week, which means the earliest he can return is Game 5. As expected, the Warriors felt the effects of Curry’s absence tonight.
Without their primary scorer, the Bay Area team got dominated by the Timberwolves in Game 2. It was a 24-point blowout win for Anthony Edwards and Co., bringing the series back to level terms. Now, the series heads to the Bay Area for the next two games, and Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal had a message for Steve Kerr’s squad ahead of Game 3, “I think Golden State will come with a little more energy when they get home.” The Lakers legend expects the Warriors to shake off tonight’s loss and come out with better energy on their home court, even without Steph.
However, Shaq fears that it might not be enough to get the job done. “Probably won’t be enough but Minnesota has to not take them lightly.” He said on Inside the NBA. Well, the Warriors have found success in the playoffs without Steph before. In 2016, he missed six games dealing with ankle and knee issues. But Kerr’s squad took care of business in his absence, going 4-2 in those games. Then two years later, Curry again missed six playoff games, this time due to a knee sprain. The Warriors somehow performed even better than the last time and went 5-1.
However, the circumstances were a lot different than they are today. Back then, they had the luxury to rest Steph for a few games because they had prime Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to rely on, along with Kevin Durant in 2018. But this year, they only have Jimmy Butler as a consistent scorer apart from Steph. So, regardless of the energy they come out with on Saturday, it might not be enough to beat Anthony Edwards and Co. Surprisingly, Shaq also had a message for Ant-Man.
(Developing Story)
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