GOLDEN AND LUCKY?
OAKLAND, Calif. —Are these the Lucky Dubs?
Will the three-season run by Steve Kerr’s Golden State Warriors be downgraded as a quirk of fortune, their success aided by opponents’ injuries?
It’s a sensitive topic, but one that can’t be avoided. Doc Rivers of the Clippers first trotted out the L word more than a year ago when he said luck, in the form of injuries to foes, played a part in Golden State’s march to the 2015 NBA title.
The topic reared its head again recently, thanks to Draymond Green. It is always interesting to follow Green’s train of thought wherever it leads, but it also is confusing.
Green’s spoken thoughts, like bowling balls dropped into a still pond, cause ripples, and Draymond has a lot of bowling balls. His latest comments, and the comments his comments inspired, have re-fueled the discussion on luck.
Quick summary: Green said he found the Eastern Conference playoffs boring because Cleveland’s opponents have been playing like dogs.
“Those games are boring,” Green said. “It’s hard to watch. It’s like the other teams are not trying to compete. I’m not taking anything away from Cleveland, but I thought teams would compete a little harder than they do.”
A sensitive league
Memo to Green: Actually, you are taking something away from Cleveland. This is a sensitive league. Remember how Stephen Curry’s casual mention of a champagne smell in Cleveland was turned into a Cavaliers rally cry? Your shot at the Cavs’ opponents not only says the Cavs are having an easy road to the Finals, but it easily can be inferred to mean the Cavs aren’t as good as they look.
When Green’s comments hit headlines, he denied that he said what he had said, but the bowling balls already were sinking in the pond.
Cleveland veteran Richard Jefferson responded in a podcast: “I think it’s best that you take care of whatever’s in front of you. … If you are working with an efficient group of guys that are handling their business, then you should (win the title). But you should also look at, ‘Have we been playing the highest level of teams every single year, everybody at full strength?’ before you go and criticize other people.”
Let’s tackle Jefferson’s question. Even if Jefferson hadn’t been inspired by Green to ask it so bluntly, that question would still hover in the air.
During the Warriors’ magical three-season run under Kerr, of their 11 playoff opponents, including the Spurs in the Western Conference finals starting Sunday, nine have been significantly impacted by injury.
Here are the 11 series, in order:
2015
• Pelicans: Guard Tyreke Evans injures a knee in Game 1, does OK in Games 2 and 3 but scores just four points in Game 4. Guard Jrue Holiday misses most of the second half of the season with an injury, plays three games in the series and averages 6.3 points per game, 8.5 points below his season average.
• Grizzlies: Super-pesky point guard Mike Conley, fresh off surgery to repair broken bones in his face, misses Game 1 but plays the next five games wearing a mask. Scores 13.4 points per game, 2.4 points below his season average.
• Rockets: Guard Pat Beverley misses the playoffs with a wrist injury. Center Dwight Howard sprains a knee in Game 1 and plays on, but clearly is limited.
• Cavaliers: Down the regular-season stretch, the Cavs play well with newly acquired Kevin Love, but he suffers a shoulder
dislocation in the playoffs and misses this series. Guard Kyrie Irving is injured in overtime of Game 1 and is out for the series. 2016 • Rockets: Beverley strains a leg muscle in the first half of Game 4 and sits out the rest of the game. In the deciding Game 5, he plays 25 minutes, scores two points.
• Trail Blazers and Thunder: No significant injuries, unless you count bruises on OKC center Steven Adams’ privates.
• Cavaliers: Love suffers a concussion in Game 1, misses Games 2 and 3 but plays the last four games, averaging 7.3 points. (Cavs win anyway.) 2017 • Trail Blazers: Center Jusuf Nurkic, playing at an All-Star level after joining the Blazers weeks earlier, has an injured leg and plays only 17 minutes of one game.
• Jazz: Point guard George Hill misses the series.
• Spurs: Tony Parker is out with a knee injury suffered in the previous series. MVP candidate Kawhi Leonard has an ankle injury suffered two games ago. He sat out the final game of the team’s previous series against Houston.
Wait, you cry. What about the Warriors? They’ve had injuries, too.
The Warriors are healthy now, although it would be unfair to dismiss the potential impact of Kerr’s absence, should it continue through this series and into the Finals.
But in last year’s playoffs, Curry missed six games against the Rockets and Blazers with a knee strain. The injury clearly impaired him, especially in Game 7 of the Finals.
Golden State detractors can argue that even when the Warriors get hurt, the injuries often wind up benefiting the team. Curry’s career-threatening ankle problems and surgeries forced him to sign a dirt-cheap contract before the 2012-13 season, and the Warriors used the money they saved to build a deep team around Curry. If Curry’s injuries in last year’s playoffs cost the team a second straight title, the loss to the Cavs opened the door for Kevin Durant, setting up the Warriors nicely for the future.
Goes with territory
A leg injury to Durant late this season afforded him a five-week rest. Same with Shaun Livingston’s recent finger injury, giving the 12-year vet a three-game rest.
Now here’s a point for the Warriors’ side of the debate: It’s impossible to find a championship team in any sport that didn’t get lucky breaks. Case in point: The Cavs winning the title last year against a hobbled MVP Curry. If one championship team deserves an asterisk, they all get one.
You play the hand you’re dealt.