Assuming the Blazers advance in this year’s playoffs, Stephen Curry’s potential absence could make the Warriors a favorable second-round matchup.
Defeating the Utah Jazz in the final regular season game didn’t change Portland’s first round opponent. In any result, the Blazers faced the New Orleans Pelicans with home court advantage.
The higher seeding did change the potential second opponent. If Portland can win a seven-game series against New Orleans, it will likely play the Golden State Warriors.
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The Warriors match up against the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. Both teams’ main stars won’t play in the series, but Golden State’s remaining roster, which unfairly includes Kevin Durant, should oust San Antonio.
In this hypothetical (but possible) scenario, the Blazers would play its next series versus the defending champs. Had Portland lost to Utah in Game No. 82, it would face the Houston Rockets in the semifinals.
No one in the league expected a playoff series against Golden State to be more favorable. But for the Blazers, Golden State might actually be the easier opponent.
Stephen Curry
The Warriors played championship level basketball for much of the year as usual. However, Stephen Curry missed 31 games because of nagging lower-leg injuries.
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Without its star, Golden State went 17-14, versus 41-10 with him. Down the final stretch of the season, they lost six of their last ten games. A 10-game stretch under .500 is unheard of in the current Warriors era.
Additionally, Portland won the season series 2-1, one win coming while Stephen Curry sat out.
From Shams Charania of Yahoo!, Curry targets the semifinals as a possible return date. Therefore, he could potentially miss second-round games, giving the Blazers an edge.
Like in the regular season, victories require flawless performances from Damian Lillard. In the team’s two wins over GSW, he averaged 36 points, 8 assists and 4 three-pointers on 47.8% shooting.
The rest of the team must step up as well, even with Curry possibly out. The Golden State Warriors rank ninth in defensive rating (104.2) and first in offensive rating (112.3). Lillard alone can’t carry a team to compete with those numbers. As in the two regular season wins, other players must step up and contribute (i.e. Maurice Harkless).
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Although beating Utah enabled a more favorable second round matchup, the Warriors will still be an extremely tough opponent with or without Steph Curry.
But, taking one step further back, the Blazers must focus on a high-flying Pelicans team ready to try for an upset. In such a jammed-pack Western Conference, no first round series will be easy.