Will the NBA Space Out the Golden State-Portland Series to Make Sure Stephen Curry Returns?
By Jason McIntyre
Stephen Curry will capture his second straight MVP award very soon, but for now he’s just a cheerleader on the Golden State Warriors. Despite Curry being sidelined two weeks with a sprained knee suffered on this fall, the Warriors easily closed out the Rockets Wednesday night in a 33-point blowout.
But the bad news is that the Trail Blazers rallied to beat the Clippers Wednesday, and can eliminate the Clippers Friday night in Portland. Without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, LA would need a miracle to win that game on the road. Portland is favored by 10, but expect that to go way up.
This sets up game one between Portland and Golden State Sunday, or just one week after Curry’s injury. [Aside: I’ll be wearing my Benoit Benjamin Clippers jersey Friday night, rooting for the Paper Clips.] Now, the bad news – Curry is only being re-evaluated on Monday May 9th, it’s not like he’s automatically back. He may not be ready to go.
To get an idea of how the Portland/Golden State schedule might go, look at the Thunder/Spurs:
Saturday, April 30, Game 1
Monday, May 2, Game 2
Friday, May 6, Game 3
Sunday, May 8, Game 4
The NBA wants games nightly; the East isn’t sorted out yet. Keeping in mind Stephen Curry is by far the biggest TV draw in the NBA, this, via the Mercury News, gives you an idea of where we’re headed:
"But as the AP’s Josh DuBow pointed out, no matter when the series starts, the second round almost always plays Games 3 and 4 on a Friday-Sunday or Saturday-Monday schedule, which would point to May 6-8 or May 7-9 in this pending series."
So this gives the NBA two options, essentially:
* Warriors/Blazers play Game 2 on Tuesday and then Games 3-4 on Thursday/Saturday. It’s sub-optimal because that means Curry could at best return for games 5-6-7.
* they get a big lull like the other series, and the schedule goes something like Game 2 on Tuesday, Game 3 on Saturday, Game 4 on Monday, a game that Curry could theoretically play in.
Portland fans would love the 1st scenario – at best Curry plays in the final three games. The NBA – and all NBA fans outside Portland – would prefer the NBA extend the series so Curry can return and the Warriors can advance.