3 questions the Warriors must answer heading into playoffs
Warriors have nearly a week off before they host Denver Nuggets for
first two games of NBA playoffs first round
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 14: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry #30 walks down the court in the third quarter of their NBA game
against the Washington Wizards at the Chase Center in San Francisco,
Calif., on Monday, March 14, 2022. Curry, who turned 34 today, scored 47
points. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 14: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry #30 walks down the court in the third quarter of their NBA game
against the Washington Wizards at the Chase Center in San Francisco,
Calif., on Monday, March 14, 2022. Curry, who turned 34 today, scored 47
points. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: April 11, 2022 at 8:06 a.m. | UPDATED: April 11, 2022 at
12:48 p.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/04/11/3-questions-the-warriors-must-answer-heading-into-playoffs/

NEW ORLEANS — Klay Thompson hasn’t needed to prove anything to anyone
amid his return from back-to-back injuries that sidelined him for more
than two years.

But Sunday night, Thompson looked as good as ever, dropping 41 points
after making seven 3-pointers in the Warriors’ 128-107 beatdown of the
Pelicans.

After the game, coach Steve Kerr reiterated his confidence in Thompson,
who seems to be peaking just in time for the postseason.

“The proof is on the court. Just what he’s looked like over the last
couple of weeks, you can see he’s settled down quite a bit, the game has
slowed down,” Kerr said following the Warriors’ regular-season finale.
“He has slowed down in a good way, taking better shots, he’s been in a
great groove now so it’s a really good sign.”

The Warriors, who clinched the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with
Sunday’s win, tied for the third-best record in the league (53-29). Only
Western Conference foes the Memphis Grizzlies (56-26) and Phoenix Suns
(64-17) had better records over the course of the season.

The Dubs have nearly a week off before they host the sixth-seeded Denver
Nuggets for the first two games of the first round. Game 1 of the series
is scheduled for Saturday at 5:30 p.m. PT.

In the meantime, here are three of the biggest questions surrounding
Golden State entering the week of practices to prepare for the first round:

- Will Curry play?

The biggest concern for the Warriors this week is Stephen Curry’s
availability. He’s expected to be reassessed Monday after a sprained
ligament in his foot kept him out of the last 11 games of the regular
season.

Curry’s status was up in the air as of Sunday, with Kerr saying the
decision to clear the All-Star shooter could “come down to the wire.”

The Warriors have been optimistic that Curry would be ready in time for
Game 1 of the playoffs and are banking on him making a smooth transition
back to the lineup due to his familiarity with the team and history of
bouncing back quickly from injuries.

“I have no concern (about) what he’s looking like this week,” Kerr said
Sunday night. “All it takes is one game for Steph to go from injured
list to first-team All-NBA.”

Curry has had his fair share of injuries around the time of the
playoffs, including knee sprains that sidelined him for parts of the
2016 and 2018 playoffs, and sprung back each time.

- What will the rotation look like?

The number of injuries to the team this season forced Kerr to jumble the
lineup on dozens of occasions. In recent games, he’s been going to a
starting lineup with Jordan Poole, Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond
Green and Kevon Looney. And his second unit has consisted primarily of
Poole, Gary Payton II, Andre Iguodala, Otto Porter Jr. and Nemanja Bjelica.

Curry will obviously be a starter if he’s cleared to play. He’ll
possibly replace Poole, though Green recently made a case for Poole to
stay in his current role.

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“I don’t envision that he goes back to the role he was playing,” Green
said. “I envision it as [he’s] another added layer to our offense that
we didn’t have before.”

Another question is if and how rookie Jonathan Kuminga will be folded
into the rotation. At 19, Kuminga has more than earned the right to be
part of the debate for a spot in the playoff rotation. He’s shown
improvements on both ends of the court and proved to be a formidable
attacker at the rim.

Kerr said he has “no doubt” Kuminga will make an impact in the
postseason, though how he’ll be utilized remains uncertain.

- How will the Warriors’ bigs fare against Jokic?

Containing Nikola Jokic will be the biggest key for the Warriors if they
want to see the second round of the playoffs.

The reigning MVP, who made another convincing case for the league’s top
award this season, averaged 25 points, 15.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists
against Golden State during the 2021-22 campaign.

Green has historically played well against Jokic, pushing the 6-foot-11
Serbian star out of his comfort zone. He’ll join Looney in being tasked
with trying to shut down Jokic.

Looney acknowledged the difficulty of defending Jokic, though the
Warriors’ iron man this season said he’s up for the challenge.

“It’ll be a tough matchup just for me at the center position,” Looney
said. “But as long as we’re healthy and as long as everybody’s playing
healthy, we have a great chance to win.”

--
Madeline Kenney | Warriors reporter