Allen wrote:
> Warriors’ stretch run: Three questions Golden State must answer with 23
> games before playoffs
> Draymond Green’s health will determine how far the Warriors go this
> season, but there are other questions entering the final 23 games
> >SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 25: Golden State Warriors’ Klay
> Thompson #11 ices his knees as he sits on the bench in the third quarter
> of their NBA game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Chase Center in
> San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area
> News Group)
> >SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 25: Golden State Warriors’ Klay
> Thompson #11 ices his knees as he sits on the bench in the third quarter
> of their NBA game against the Dallas Mavericks at the Chase Center in
> San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area
> News Group)
> By EVAN WEBECK | ewebeck@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
> PUBLISHED: February 22, 2022 at 6:05 a.m. | UPDATED: February 22, 2022
> at 1:44 p.m.
> https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/02/22/three-questions-the-warriors-have-to-answer-in-the-second-part-of-the-season/
>
>
>
> The All-Star break no longer splits the NBA season in half so much as it
> gives teams a breather for the stretch run. The Warriors, no doubt, were
> in need of it. For a team with the second-best record in the NBA,
> though, Golden State enters the final portion of the regular season in a
> precarious position. They have a 1.5-game lead on the No. 2 playoff
> seed, 23 games to play and must navigate the foreseeable future without
> one of their most important players.
>
> In the words of coach Steve Kerr, who will arrive in Portland for
> practice Wednesday fresh off some time off in San Diego. “We’re right
> there. Those last 20 games are when you feel like the stretch run is
> happening.”
>
>
> So, before it starts, let’s take a look at the big, looming question
> facing the Warriors — and a couple auxiliary ones — over their final
> stretch of games.
>
> - When can the Warriors count on Draymond Green? (And can they win
> without him?)
>
> Not only is this the Warriors’ most pressing question — the only thing
> that really, truly matters — but it is also the one without a clear
> answer. The latest timeline Green threw out came on the Turner Sports
> telecast of the All-Star Game Sunday night, saying that he hoped to be
> back in three to four weeks. That would put Green on a mid- to
> late-March timetable, leaving about a dozen regular season games, give
> or take, to reintegrate him into the lineup. (Remember: We still haven’t
> seen Green together with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson since 2019.)
>
> “I’m not gonna rush back and try to get back out there before I feel
> like I’m all the way, 100 percent right,” Green said at All-Star
> weekend, embodying the same sentiment as the organization. The Warriors
> are well aware that Green’s health will be a top determining factor in
> their postseason fate — their championship chances are fried without
> Green — so they are focused more on entering the playoffs at full
> strength than fighting for seeding.
>
> As for the impact of Green’s absence, it has been felt more acutely over
> the Warriors’ last stretch of games entering the All-Star break, as
> they’ve allowed 110 or more points in seven of eight games and posted a
> defensive rating of 115.8, the ninth-worst in the NBA over that span.
> The Warriors’ defensive rating is 3.5 points better with Green on the
> floor, a stat made clear over the recent stretch of games which count as
> Golden State’s worst defensively of the season.
>
> Any playoff series against Denver and Nikola Jokic (currently the No. 6
> seed) or Utah and its trio of bigs led by Rudy Gobert (currently No. 4)
> look much tougher without Green, let alone a potential conference finals
> matchup with No. 1 Phoenix. Even if it means losing homecourt advantage
> in the semifinals by dropping to the No. 3 seed — the Warriors hold a
> 1.5 game lead on Memphis for No. 2 — they would prefer to be forced on
> to the road than risk Green reinjuring himself and missing those games.
>
> Green has missed the past 21 games with a lower back problem and,
> according to his timeline, can be expected to miss another eight or so.
> But there is hope that he could return for a key stretch of games
> against Memphis (March 28), Phoenix (March 30) and Utah (April 2).
>
> The Warriors are also closely monitoring the health of two other players
> they hope will play roles in the playoff push: Andre Iguodala, sidelined
> most recently by a tight back, and James Wiseman, in the final stages of
> his rehab from a torn meniscus.
>
> Wiseman and Iguodala have each been more active in portions of practice
> open to the media and could return to the court before Green, though
> neither should be expected to match Green’s unique impact.
>
> - Who steps up down the stretch?
>
> The preferred scenario for the Warriors, obviously, would be to win out
> down the stretch, with or without Green. That’s not realistic, facing
> one of the tougher schedules of Western Conference contenders.
>
> However, the Warriors have proven they can win without their best
> offensive facilitator and defensive air traffic controller.
>
> During their first 13 games without Green, they went 9-4. Even in their
> stretch of bad basketball over their past eight games, they’ve won half
> of them.
>
> And, to their benefit or detriment, a whole host of things have gone
> wrong over the past few games. Fixing any one problem is likely the
> difference between most of their wins and losses. From giving up second
> chances on the offensive glass to back cuts and easy paths into the
> paint, Kerr believes most of the Warriors’ issues stem from effort, not
> personnel.
>
> The Warriors believe the eventual returns of Green, Wiseman and Iguodala
> will be the answer to their problems come the playoffs. But over the
> final stretch of the regular season? They might be in need of a savior
> to hold on to the No. 2 seed.
>
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>
> Who better than Steph Curry?
>
> Curry practically willed the Warriors into the play-in round last
> season, averaging 36.9 points over his final 24 games.
>
> Even if he is no longer ice cold, Curry’s shooting from 3-point range
> this season has been the least efficient of his career (37.9%). He’s due
> to catch fire. Could his 16 All-Star Game 3-pointers — with a little
> rest and relaxation incorporated in, too — be just what is needed to
> ignite Curry to carry the Warriors over their final 23 games? The best
> months of Curry’s career, statistically, have been April (28.2 ppg) and
> May (36.8 ppg).
>
> If not Curry, then maybe there is a player motivated to cement his spot
> in the playoff rotation.
>
> - What does the playoff rotation look like?
>
> In the final game before the All-Star break, Kerr appeared to provide a
> hint at how he plans to pare down playing time amongst his reserves. He
> cut the rotation down to nine players, leaving out Juan
> Toscano-Anderson, Damion Lee and Moses Moody.
>
> But the minutes will have to trim for more players if the Warriors have
> the roster they would like when they open the first round.
>
> Another interesting adjustment Kerr made in the final game before the
> break involved Curry and Klay Thompson. With Thompson nearing his full
> capacity for playing time, the Warriors are still tinkering with his
> usage, but they appear to like him carrying the second unit.
>
> The two Splash Brothers started and ended the game together, but
> throughout the rest of it subbed in and out for each other.
>
> Officially, the Warriors’ 10-man playoff rotation could look something
> like this. But there would rarely be a time with Curry or Thompson off
> the floor. Remember, what matters to Kerr are particular pairings and
> combinations, so the exact looks on the floor at any given time can be
> pretty fluid.
>
> First unit
> -Steph Curry
> -Klay Thompson
> -Andrew Wiggins
> -Draymond Green
> -Kevon Looney
>
> Second unit
> -Gary Payton II
> -Jordan Poole
> -Andre Iguodala
> -Jonathan Kuminga
> -Otto Porter Jr.
>

So much depends on what the Warriors get from Green and Iguodala, and
perhaps to a lesser extent Wiseman.

--Robin