The Golden State Warriors may have the advantage when it comes to fatigue in the Western Conference Finals.
One thing we’ve known all season long is that the Golden State Warriors bench isn’t their strong suit. That means they’ve been playing their starters high-volume minutes, oftentimes reaching into the low 40s.
For Portland, it’s actually opposite. They’ve had one of the league’s better benches this season, led by Steph Curry’s brother, Seth Curry. On top of Seth, the Blazers consistently play Zach Collins, Rodney Hood and Evan Turner. They go nine deep just about every game.
However, they’re not all that different than Golden State, being just as top-heavy as the two-time defending champs.
In a potentially eliminating Game 7, the Blazers two stars, CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard played 45+ minutes. They received under three minutes of rest during the game, mimicking the allotted rest that Curry, Thompson and Green saw in their series-ending Game 6.
That said, the Blazers just won a Game 7 against Denver, in Denver. They most likely flew to Denver after a Game 6 in Portland on Friday then flew back to Portland, and now, they’ll have to take a trip to the Bay Area and play with under two days of rest.
For the Warriors, they’ll have had an extra few days to recover. Given how Klay Thompson and Draymond Green both averaged over 40 minutes per game while Stephen Curry was knocking on the door of 40, the Dubs needed the extra time off.
Compared to Portland, they should be extremely fresh and ready for a new series. The Warriors will have had three entire days off with just one likely being taken up for a flight back to Golden State.
The Blazers, on the other hand, will, as aforementioned, go from Denver to Portland and then to the Bay or just from Denver to the Bay. Either way, their only off-day will be a traveling day which is still a highly active preparation day for the Blazers.
Will this traveling impact Portland and cause them to be a bit lethargic on Tuesday? For Dame and CJ, the league’s second-best backcourt duo, it may, but everyone else on Portland should be feeling prepared and ready for Game 1.
Just how much will their average of over 41 minutes per game over the team’s entire second-round series come into play in Game 1?