The Golden State Warriors may not get the three-peat they crave if Klay Thompson doesn’t end up playing in their two-game homestand.
Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has been ruled questionable for Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Klay has said himself that he won’t play in this game if he feels there’s a chance, he can further injure his hamstring.
While I agree he shouldn’t play if there’s a chance of further injury, I also think that without Klay and Kevin Durant the Golden State Warriors don’t have much of a chance. Not only for game 3 but the entire series.
"This could be a longer series, so there's no point in trying to go out there and re-aggravate it and potentially keep myself out of the whole entire Finals instead of just one game."
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 4, 2019
—Klay Thompson on his injury pic.twitter.com/6kO2y8ecoA
As great as Steph Curry is, without Klay and Durant this roster is void of capable scorers. I believe there are some guys on the bench that may be able to hit an open shot. That being said there won’t be very many open shots for them to make if Steph Curry is the only real offensive threat on the floor.
The reason the Toronto Raptors were able to utilize the box and 1 defense in game 2 is because they don’t believe any of the other Warriors can hurt them offensively. You can call it a gimmick all you want, but it worked. It kept Steph off of the three-point line and forced him to give up the ball because he couldn’t get to the paint either.
We all know how much Kevin Durant means to this team, but I believe even if he does come back, he won’t be himself.
In my opinion, his injury has been understated to the media and he’s worse off than the Warriors are willing to tell us. Kevin Durant at 75 percent is still better than most of the players in the NBA today, but I’m not sure it’s enough to win an NBA championship.
That’s why a healthy Klay Thompson is so important to the Golden State Warriors 3-peat. With Durant likely not being at full strength, the Warriors are going to desperately need Klay’s scoring ability.
Just the threat of Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant being on the floor makes the game so much easier for not only Steph but the role players as well. Cutting lanes open up, and defenders start to creep towards the stars.
Kevin Durant will not play in Game 3. "He's ramping up his exercise routines," Steve Kerr said. Klay Thompson is questionable. Andre Iguodala is good to go. Kevon Looney out for the series.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 4, 2019
Klay is also critical to what the Warriors do defensively. Without him out there to guard Kawhi, it leaves Steve Kerr with the options of a hobbled Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green who has been spending most of his time guarding Pascal Siakam.
The Raptors aren’t the best offensive team in the league but I think they’re more than capable of taking advantage of the Warriors defensively without Klay Thompson.
Losing Kevin Durant and Kevon Looney hurts the Warriors a lot, but losing Klay Thompson may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Hopefully, he’s able to play tonight and going forward but without him, I just don’t see Golden State having enough offensively, or defensively to hold Toronto back from their first championship.