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2018 NBA Playoffs Roundtable: The wild wild West edition

By Michael Saenz

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 28: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors looks on against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on February 28, 2018 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 28: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors looks on against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on February 28, 2018 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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How many playoff games will Stephen Curry actually miss?

Doole: It depends – will Golden State keep playing this badly without him? The Warriors are 4-6 in their latest stretch with Steph out, and while all of those losses were to playoff teams, they’re the WARRIORS. They’ve still got three All-Stars, and on paper they should still be beating most teams. Steph’s injuries have shone a light on just how important he remains to this team.

If they struggle early against the Spurs, I think he’ll only miss one or two games before being rushed back. If they can get an early lead in the series, he may sit for the whole first round. I hope for Steph’s sake he can rest, but I hope for the league’s sake we see a great series with him back ASAP.

Allen: I think he’ll miss the first round, but that’s it. The Warriors have struggled lately, including losing to Utah by 40 the other night. They don’t look in sync, and there are people saying they don’t have what it takes to make the NBA finals this year. I do think the Warriors will be just fine against the Spurs in the first round though. San Antonio barely made the playoffs and they have definitely struggled without their star player Kawhi Leonard.

When Curry does come back to the Warriors, I think it will make a huge difference for Golden State and they will feel like the team they were for most of the season. With Curry, Green, Thompson, and Durant on the floor, the Warriors are pretty tough to beat.

Nelson: Hard to say. I’d be surprised to see him play in round one. I think the Warriors are thinking let’s let him recover during round one, get back into shape second round, and then be ready for the likely matchup with the Houston Rockets in the conference finals. But yeah, however long the first round is, is how many games he’s out.

Hope: Stephen Curry will miss a total of 6 games in this year’s playoffs. The Warriors have to play the San Antonio Spurs in the first round, which surely wasn’t their preferred matchup. Even though the Spurs won’t be getting Kawhi Leonard back this year, they still know not to take this Spurs team lightly.

Curry being out definitely presents a different challenge for them, and nobody is giving Golden State a free pass to the second round. If the series did go to a game seven, it would be interesting to see if they would bring Curry back for that game. If he is projected to return in the second round, he probably would be good to go for game seven if they truly felt they needed him.

Knitzer: The whole first round, and at least one game in round two.