NBA Rumors: Andre Iguodala has officially been ruled out for Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets
If the Golden State Warriors are going to punch their ticket to a fourth straight NBA Finals, they’re going to have to do it without Andre Iguodala.
For the fourth straight game, Iguodala has officially been ruled out for Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets. Without him in this series, the Warriors are 1-2. There is no word whether Chris Paul will play for the Rockets, but the expectation is that even if he does play he won’t be anywhere near 100 percent.
The absence of Iguodala handicaps what the Warriors can do with their rotation. Because of his versatility, Iggy allows Steve Kerr to stagger minutes for his players, giving rest to any of the core four whenever they need it. However, with Iggy out of the lineup, it becomes much more difficult and has forced Kerr to extend his rotation, calling on players like Nick Young and Kevon Looney (who is probably playing more minutes than Kerr envisioned).
And without Iggy, it’s going to be more of the same for Kerr and the Warriors. Expect the core four to play big minutes, once again.
Steve Kerr says at shootaround that @andre (lower left leg contusion) is out for Game 7 tonight vs. Houston.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) May 28, 2018
More than anything, the Warriors are likely going to miss Iggy’s defense. Having him check a player like James Harden really helped out the rest of the core four. It allowed them to either rest a bit on the defensive end, or shift a player like Klay Thompson on Chris Paul or Eric Gordon.
However, with Iggy out, the onus falls on the rest of the core to guard Houston’s dynamic one-on-one offense.
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In response, the Rockets have been attacking Stephen Curry at every turn. And that’s part of the reason why this series has shifted to a Game 7 in Houston.