The breaking news on Monday, as reported by ESPN.com’s Marc Stein, that Stephen Curry would be named the league’s Most Valuable Player again came as no surprise. The only mystery regarding Curry’s second straight MVP is whether anyone else got a first-place vote after the Warriors’ historic season.
As for Curry’s health, there’s plenty of uncertainty. Curry has only appeared in two of the Warriors’ eight postseason games, first because of an ankle injury and currently due to a sprained right MCL. Golden State managed to win four of those six games, but his absence may be wearing on the club, as evidenced by its 12-point loss to Portland in Game 3 on the Western Conference semifinals on Saturday.
Curry returned to action Monday night, but it’s fair to wonder how the injuries will affect him going forward. Physically, he may not have full mobility until he can rest and rehab in the offseason.
Moreover, it’s always difficult for an athlete to completely trust their body if there’s any lingering pain or fear that certain movements could aggravate the injury.
The Warriors certainly don’t have an easy road to a second straight title, even if Curry is feeling spry. They’ve got to get past the pesky Trail Blazers, and face either a veteran, deep perennial contender in the Spurs or a revived, hungry Thunder unit with two of the league’s top players.
Should they survive that acid test, they’ll probably see the Cavs and their trio of stars, who have been playing lights out thus far in the playoffs.
This leads us to our question of the day: Can the Warriors still repeat if Stephen Curry isn’t 100% healthy the remainder of the postseason?
Please take to the comments section below to share your thoughts and opinions on the subject. We look forward to what you have to say.
No
Yes
As long as they don’t play sloppy like they did in Portland, I think they still have a shot.
That’s partly due to not having their point guard for an extended stretch.
Yes I believe the team is deep enough to absorb the loss. With that being said I believe the Cavs wouldn’t make it to the finals without Lebron so I believe if the MVP is for the most valuable player to your team then maybe Curry isn’t really the MVP. They should have a MVE ( most valuable entertainer) also because he is fun to watch but the award should be to the most valuable to their team. I’m a fan of neither team. The season they had was an NBA best but with Curry down and team still rolling shows it wasn’t just him making it happen.
Hard to say at this point. The cavs maybe would not have swept, but I believe beaten their first two opponents handily without lebron. not to take away from him, but the east is still not as good as the west at this point. Curry had one of the most efficient seasons ever. Both have multiple all stars in their team. that said, I’m not so sure dubs beat spurs without curry.
True but the Spurs are getting pretty old now but still amazingly good. Will be a great series if it happens.
Are you kidding? You didn’t see overtime last nite? Warriers will repeat!