Insofar as the Warriors want as much Stephen Curry as possible, as does the NBA, the team is watching the calendar and the league is on the clock.
The Warriors would love Curry to be available Saturday for Game 1 of their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets. That would boost the team’s chances of winning.
The NBA would be ecstatic to have Curry jacking up 3-pointers for its marquee game of the first weekend, as defined by the fact it’s on national television (ABC). The presence of the two-time NBA MVP would enhance “audience engagement,” which is the primary factor in scheduling postseason games.
The team and the league might have to wait until Game 2 – or later – to get what they desire. And even then, it’s hardly certain.
The carefully chosen words of Warriors coach Steve Kerr on Tuesday made it apparent that Curry’s status for Game 1 is very much in doubt. He has not progressed beyond individual workouts and the team will have a full scrimmage on Thursday.
“We’re not going to play him without getting a scrimmage,” Kerr said. “. . . It would be irresponsible to put Steph out there in a playoff game without having scrimmage time.”
Short of a miraculous 48-hour recovery, a Game 1 appearance highly doubtful.
Which is why the scheduling of Game 2 and beyond becomes critical for the Warriors. And for the league, which could announce the remaining first-round schedules on Wednesday.
The longer the gap between Games 1 and 2, the better the chances of getting more Curry. And, of course, more audience engagement.
The gap between Games 1 and 2 in the first round typically is two or three days. The Warriors have experienced both in recent years. Game 2 could come as soon as Monday. It could come Tuesday. It’s unlikely to come as late as Wednesday, but money has a way of talking loudly whenever there’s a chance of growing it.
The Warriors would welcome a four-day break because it presents the possibility of a Monday scrimmage. Curry would embrace it because he’s always eager to get back on the court.
A fairly extensive look at the NBA’s history of first-round playoff series reveals that a four-day break between Games 1 and 2 – with no travel involved – is unusual but has happened numerous times.
For example: The Lakers of the new millennium had four-day breaks in three consecutive first-round series. Coached by Phil Jackson and led by Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, those teams won three consecutive Finals.
That was, however, when first-round series were limited to five games.
The year following the Lakers’ threepeat, the NBA expanded the format to seven games. There has not since been a four-day break between Games 1 and 2.
But these are special circumstances. Play-in games are on the table for only the third season. And the postseason absence of LeBron James creates a superstar void at the most critical time of the year.
Then, too, Curry is not the only superstar whose status is tentative. Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić – the only reason some casual fans would watch the Dallas-Utah first-round series – is hobbling after straining his calf on Sunday.
“Doncic has begun treatment and there is no timetable for his return,” Mavericks media relations said in a statement Tuesday. “Updates will be provided as available.”
Because the NBA always is completely conscious of, if not utterly obsessed with, maximizing the exposure of its best players, it probably has examined the possibility of stretching the early stages of Warriors-Nuggets and Mavericks-Jazz.
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It’s not likely that either gets the four-day break; it would cramp the remaining games of each series. All parties likely will have to make do with a three-day break, even though they’d love to have more.
For the Warriors, it’s a matter of days. Same for the Mavericks.
For the NBA, it’s a matter of hours.
