© Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Shortly after the Warriors won their first championship under head coach Steve Kerr in 2015, general manager Bob Myers ran into Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James during a vacation in Hawaii. The two reflected on the NBA Finals featuring the Warriors and Cavs, identifying the key role that injuries played.
Cavs forward Kevin Love missed the entire series. Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving missed the final five games.
Now three years later, the Warriors enter the playoffs trying to overcome a poor end to the regular season, while likely playing the entire first round against the San Antonio Spurs without two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry. He is likely to return sometime in the Western Conference semifinals, should the Warriors advance.
But if Curry, or another one of Golden State’s four All-Stars, is unavailable, Myers knows the difficulty of winning a championship.
“The thing that makes me concerned is just health,” Myers told KNBR’s Gary & Larry Friday morning. “We are not the same team without Steph Curry. I know people will say, ‘That’s an excuse. People have injuries all the time.’ But look, it’s a fact. Our team is not as good without Steph Curry. But you move on from that. Okay, fine, great, we all know that. Am I more confident if he’s out there? One-hundred percent.”
Curry continues to recover from a grade two left MCL sprain he suffered March 23. Without Curry, who has missed the past 10 games, the Warriors have gone 4-6 to close the season. They are 17-14 on the year without their star point guard.
“I don’t think any team in a championship has won a title with a real injury,” Myers said. “I’m not sure if that has ever happened.”
Myers knew this year was bound to present challenges, regardless of injuries.
Prior to the season, Myers asked Kerr about the campaign that lay ahead. Golden State, coming off three straight NBA Finals appearances, two of which resulted in championships, was the overwhelming favorite to take home the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the third time in the past four seasons.
Kerr, who won three championships with the Bulls and two with the Spurs as a player, said the 2017-18 season would be ‘a little choppy,’ a statement that now seems prophetic.
“‘It’s going to be the hardest one,’” Kerr told Myers.
Kerr explained that six-time NBA MVP Michael Jordan had to mentally will the Bulls to a third-straight championship in the 1997-98 season.
“Four years in a row, I don’t how many times it’s been done,” Myers said. “Winning one championship is hard.”
Only three teams in NBA history have reached four consecutive NBA Finals. The Celtics did so amid an unprecedented reign from 1957-66. The Lakers reached the Finals from 1982-85. Most recently, the Miami Heat reached the Finals in all four years — 2011-2014— of James’ reign.
The Warriors are entering rare territory as they begin their playoff run Saturday. As Myers pointed out, their chances are much greater with Curry on the floor.
