Golden State Beats Portland to Take 2-0 Lead in West Semifinal

The Golden State Warriors have carried on since All-Universe point guard Stephen Curry went down with a sprained knee during the Warriors’ opening round playoff series against the Houston Rockets on April 24th. Since then, Golden State has finished off the Rockets and with a victory over Portland on May 3rd, the Warriors own a 2-0 lead over the Trail Blazers in their NBA Western Conference semifinal series.

Although Curry gets the lion’s share of attention– and deservedly so, the guy is amazing– Golden State also has a pretty good roster besides him. In their 110-99 win over Portland on May 3rd, four Warriors scored in double figures, led by Klay Thompson with 27 points. Portland had an 11 point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Warriors put on a run and left the Blazers in the dust.

Despite all that, we think it will be hard for Golden State to repeat if Curry can’t play for any length of time (although a half or three quarter Curry is better than a lot of fully healthy players). If the Warrior finish off Portland, they’ll meet the winner of the Oklahoma City—San Antonio series both of whom are higher up in the food chain and a tougher draw than the Blazers. Golden State coach Steve Kerr has said there’s no time table for Curry’s return, but reports are he could possibly be ready by the weekend or shortly thereafter. Game 3 of the series is Saturday the 7th, and Game 4 is Monday, May 9th.