David Lee's torn hip flexor may have ended his season, but it doesn't necessarily mean the Golden State Warriors will be packing in their 2013 NBA playoff run just yet.
There's no getting around the fact that Lee made the Warriors a better offensive team. On the season, Golden State scored 109.3 points per 100 possessions when he was on the floor, but just 102 when he sat.
Plus, the versatile power forward figured to play a particularly large role in the Warriors' first-round series against the Denver Nuggets. George Karl's club made a concerted effort to blitz Stephen Curry in Game 1, forcing the ball out of his hands in the pick-and-roll at every opportunity.
That defensive decision left Lee open a number of times between the elbow and the top of the circle, an area where he normally excels. A reliable mid-range shot, an excellent passing eye and the ability to drive with either hand have made Lee a dangerous option there all season.
He certainly didn't take advantage of the opportunity in Game 1, but every Golden State player (except for Klay Thompson) looked a little gun shy in that contest. Lee was going to play a major strategic role in this series.
Now that he's out, Carl Landry will get the bulk of the Warriors' minutes at the 4. And while he's a solid replacement because of his superior physicality and understanding of team defense, he's certainly not the dynamic offensive force that Lee was.
Points probably won't be hard to come by for either team during the balance of the series; the sub-100 outputs by both clubs in Game 1 seemed to be caused more by nerves than any kind of trend we're likely to see repeated.
And both the Nuggets and the Warriors ranked in the top 10 in offensive efficiency during the year, so there's no reason to believe that buckets will be at a premium.
Golden State is going to score points no matter who they trot out in the frontcourt as long as Curry and Thompson are able to get open looks, so perhaps the fact that Landry is going to provide a little grit down low will count for more than it otherwise would.
Put another way, Lee gave the Warriors more of what they already getting from a number of sources: scoring. Landry gives them something that few others on the roster can: muscle.
Plus we've seen the Los Angeles Lakers suddenly transform into a good defensive team in the absence of Kobe Bryant, by far their worst team defender, so maybe the Warriors are in for the same kind of metamorphosis with Lee out of the lineup.
Sure, it might seem like a stretch to say that the Warriors could actually improve without Lee. But the truth is that they really don't have to.
The Nuggets are dealing with their own nicks and bruises (not to mention more serious injuries, like the torn ACL that knocked Danilo Gallinari out for the season). With Ty Lawson suffering from a cranky heel and Kenneth Faried listed as probable for Game 2 because of a bum ankle, Denver is hardly at full strength itself.
Also consider this: Lee played horribly in Game 1 and the Warriors would have stolen a victory if not for the incredible old-man resurgence of Andre Miller.
It's safe to assume that the Warriors will get a better performance from Stephen Curry than they got in Game 1, too. The sharpshooter started the contest by missing his first nine shots and looked strangely passive in the early going.
Ultimately, Denver is just as vulnerable as the Warriors are, and while Lee's injury probably doesn't make Golden State's chances to pull off an upset markedly better, it really doesn't make them a whole lot worse, either.
Link: [Live -] Online - TV] Stade de Reims - Valenciennes - French Ligue 1
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