"72-10 don't mean a thing without the ring."
That now infamous phrase was coined by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls, who, up until a few weeks ago, owned the NBA single-season record of 72 victories, which they later cemented with their fourth championship in franchise history.
This year's Golden State Warriors squad broke that historic mark with their 73rd victory to close the season. Having not dropped consecutive games all year, they entered the playoffs with all the momentum in the world, knowing any team looking to knock them off their pedestal would have to do so by winning four of seven games - a seemingly insurmountable task considering their recent success.
With one unfortunate slip on the Toyota Center hardwood Sunday, though, what was once considered a surefire trip to at least the Western Conference finals became a battle for the Warriors to keep the ship afloat and on course without their best player in the lineup.
Reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry has been ruled out for at least two weeks after being diagnosed with an MCL sprain in his right knee.
There's no way of knowing where Golden State will be in the playoff picture once The Chef is cleared to compete. They currently have a stranglehold on the Houston Rockets with a 3-1 series lead, with their most recent victory in Game 4 coming as a result of a dominant 65-38 second half following Curry's tumble. With three opportunities to close out James Harden and company, don't expect the champs to crumble.
It gets tricky from that point on, though, with the winner of the Los Angeles Clippers-Portland Trail Blazers series awaiting in the second round. The Clippers are still heavily favored to advance, despite losing their most recent meeting at the Moda Center on Saturday.
Los Angeles is a team that now has that extra incentive to put away the Warriors before Curry ever sees a lick of action, knowing that this could be their best chance to date to capture that elusive ring. The wild card Trail Blazers could also give Golden State a run for its money, just like they did Feb. 19 when they blew them out by 32 points.
We've seen what the Warriors are capable of in limited instances with Curry not in uniform. The offense isn't nearly as potent, which is an obvious drawback when the NBA's top scorer (30.1 points per game) and 3-point shooter (402 made threes) isn't around. You don't replace a guy that special.
To further accentuate his value, the Warriors were 13.8 points per 100 possessions better offensively with him on the floor, and even allowed 8.3 more points on defense when he sat. Factor in the team's plus-minus rating of plus-1,050 with him and minus-107 without him, and you have more than enough evidence to validate why it's oh so important for the sharpshooter to be close to 100 percent as soon as possible.
The question now is whether he can return to form and immediately jump back into the fray as the player we all know he's capable of being. As good as he is shooting the rock, there's no doubt there will be some rust in his form when he gets back. After sitting Game 3 and 4 against Houston with a bum ankle, Curry only connected on 2-of-9 from the field in 18 minutes during Sunday's opening two quarters.
The Clippers are mad, supremely talented, and out for blood. The Blazers are a feel-good story who will go into a potential series with nothing to lose, and plenty of buckets from Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum at their disposal. The San Antonio Spurs are still a huge threat, the combination of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City are a force to be reckoned with, and a motivated LeBron James will probably be there in the Finals, as always.
Golden State is deep enough to make some noise regardless, with the combination of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green owning a net rating of 8.9 (offensive rating 107.2, defensive rating 98.3) in 391 total minutes without their MVP teammate. Sure, it's going to be difficult as long as Curry is hurt, but wins won't be impossible to come by.
Two weeks (at least) is quite a while to be out, not to mention the amount of time it will take for Curry to get back in a groove. The best-case scenario would be for Los Angeles and Portland to go the distance of seven games, buying Curry a couple extra days as a result.
Feel free to ignore the likes of Scottie Pippen and his ex-Bulls teammates, because ring or no ring, Golden State's 73 wins may very well stand the test of time. However, another championship remains the ultimate prize, and without Curry in tip-top shape, its odds don't appear all that promising.
