The NBA Conference Finals are here! The Western Conference Championship has drawn a lot of attention as the San Antonio Spurs traveled to face the Golden State Warriors.
Game 1 was a close battle as the Warriors narrowly defeated the Spurs 113-111. Game 2 would be a completely different story as the Warriors took a 2-0 lead in the series as they defeated the Spurs 136-100.
A crucial part in the separation in scores between the two games could be due to the fact that the Spurs’ small forward Kawhi Leonard was inactive for Game 2. Leonard suffered an ankle injury following a controversial foul in the third quarter of Game 1. Golden State’s center Zaza Pachulia slid under Leonard during a jump shot. Leonard landed on Pachulia’s foot and rolled his ankle on the play.
So how much does Leonard mean to the Spurs? In Game 1 Leonard scored 26 points and was able to help keep the Spurs in the battle. After Leonard left the game, the Warriors were able to outscore the Spurs 58-33. In addition, Game 2 seemed to be clinched by the Warriors before the 4th quarter even began.
Following Game 2, the world was able to see the impact Leonard has on the Spurs. In fact, without Leonard in Game 2 most of the Spurs were unable to score double digits points. If Leonard does not return to the team soon, the chance of them winning a game in this series against the Warriors may be lost.
According to ESPN, as of now Spurs coach Gregg Popovich thinks he’ll list Leonard as questionable for Game 3.
