David Lee had the NBA’s longest active streak of regular season games played without a playoff appearance (577) — until Saturday night. He started his first playoff game, suited up for the Warriors against the Nuggets.
He lasted three quarters, at the start of the fourth he took an awkward step and ended up tearing his hip flexor. He’s out a month, which will be the rest of the playoffs. He’s done for the year.
Why did he take that awkward step? Sometimes when you are compensating for one injury you cause another. And West had been playing through a lot of pain, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.For about the past two weeks, his back has been killing him. He hasn’t wanted the information to be reported, and he has tried to hide a bulky ice pack he uses during game stoppages with his shooting shirt.
“The only other option was to not play, and you guys who know me know that was not something I was even considering,” said Lee, who hopes to avoid surgery for the hip injury and plans a full recovery by training camp. “It’s very disappointing, but I know I left everything on the floor.”
Did one injury lead to another? We will never know for sure. But that’s a big coincidence.
What we do know is that Lee is out and the Nuggets should get Kenneth Faried back in the middle Tuesday night. And none of that is good for the Warriors.