Houston could use the pesky on-ball defense of Patrick Beverley against the Warriors. They could turn him loose on Stephen Curry, put Trevor Ariza on Klay Thompson, and try to hide James Harden on Harrison Barnes.
But Houston is not going to have Beverley for the entire series due to a torn ligament in his left wrist that required surgery, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.After trying a second time on the eve of Game 1, Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley couldn’t find the strength and mobility in his left wrist to believe there exists a chance that he can return in the Western Conference finals, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
“It’s a no-go for the series,” a league source told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday. “He’s done trying.”
This isn’t a shock; the Rockets had said he would not come back in the playoffs. Still, Beverley is a competitor and wanted to give it a shot.
Without him the Rockets face some serious matchup challenges this round — Jason Terry and Pablo Prigioni are going to have to chase around the Golden State backcourt. Those guys are going to have to step up their game or the Rockets will be in serious trouble.