I actually to an extent agree with this depending on Mikes health. We can’t win this series without Mike Conley back, and if the Clippers win tonight they’ve completely changed the momentum of the series, and we will need Mike back to regain it. If it comes down to 2/3 Kawhi can absolutely beat us 2/3 times.
I wondered if Quin would deviate from his "get Rudy against the bench center" rotation in the playoffs. Thus far he has not. Its time to get the big fella up a few extra minutes if fouls permit.
Honestly... if Mike is still not quite ready but should be for game 5 and if DM is more injured than he is letting on... I almost might punt this game and go all in on a 3 game series with us closer to full strength. We would never do it... and it might be dumb AF.
It's the rotation timing for sure, but it's just minutes in general. Kawhi and PG have been playing much heavier minutes than our stars. Derrick and Georges Niang should not be out there for anything longer than a breather for our guys at this point, we don't even have Mike and he's not playing them the same amount of minutes. The only guy who is playing heavy minutes basically every night is Royce, somewhat Bogey, and Royce is probably playing the most grueling minutes of anyone. Quin needs to switch up his rotations and play our starters a few more minutes. The few minutes are a huge difference maker.
Game 3 was the game to punt, you can't punt this game. We let them come back in game 2, they blew us out in game 3, you have to at least keep it close tonight if they blow us out tonight they have grabbed full control of the series until we grab it back IMO. I think game 5 is when Mike will return, as Locke has said, game 5 lines up with the 14 day window that its taken every time for Mike to recover from this same thing. I really would love seeing him tonight but I do think we have at least one more game without him. As for Mitchells ankle, it's not as though he's turning it. I think his ankle is structurally fine at this point or it'd be weak and he'd be turning it. I think he is just in pain, but with some of the moves he's making it's more of a pain thing right now than it is a structural issue I would think. Now that could change the second he bends it the wrong way or something and then we're f******.
If the Nets are without Kyrie or Harden, let alone both, the Bucks could even get them. It is legitimately wide open right now, unfortunately, we have our own issues. The Clippers will win the title if the Nets aren't healthy and they beat us, so yeah, we need to do everything in our power to win this series and if Mike is 70% good, by game 5 he better be on the floor.
I mean if the ligament is still in pain there is a reason... It would be much easier for him to tweak it again. If you don't have Mike they make Don work too hard... overworking him while compromised is a dangerous game.
Oh for sure, if he were to turn it or step on someone's foot it'd be in bad shape. But pain doesn't necessarily mean it's not healing correctly, I'm just saying I haven't seen it give way or actually turn like it's not structurally sound. Obviously wear on it with such short recovery periods slow the process and probably cause the pain to linger and intensify. I just don't think we've went backwards yet. Although when he came out of the game last game it was weird because it didn't look like anything really happened to it. It was even a very intense jump and he didn't come down on it, and it was still in enough pain he came out. I'm not a doctor so I don't really know where it stands. We will have to see, since game 2 when he winced over it he hasn't been nearly as explosive I'll grant you that. Through game 1 and the first half of game 2 he looked like an MVP that could carry us to a finals on his own. Then he did that step-back where he planted it and winced and came up gimpy and its for sure been more sore since then. But game 3 was the game you should have punted if you were going to do it. And as I've said in the other thread, the only person that's going to hold him out at this point is himself because the Jazz don't want that media **** storm of their star player being furious again. He's good enough to play, and yeah we just have to hope it isn't being made worse. Every other day is probably getting taxing on it. It would really such to get Mike back just to end up losing him.
And what happens next year? Nets are healthy. They will be hard to beat. We gotta win now we can win now if we are healthy. Put duct tape on Mike Conleys hammy and tie it to Donovan’s ankle I don’t care - make it work!
Also, it's not really a guarantee we even have Mike back next year. The time is now. If he's 70% and wants to play, let him play. I get it though, the medical staff would go from being blamed for holding players out, to being blamed for not being cautious enough if something happens to Mike's hamstring. They'd get KD kinda backlash if they send Mike out there and he severely damages his hamstring in the first game back
Yeah I’m just putting some silver lining on this... if it is in fact something that doesn’t workout.
My prediction is that the official word becomes "game-time decision."
If they list him as that, he's definitely playing. But I think he's gonna be out.
