Klay Thompson is the lone most pressing question for the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, after missing a large part of the fourth quarter with a painful hamstring strain, one that has left him as questionable for Wednesday night's home tilt against the Toronto Raptors.
While his participation is pivotal for the Warriors, Thompson knows full well his fate rests on the training staff and what they deem sensible ahead of Game 3, as he could risk re-aggravating the injury if not healthy enough to play.
“Obviously, I would do anything I can to be out there,” said Thompson on Tuesday, according to Scott Cacciola of The New York Times. “But it’s all in their hands. If there’s any pain, it will be a no-go just because of the position we’re in. This could be a longer series, so there’s no point in trying to go out there and re-aggravate it and potentially keep myself out of the whole entire finals instead of just one game.”
Head coach Steve Kerr emphasized the same point.
“If the training staff feels good about his ability to go out there and play without making things worse, then he’ll play,” said Kerr. “But if there’s a risk, we would rather give him the next couple of days to continue to heal and hopefully have him out there for Game 4. But it’s literally day to day.”
There will be a quick turnaround between Games 3 and 4, as both teams will only have one day of rest in between them. However, those extra 24 hours can prove vital in his recovery, allowing him to play at more than merely 80% and thus make more substantial contributions at both ends of the floor.
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