Warriors vs. Cavs: Andre Iguodala to miss NBA Finals Game 1 with left leg contusion
Warriors forward Andre Iguodala will miss Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday as he continues to recover from an injury that has hampered him since Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. It will be his fifth consecutive missed game of the postseason with what Golden State deems a "left lateral leg contusion/bone bruise."
Iguodala reportedly sought out a second opinion on the injury earlier this week in hopes of identifying the exact nature of the injury and returning to the court sooner. The Warriors announced Wednesday that he was evaluated by the team's medical staff on Tuesday, which led to the decision to keep him out on Thursday.
"The evaluation indicated that Iguodala is making progress; however, the pain that accompanies the bone bruise persists, as does inflammation of the nerve surrounding his left knee," Golden State said in a statement. "He is currently listed as out for Game 1 of the NBA Finals and will be re-evaluated again prior to Game 2."
Following Golden State's 101-92 Western Conference clinching win over the Houston Rockets on Monday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr had no definitive timetable on when, or if, Iguodala might return to the court for the reigning champions.
"It literally is a day-to-day thing," Kerr said of Iguodala's status on TNT after the Warriors' win over Houston Monday. "He has not progressed, unfortunately, as well as we thought he would. Obviously, he's a huge factor against Cleveland. You've got to have a lot of bodies to guard LeBron, and Andre's been our main guy against LeBron the last three years."
Iguodala, the 2015 Finals MVP, averaged 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game during the playoffs this postseason prior to his injury, which he sustained following a collision with Houston's James Harden. In his absence, Golden State has gone 2-2 and clinched yet another matchup against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.