On the heels of a Game 2 loss that put them in a 2-0 series hole, the Cleveland Cavaliers certainly didn’t want to hear this: Andre Iguodala is progressing in his return from a left knee contusion and plans to rejoin the Golden State Warriors before the NBA Finals conclude.
Here’s ESPN.com’s Chris Haynes with the skinny:
Golden State forward Andre Iguodala hasn’t experienced any pain over the past few days and plans to return for the NBA Finals, league sources tell ESPN.
On Saturday, Andre Iguodala progressed enough to go through a full personal workout and sprinted for the first time since sustaining a bone bruise in his left knee in Game 3 of the conference finals, sources said.
The swingman’s status for Game 3 of the Finals on Wednesday is still unknown, according to sources.
Despite the official uncertainty, this seems like a pretty good indicator that Iguodala will play in Game 3. And that’s terrible news for the Cavaliers. Though he’s no longer a primary LeBron James defender—that job belongs to Kevin Durant these days—he can pitch in on that front.
More specifically, he’ll make life hell on Cleveland’s already struggling supporting cast. Kyle Korver has been blanketed by Klay Thompson at points during this series. We could soon be saying the same about George Hill or J.R. Smith when it comes to Iggy.
All of which makes the Cavaliers’ already-tall task that much taller. They seem emotionally beaten after their Game 1 letdown at the end of regulation. And while people say a series doesn’t really begin until a home team loses, we should have a pretty good idea of whether the Cavaliers are playing with any sort of conviction by the end of the first quarter in Game 3.
