SAN FRANCISCO — Gary Payton II, Otto Porter Jr. and Andre Iguodala are being considered “questionable” heading into Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Wednesday afternoon.
Payton has been out since Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals after breaking his elbow on a controversial play with Memphis’ Dillon Brooks. Porter missed the last game and a half of the conference finals with left foot soreness. Iguodala missed 30 of the last 36 regular-season games and all of the playoffs thus far with leg and neck injuries.
On Wednesday, Kerr said the trio participated fully in practice, even scrimmaging with the team — the first time they had done contact work since their respective injuries.
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“I’ve still got some boxes to check,” Payton said on Tuesday. “Go day by day, you know, see what happens and hope for the best … I’m starting to feel normal. Still not me yet.”
On Wednesday, Porter said he felt good and the fact he participated in every part of practice was a good sign.
Iguodala was more coy when discussing his status.
“It’s been an interesting year with my body,” Iguodala said. “But been using my brain a lot and understanding that’s a big part of — knitting that fabric … Just understanding that you can have an impact in a myriad of different ways, just being ready in any way that I’ve been asked. If it’s on the court, and hopefully it is, I just got to be ready and keep open for it, being optimistic with everything that’s going on with the body.”
That being said, Iguodala’s ultimate goal is to “finish the season walking on two feet. If I do that, it’s a successful season.”
When Iguodala rejoined the Warriors last summer, there were question marks surrounding how much playing time he had left in him. The Warriors started off resting Iguodala on one end of back-to-backs and never rushed him back from early-season ailments. The plan all along was to do whatever it took to have him available for the postseason.
Now, it’s unclear not only if he will be able to contribute to the Warriors’ deep playoff run, but even if he does, how much.
“You go back to my goals coming back, it’s similar to my sentiments when I first signed with the team in 2013 or ’14 — ’13,” Iguodala said. “It was the same thing: get us back to where we’re supposed to be. We’ve gotten back here.”
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