Steve Kerr: Warriors would be 'dead' without Shaun Livingston
When Golden State Warriors soon-to-be back-to-back MVP point guard Stephen Curry went down, first with a turned ankle and then with a Grade 1 MCL sprain, a door opened for backup point guard Shaun Livingston.
He has burst through that door, taking his newfound starting role in full stride as the Warriors continue to seamlessly cruise through the postseason despite Curry's injury woes, which began in Game 1 of their first-round series with the Houston Rockets.
With his team up 2-0 on the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference semifinals, Warriors coach Steve Kerr bluntly expressed just how crucial it's been to have Livingston as Curry's safety net.
“We’d be dead without him," he said, per the San Francisco Chronicle.
"Honestly, if you lose the MVP, you better have somebody capable to come in,” Kerr said. “Shaun is obviously more than just capable. He’s a great player in his own right.”
As a 6-foot-7 veteran, post-up scorer who contrasts Curry in just about every facet of his game, Livingston brings a different skill set to the table — and it works.
In seven postseason games thus far, he has averaged 13.1 points, 4.9 assists and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 52.9% from the field. Not numbers comparable to Curry, but with a team as deep and as skilled as Golden State, that hasn't been necessary.
Most importantly, the Warriors have lost just one playoff game, and it came on a game-winning jumpshot from James Harden that, after official review the next day, was ruled an offensive foul.
“It’s a different game when Steph’s not out there," Livingston told the Chronicle. "We don’t have the same spacing or the same shooting, or the same playmaking to a degree. So we have to rely on each other more, move the ball, just trust each other.”
With Curry unlikely to return for Saturday's Game 3, Livingston's starting duties won't be relinquished just yet.
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