In his first-ever playoff game, Golden State Warriors star power forward David Lee fell victim to the NBA playoff injury bug on Saturday afternoon.
After a hard spill attacking the basket in the fourth quarter of Golden State's Game 1 showdown with the Denver Nuggets, Lee walked gingerly off the court and had to be examined by team doctors on the bench.
It then published this tweet to confirm that Lee the diagnosis was a right hip flexor strain and that he would not return to action as the Warriors failed to mount a fourth-quarter comeback:
Lee had 10 points and 14 rebounds in 29 minutes before leaving the game, which Golden State would drop in heartbreaking fashion after Andre Miller's game-winning layup with just 1.3 seconds to play.
Taking a pass from Stephen Curry after a high screen in the fourth, Lee attacked the paint hard, drawing a foul and earning a trip to the free-throw line in the process.
However, he landed awkwardly on his right leg, and if you look closely at the video it looks as if he says he heard a pop when falling to the floor.
If X-rays do come back and force Lee to miss significant time in any of Golden State's next three games, it could spell trouble for the Warriors' already unfavorable playoff chances.
So eager to prove himself as a consistent producer on a good team, Lee has enjoyed his best-ever season during the 2012-13 campaign. While his numbers (18.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 51.9 percent shooting) are right around career averages, his team is in the postseason—making a year where Lee made the All-Star team for the first time even better.
The final chapter on this injury has not yet been written, but if it includes Lee missing the rest of this postseason it would be a tragic end to an otherwise stellar campaign for one of the NBA's most underrated power forwards.
Via: [Live Football] Sunderland - Everton FC - English Premier League
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