The Golden State Warriors will be without veteran forward Andre Iguodala tomorrow night when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. Iguodala missed the last four games of the Western Conference finals due to a left lateral leg contusion and the injury will keep him out of action for at least one more game.
The Warriors released a statement today explaining that Iggy has progressed but the pain accompanying the bone bruise persists, as does inflammation of the nerve surrounding his left knee. As a result, he'll be out of the lineup for Game 1 on Thursday night (9pm ET) and he will be reevaluated prior to Sunday night's Game 2.
Said Warriors coach Steve Kerr on Wednesday, according to ESPN: "He's frustrated. His body has not responded at this point."
The 34-year old swingman averaged 8.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in his three Western Conference Finals games playing a little more than 27 minutes per game. The Warriors certainly have more than enough fire power on the offensive end of the floor to compensate for Iguodala's absence, but he will be missed on the defensive end where he has grown accustomed to guarding LeBron James in the NBA Finals.
In Iggy's absence, the Warriors will likely throw everyone at LeBron in an effort to slow him down, including Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney and Jordan Bell.