play in the first two games, All-Star
forward David Lee continued to
believe he might have an impact for
the Warriors against the San Antonio
Spurs.
And in the first half of Game 3, it was
almost as if the old David Lee were
back.
Entering the game with 11 minutes,
37 minutes left in the second quarter
and the Warriors down by 11, Lee
promptly snapped down an offensive
rebound, put it back in and was fouled
for a three-point play. Lee turned in a
three-minute stint, scoring again on a
jumper from near the top of the key
and also grabbed another rebound.
Lee, who has a torn right hip flexor
suffered in Game 1 of the first playoff
round against Denver, said before the
game that he continues to feel better
each day and is doing more in
workouts. He's even been able to
dunk.
Coach Mark Jackson said before Game
3 that he has liked what he has seen
and that Lee's appearances might be
more significant than the inspirational
minute he received in Game 6 of the
Denver series.
"He's getting more and more close to
being healthy, to getting some more
explosiveness," Jackson said. "I
watched him work out with a live body
and do some things that were
impressive. That being said, I'm not
going to force the process. It will be a
flow situation in picking and choosing if
and when he can help us."
But at least it's on the table, and
that's good enough for Lee.
"It's Coach Jackson's call to
decide where, when and if he puts me
in and for how long," Lee said. "He's
seen my progress every day and
watched all my workouts and knows
what he's doing."
Fellow forward Carl Landry noted Lee
has made significant strides in
practice. "He looks good, he looks like
normal," Landry said. "Obviously, it's
based on how he feels. But it looks
good."
Jackson, however, said Lee fans
shouldn't get their hopes up that he
might be ready for extended minutes.
"I can tell you right now if he plays, it
won't be 20-25 minutes," Jackson
said. "If he plays, it'll be in short
spurts. I will not put him in position
right now to ask him to play heavy
minutes."
Jackson maintained that based on
what he's been told by team doctors,
Lee can't injure himself any worse
than he did originally but does risk
going back to "square one."
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said it
won't affect his adjustments whether
Lee plays or not. "I'm happy for him
because he's a competitor," Popovich
said. "The last thing he wants is to be
sitting on the sideline while they're
playing so well. I'm happy that he's
back. But it doesn't change what we
do. We can't change what we do at
this point too much."
Jackson said he is unconcerned
about the Spurs' strategy to
intentionally foul Andrew Bogut in the
first two games when the Warriors
were in the bonus, despite Bogut
making just 5 of 15 free-throw
attempts in the playoffs entering
Game 3.
"At the end of the day, he's a guy who
works his tail off," Jackson said. "He
shoots free throws every single day,
and I'm comfortable with him on the
floor and confident that when it
matters, he's going to make them. So
that's not a concern at all."
Bogut shot just 50 percent during the
regular season (19 for 38) and has a
57.2 career percentage from the line.
Perhaps to change his look at the line,
Bogut showed up clean-shaven for
Game 3.
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