Golden State Warriors thankful for rest heading into NBA Finals

SAN FRANCISCO — The Golden State Warriors have the gift of time as they head into the NBA Finals.

With them wrapping up their Western Conference Finals series against the Dallas Mavericks in five games, the Warriors will have exactly one week of rest before Game 1 of the Finals.

«We gave our guys two straight days off which is almost unheard of, in playoffs or even just regular-season» Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Sunday afternoon. «So it was a great chance to decompress the last couple of days. We won't have a formal practice until tomorrow. It'll be the first day we'll build on our opponent. So I've said it many times: you go to the Finals, it's almost a two-month journey filled with stress and fatigue, so if you can build a little break, it's very meaningful.»

The Warriors took Friday and Saturday off before meeting at Chase Center on Sunday for treatment and light workouts. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, they will hold regular practices.

«Having two days off and a week between when we play, everybody can get their mind right, focus, and get the body back where they want it to get to,» Kevon Looney said.

But, Looney pointed out that there are some negatives from such a long layoff: «Some of the cons is you know, it's stuff like game rhythm, game shape. You've got to make sure you're doing all the stuff you normally do to stay sharp.»

Perhaps the biggest pro from the Warriors' longer break is the time it's giving the team's injured players to work their way back. Andre Iguodala (neck), Gary Payton II (elbow) and Otto Porter Jr. (foot) each missed the entirety or part of the Western Conference finals and could be game-changing players in the Finals.

Each of them is progressing nicely, the team said Sunday, and they