The weight of the NBA playoffs is on Stephen Curry's knee

Steven J. Gaither

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The weight of the NBA playoffs is on Stephen Curry's knee image

The Cavaliers and the Spurs were once again trumped by Stephen Curry and the Warriors — but this time it may work in their favor.

The Spurs and the Cavs swept their first-round opponents Sunday, but the biggest story of the weekend remains the health of Curry's right knee.

MORE: 10 NBA playoff injuries that crushed championship dreams

The Spurs mercifully ended their series against the injury-plagued, overmatched Grizzlies with a 116-95 win. The Cavs clinched theirs, too, but it was another close one, as they held off the pesky Pistons 100-98.

Both teams will get rest, which is the most important currency in the NBA at this time of year. 

As for the Warriors, they were able to blow out the Rockets, beating them 121-94 without the services of Curry in the second half to go up 3-1. But the Rockets were without Patrick Beverly, and they've been a mess all year.

It's a pretty safe bet to assume that Golden State will get past the Rockets, but without Curry the Warriors fall from overwhelming favorites to win their second-straight title to a team that the Cavs, Spurs and even the Thunder actually have a good shot at beating. 

Of course the Spurs, Cavs and the rest of the NBA would love to dethrone the Warriors at full strength. But Curry's long-term absence would definitely even the playing field in everyone else's favor.

Tweet of the Night 

LeBron James remains king of the first round, as his teams haven't lost in that round since 2012.

Stud of the Night

It wasn’t Michael Jordan scoring 63 in the Boston Garden on a Hall of Fame front line, but Paul Millsap scoring 45 points and grabbing 13 rebounds was a big-time performance. Unfortunately for the Hawks, they still came up on the short end of a 104-95 overtime thriller against the Celtics.

Dud of the Night

The Rockets were 65-38 after halftime by the Curry-less Warriors. Talk about wasting a golden opportunity.

Looking Ahead:

Heat at Hornets (Miami leads 2-1) 7 p.m., NBA TV: True to form, the Hornets played much better at home. The pressure is still on them, but the Heat would much rather go home up 3-1.

Mavericks at Thunder (Oklahoma City leads 3-1) 8 p.m., TNT: For the Mavericks, it's win or go home.

Clippers at Trail Blazers (Clippers lead 2-1) 10:30 p.m., TNT: Home cooking did the young Trail Blazers good Saturday. Do they have another win in them? 

Steven J. Gaither