OAKLAND, Calif. — David Lee strained his left hamstring in the preseason, lost his starting job for the Golden State Warriors and never got it back. He played sparingly as the Warriors rolled to 67 victories in the regular season. His past as a two-time All-Star seemed like more of a stigma as his D.N.P.s — box-score code for “did not play” — accumulated like dust bunnies.
Lee, an offense-minded power forward, could have checked out. Instead, he did extra conditioning work. He played post-practice games of one-on-one against the team’s other reserves. He did not let his intensity waver, he said, because he knew that the Warriors would have a chance to advance deep in the playoffs, and perhaps his number would be called.