Every basketball fan knows Golden State Warriors superstar guard Stephen Curry has played through a painful, often inflamed thumb for weeks. This ongoing injury has certainly affected his play the last few games. Curry has really struggled with his shooting in the last two games. He didn’t help himself, shooting 10-of-25 overall and 5-of-17 from deep. So most notably would be the injury to Damar Hamlin, which he first sustained back in January and has generated a ton of discussion. Everyone’s talking about its impact on his game and the future modification of league regulations governing contact with QBs.
In his last game, Curry played 23 minutes — he scored 13 points, dished out seven assists. In many ways his effectiveness has diminished. He continues to play with a wrap on his thumb and relies on ice and treatment postgame. Even so, he’s never backed down, most impressively when challenged by manufactured defensive blitzes from opponents.
The injury flared up coming down the stretch, in the second-to-last game of the regular season despite Curry having looked back to his usual self in many regards. Perhaps, especially considering that every time his thumb actually started to heal it would take another shot in the game. This cycle of re-injury has understandably created no small measure of frustration for Curry and his franchise.
Curry’s injury occurred on the same play as his shot attempt, when he was hit on the hand with Dillon Brooks’ right forearm. He pointed at the table with a motion toward the officials to show the hit on his thumb, though. Curry rightfully expresses concern over the wrong focus of the debate. He hasn’t been shy about pushing the league to change its rules to better protect players.
“I’m very confident that next year the league will fix it because it’s only a matter of time before somebody breaks a thumb or breaks a hand or whatever.” – Stephen Curry
Thus far in these playoffs, Curry has not looked like a scoring champion. He’s been held to a cumulative 30 points since erupting for 36 in Game 3, when he made five of his 13 threes. His battles are more than physical, though. He faced immense pressure from Amen Thompson’s ball hawking defense.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr expressed his concerns about how the league’s current rules allow players to target shooting hands after shots are released. He mentioned that this is a common practice throughout the league, and players are taking advantage of the loophole.
“So the rule is once the shot has been released, you’re allowed to hit a guy’s arm,” – Steve Kerr
Kerr further elaborated on the situation, emphasizing that many coaches share similar frustrations regarding the rule:
“It’s just players are going to do whatever they’re allowed to do. So on every release Steph’s getting hit, but it’s basically within the rules.” – Steve Kerr
His teammate, Draymond Green, would soon express similar thoughts. In addition to recognizing the absurdity of the existing rules, Andrew was refreshingly pragmatic on how to approach them.
“I think it’s pretty obvious, but it is what it is,” – Draymond Green
Despite these challenges, Curry and the Warriors possess considerable championship experience that they can draw upon as they navigate through these playoff pressures. This experience feeds directly into the courtroom too—from both Curry’s courtroom leadership and the tactical acumen from Kerr and Green.
The ongoing playoffs present an opportunity for the Warriors to rebound from missed chances to close out series against their opponents. As they continue to proceed with optimism, they’re convinced that there are changes to league policies and league rules that will help protect players and keep competitive play competitive.
Curry is only trying to avoid aggravating this injury while still advocating his body toward maximum performance. He keeps his eyes on what’s best for his team and keeps them in the game. The Warriors will use their savvy and experience to create a big advantage in the playoffs. Yet at every step, they are deeply focused on addressing the fundamental issues of player safety.
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