Stephen Curry faced intense pressure from the Houston Rockets during a recent game, with players Alperen Sengun and Dillon Brooks closing in as he attempted a crucial three-pointer. This mishap is a long-standing problem for Curry. He’s been dealing with a chronic thumb injury that initially appeared back in January. Despite his efforts to recover, he finds himself repeatedly facing hits to the same area, impacting his performance on the court.
Curry’s thumb injury has been a lingering problem. He explained how every time he thinks his thumb is healing, it gets hurt again. In order to manage the pain, Curry has been playing with a wrap around his shooting thumb. After every game, he has a strict regimen of icing it down and getting treatment.
In the recent clash against the Rockets, Houston’s defenders devoted all their defensive attention to Curry. They actually targeted him immediately after he scored his own shots. When Dillon Brooks hit Curry’s shooting hand after he went up for a three, that was the last straw on an already damaged digit. Golden State Warriors’ broadcast team, but the Rockets employed this little bit of devilry on the regular in Game 4 and Game 5. Perhaps that was always part of their brilliant strategy.
There have been moments where an adjustment to his injury has clearly affected his performance. In a stretch of two games before this matchup, he scored just 30 total points. He started loud, to say the least, with a 36-point performance shooting five-for-thirteen from beyond the arc. This performance was a world away from his last game. On Wednesday night, Curry was efficient as ever, scoring 13 points and dishing out seven assists in only 23 minutes of action. He shot 10-for-25 overall but wasn’t as effective from behind the arc, shooting just 5 of 17 on three-point attempts.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr went on record decrying the tactics being used against Curry. He pointed out the absurdity of the game’s rules that allow defenders to initiate contact only after a shooter has released his shot.
“So the rule is once the shot has been released, you’re allowed to hit a guy’s arm,” – Steve Kerr
Kerr explained in greater detail how players are gaming this rule all around the league.
“And so what’s happened in the league this year is, players always are, they’re going to outsmart the rules. They know what they’re doing. So players all over the league are just taking shots at guys’ shooting hands after the release because they know it’s not going to be a foul,” – Steve Kerr
He opined on possible future adjustments to league regulations to mitigate these issues.
“But 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,” – Steve Kerr
Draymond Green, another key player for the Warriors, acknowledged the obvious targeting of Curry but maintained a more reserved stance on seeking league intervention.
“I think it’s pretty obvious, but it is what it is,” – Draymond Green
He said he doesn’t want to come off as someone who’s critical of officiating or rule enforcement.
“I’m not one to come to cry to you about what the league should do,” – Draymond Green
Dillon Brooks publicly acknowledged taking advantage of Curry’s injury through his own defensive agenda.
“If [someone] had an injured ankle, I would attack that ankle every single time,” – Dillon Brooks
Going into the playoffs, and as they continue, that will be most important—how well can he manage his injury, all while keeping his performance peak? His flexibility in bouncing back and recalibrating might determine his eventual success. It could certainly change the Warriors’ fortunes as they look to make a deep playoff run.
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