Steph Curry on finger: ‘A lot of it will hurt until I have time to rest’
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HOUSTON – Stephen Curry wanted to share his joy, and why not?
The Warriors had just dispatched the Houston Rockets in a series-deciding Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals. After going scoreless in the first half, Curry then finished with 33 points. And Curry has wanted those around him to fee happy.
So, Curry did something so innocuous that made Warriors general manager Bob Myers both chuckle and worry. Myers wondered in a half-joking, half serious manner whether the incident would further damage his star player’s dislocated left middle finger.
“He slapped me high five with his left hand coming out,” Myers said, laughing. “I hope he’s okay.”
Bad news for the Warriors: Curry isn’t. Ever since injuring his finger in Game 2 against the Rockets, Curry said he still feels pain. During that time, Curry has kept his left middle and ring finger taped to prevent both fingers from pressing against each other. Curry has also worn a small splint on his left middle finger to ease the pain he feels when he holds the ball or absorbs contact.
“It’s a lot of experimenting,” Curry told Bay Area News Group. “A lot of it will hurt until I have time to rest. I’ll continue to figure out how to make the ball feel comfortable in my hands.”
Perhaps Curry receives the rest he needs soon. The Warriors have the weekend off since they do not play again until on Tuesday for Game 1 of the Western Finals at Oracle Arena. The Warriors will face either the Portland Trail Blazers or Denver Nuggets, which play Game 7 of their second-round series on Sunday. That gives Curry more consult with Dr. Rick Celebrini, the Warriors’ director of sports medicine and performance.
Yet, the Warriors are bracing for Curry’s injury to become a persisting ailment they will have to manage.
“There is no quick fix to what he’s dealing with,” said Warriors assistant coach Bruce Fraser, who works with Curry during his shooting workouts after practices and before games. “We haven’t figured out what is the best.”
Following practices and games, Curry has iced his left middle finger to reduce the pain and swelling. During workouts and games, though, Curry consistently fluctuates on to what extent should he dribble with his left hand. After feeling pain during late in Game 6, Curry even put his left hand behind his back while dribbling the ball up the court. Following a recent shootaround, Curry constantly tugged at the bandage around his left ring and middle fingers.
Curry declined to attribute his injury to his Game 3 performance when he shot only 7-of-23 from the field and 3-of-13 from deep. Fraser spoke for him, though.
“He hasn’t shot it as he should. But is that the finger or just the defense?” Fraser said earlier this week. “I don’t know. But the finger has been bothering his shot.”
Nonetheless, Fraser predicted Curry to shoot well soon for reasons beyond his star power. Fraser observed that Curry “seems to focus more when he doesn’t play well.” Hence, Curry’s Game 6.
Since then, though, Curry said he will need to continue tinkering with his taping and treatment to find the right solution.
Said Curry: “It’s just going to hurt.”
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