Stephen Curry dealt with multiple injuries during the NBA playoffs last year, and his lackluster performance in several games made it clear something was not right. While Curry has refused to use his health as an excuse, his trainer says it was definitely a factor.
In addition to a knee sprain, Curry also dealt with an ailing shoulder and elbow. His trainer, Brandon Payne, told Sam Amick of USA Today Sports that all of that played a role.
“As bad as I wanted it to be him (in the Finals), it wasn’t him,” Payne said. “We don’t like to make excuses, and we’re not going to make excuses because all that matters is what happens in the 48 minutes when you’re on the floor. (But) I wish it was the other version of him, the version that we saw for 82 games.”
Curry recently admitted he was less than 100 percent healthy.
“I wasn’t 100 percent, but who cares? I was playing,” he told ESPN’s Darren Rovell. “I was out there trying to help my team win and that’s all that really matters. I’ve taken advantage of the summer to get right and I still have a little bit of work to go.”
Curry suffered the knee injury in April and it looked pretty painful (video here), but he was still able to mix in some good games. While he may have dealt with more ailments than he is used to, very few players are at 100 percent health late in the postseason. We’ll never know if it cost the Golden State Warriors a shot at back-to-back titles, but Curry is right to not use it as an excuse.
