Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr sat Stephen Curry for most of the second half in Game 1 against the Houston Rockets, and this was a wise move. Kerr could see that Curry was struggling with his right ankle after rolling it in the first half, and the head coach made the executive decision to shut his star down for the night.
Curry is questionable for Game 2, and the Warriors would still have enough talent to win that game even if he sits. He had serious ankle problems in his first few seasons, and this isn’t an issue that the Warriors can just wish away. If this is an injury that lingers, then it could seriously impede Golden State’s championship goals. Curry finished with 24 points in the 104-78 victory, and he definitely envisions himself playing in the next bout.
“Right now, don’t see a scenario where I’ll be out,” Curry said after the game. “Obviously, if it’s not right and I’m at risk of further injury or whatnot, that’s the only thing that we’ll have to worry about. Pain tolerance and all that stuff, I kind of know what I can deal with on the court. But you don’t want anything more serious to happen, favoring an ankle or whatnot. So that’s what we’ll kind of pay attention to the next two days.”
The Warriors will be playing for months to come, so it doesn’t make sense to jeopardize their title hopes because of their star’s ego. If Curry feels any discomfort in that ankle, then he should observe from the bench if his team can win Game 2 without him. It’s not like the Rockets are an actual threat to upset Golden State, so the point guard must be smart about how much to push his body at this time. Fortunately, he has a coach who sees how long of a road the Warriors have to come, and Kerr deserves a lot of credit for putting his superstar on the pine.
Curry averaged 30.1 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game this season, and he will win his second NBA MVP later this postseason. He broke his own mark for three-pointers made, and he did this while leading his team to an historic record of 73-9. All of that won’t matter as much, though, if the Warriors can’t finish off this season with a championship. Let’s hope that this ankle doesn’t derail what has been a magical year for Golden State.
