The Golden State Warriors could be eliminated from the playoffs on Thursday night, and with a 3-1 deficit they’ll have to defy the odds to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder and advance to the NBA Finals. The poor play of Draymond Green and Stephen Curry has derailed the Warriors over the last two games, which has invited questions about Curry’s health after he missed time earlier in the playoffs with a knee issue.

Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical passed along news that Curry is playing at “70 percent” after Tuesday night’s loss, which could have been expected. The reigning league MVP’s results over the last two games (5-for-21 from beyond the arc, 13-for-17 from the floor) suggest he is not at full strength, but it’s safe to say plenty of other guys on the floor at any time are dealing with an undocumented physical issue.

Curry has lost using injury as an excuse for bad performance. After coming off the bench in Game 4 of Golden State’s previous series against Portland, he taunted the road crowd by declaring “I’m back!” Using playing time as a gauge, Curry has played plenty of meaningful minutes since coming back in games that were not blowouts.

Curry was captured during a recent pre-game doing a 360 dunk, which is not a move someone on a bum knee should be doing in a meaningless situation. There’s a fine line between reasons and excuses, no matter what we’re talking about, but the idea Curry’s recent poor performance is tied strictly to an injury looks like an attempt to discredit the Thunder. That’s dangerous ground right now, as a team coming off a 73-9 regular season may fail to close the deal with a championship.