Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry finally broke his silence after sustaining a Grade 1 left hamstring strain in their 99-88 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Amid the speculations that he can return towards the end of the series if it goes beyond four games, Curry broke the bad news that put the Warriors’ playoff run in peril.
“No [I don’t have a target return date],” Curry told reporters after Thursday’s shootaround in Minnesota. “This is new, and from all that I’m learning about how quickly you get back, there has to be a healing process. It’s just the way the body works. You can’t accelerate it more than what it’s telling you. So it will be one of those after a week, like really re-evaluating every day, to kind of understand when it’s safe, just to even think about playing, let alone, like, how much can you push it?”
The Warriors announced that Curry will be re-evaluated in one week, which will keep him out of Games 2 to 4.
Strength in Numbers
While Curry is devastated by the ill-timed injury, he was encouraged by his teammates’ showing in the second half to get to a 1-0 series lead at the Timberwolves’ home floor.
“That’s the strength of what we can do,” Curry said of the Warriors’ resolve in the second half of Game 1 to fend off the Timberwolves’ comeback attempt. “We have, obviously, Jimmy [Butler] and Draymond [Green] quarterbacking both sides of the ball. Buddy [Hield] is playing at a high level. And then the committee of guys who have been filling the rotation.”
Hield picked up the scoring slack, delivering 22 of his 24 points in the second half. Butler added 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. Green had 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Veteran center Kevon Looney came off the bench to grab six rebounds as the Warriors outrebounded the taller Timberwolves 51-41.
Defense is the Warriors’ Calling Card
Their defense also held the Timberwolves, who averaged 103.3 points in their first-round win against the Los Angeles Lakers, to under 90 points in Game 1 despite having the fresher legs.
“We know that, and even if I’m out there, that [defense] is our calling card, but there’s a lot of confidence that guys can maintain and sustain that level,” Curry said.
The Warriors have the NBA’s best defense since Butler joined them after the February 6 trade deadline. While they are bracing for the Timberwolves to try to take advantage of Curry’s absence, Curry exuded confidence that the rest of the team can pick up the slack and buy him more time to recover.
“We know Minnesota is going to come back,” Curry said. “They’re motivated to get a win on their home floor, but over the course of the series, we feel like we’re in great shape.”
No Rush
Getty Former Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson reacts after hurting his leg against the Toronto Raptors in Game Six of the 2019 NBA Finals.
At this stage of his career, the 37-year-old Curry knows his championship window is nearing its end. But while the stakes are high, he will not jeopardize returning prematurely, which could pose a danger to his long-term health.
“I’m not rushing it like I said; there has to be a natural healing process that happens,” Curry said. “The body will tell you, even if you’re able to do like normal basketball movements and all that stuff. I know how tricky hamstrings can be, where they can fool you and think that they’re healed, even if you don’t feel anything.
Curry saw it when Klay Thompson, who suffered a mild hamstring strain in Game 2 of the 2019 NBA Finals, returned after only sitting out one game, only for him to tear his ACL in Game 6.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Steph Curry Breaks Silence on Return From Hamstring Injury appeared first on Heavy Sports.