Through four games and three quarters against the Houston Rockets, Steph Curry hadn't been Steph Curry.
Outside of his Game 1 dagger and decent Game 4 performance, the Warriors star struggled shooting the ball -- especially from 3-point range -- against the Rockets' lengthy defense. A number of theories for Curry's struggles have been bandied about, but reportedly the most obvious answer is the right one.
The two-time NBA MVP dislocated a finger on his left hand in Game 2. While Curry has made no excuses for his subpar performances, the finger reportedly is quite the issue, Sam Amick of The Athletic reported Thursday.
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"A source close to Curry said the finger that he dislocated in Game 2 continues to be a more significant problem than he’ll let on," Amick writes.
https://twitter.com/dkurtenbach/status/1125452641172185094
Despite his injured finger, Curry rose to the occasion Wednesday night at Oracle Arena.
With Kevin Durant out with a right calf injury and the Warriors taking on water against the Rockets, Curry reached back into the time machine and willed the Dubs to a 104-99 win to take a 3-2 series lead.
Golden State Warriors
Before Durant went out, Curry had registered just nine points on 4-for-14 shooting. But in the game's final 16 minutes, Curry scored 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting, outdueling James Harden -- wherever he was -- to push the Rockets to the brink of elimination.
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With his finger aching and the Warriors on fumes, Curry found a way to deliver a win.
As the Warriors go on, possibly without Durant, they'll need Curry to give them everything he can. Or, whatever his banged up finger will allow him to muster.