Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00We want you to hear what Steph had to say today.
00:02This is a good portion of his media availability discussing his injury.
00:07Here is Steph Curry.
00:09How are you feeling, Steph?
00:10Feeling great.
00:11Sarcasm.
00:13How did it happen?
00:14And it looked like we just sort of looked up at one point and you were reaching for it.
00:18Was it on defense?
00:20That defense possession.
00:21It's hard to really predict this stuff is what I'm learning.
00:25There were no like warning signs or any weird feelings.
00:31I felt great the whole game up until that point.
00:36And then I made like a little pivot move on defense and felt something.
00:40Didn't think it was nothing or anything.
00:43I felt like I could just go get it released and would be able to come back out.
00:47But with soft tissue, stuff like that, it was one of those situations I could have done more damage if I tried to go back out.
00:57So obviously a tough break, but hopefully I'll be back soon.
01:02Do you have like a target in your mind or how are you kind of viewing this?
01:06This is new and from all that I've, or all that I'm learning about how quickly you can get back, there has to be a healing process that you, is just the way the body works.
01:17You can't accelerate it more than what it's telling you.
01:21So it'll be one of those after a week, like really reevaluating every day to kind of understand when it's safe.
01:29Just to even think about playing, let alone like how much can you push it?
01:33You've never had any type of hamstring issues in your life?
01:36First one.
01:37I mean, you're going to be completely around the team.
01:39You're here today.
01:40Have you talked to the guys?
01:43Do you need to talk to them or any kind of just like, hey, I'm here.
01:47I'm still around.
01:48No, they talk to me.
01:49This is the great vibe in our locker room in terms of, you know, them trying to hold the fort down.
01:55We have a lot of confidence that we can, you know, still win this series.
01:59And guys step up no matter how it looks.
02:02It's obviously a situation where you want to think positively and optimistically that, you know, we can win games and buy me some time to get back and stretch.
02:12Hopefully have another series after this and, you know, be able to be in a position where I can get back out there safely where I'm not putting too much risk on, you know, the body if it's not ready.
02:24So I think they understand the task.
02:26We all are in it together and I love the feedback I got from my guys of understanding what the challenge is.
02:33Are you still able to get, like, stationary shots up or anything like that?
02:35No, I'm a little ways away from that.
02:36You say not too much risk stuff.
02:38I mean, is there going to be a temptation that's like, okay, there's a chance I could re-injure, but I'm still going to play?
02:43Or do you have to fight that?
02:46There will be, eventually there will be conversations like that.
02:50I'm not even anywhere close to that right now.
02:52So I don't, I'm not rushing it.
02:56Because like I said, there has to be a natural healing process that happens and the body will tell you even if you're able to do, like, normal basketball movements, pain-free and all that stuff.
03:07And I know how tricky hamstrings can be where they can fool you and think that it's healed even if you don't feel anything.
03:13And so that gray area is a little confusing, will be confusing, I'm sure.
03:19But I'll do everything in my power to get back as soon as possible.
03:22Steph, because you said that the nature of this injury can be, can kind of fool you at times, what would it take for you to feel comfortable when you finally come back?
03:29Like, what's the bar for you to have to pass?
03:32I have no idea because I've never dealt with this before.
03:34So if it was my ankles or anything else, I'd be able to tell you pretty quickly, like, I know by said date I'll be good.
03:41But this one I have no clue, so I'm not trying to put any expectations other than I want to feel better each day as I go.
03:49Obviously working with Rick and his expertise on, again, doing everything that we can to get me back out there as soon as possible, that's the mission.
03:58And then whenever that time comes, I should have all the answers.
04:02And then is it, like, 24 hours of, like, STEM or anything like that, like, treatment?
04:06Is it?
04:07It's a lot, yeah.
04:08It's a little bit of everything.
04:09Seth, given that you haven't had this before, have you talked to Gary or someone on the team who has?
04:15I mean, obviously several, not a very uncommon injury.
04:18I will, for sure.
04:19I haven't.
04:20I've been in my feelings a little bit.
04:22Considering you went to this in 2016, something similar, not just a hamstring, but an injury.
04:27Does that make it more comforting or more frustrating?
04:30More frustrating because when you're 27, you feel like, you know, you're obviously in your prime.
04:36Like, every opportunity I have now, you don't want it to be wasted on an injury.
04:41Like, I'm thankful it wasn't worse.
04:43And I'm very aware of and appreciative that I have even a chance to come back.
04:49There's been injuries around the league that you're seeing guys don't have that option.
04:55So I'm just trying to stay in that mind frame.
04:57And hopefully things work out where I can come back and we have a chance to keep doing something special.
05:04But injuries are always hard emotionally just because, you know, none of this is guaranteed to be back, you know, in this environment or in the playoff experience and have an opportunity like that.
05:16So when you get hurt, you know, you have to be intentional about what you focus on.
05:20All right.
05:20There's Steph Curry today and his media availability all about the injury.
05:24You said after listening to this entire thing, it made you feel like he was going to be out even longer.
05:29Yes.
05:29Yeah.
05:30And it's just based on what he was explaining about how he doesn't know.
05:34And, you know, he mentioned it twice how, you know, he just is kind of not afraid, but he's really concerned about being able to go back out there.
05:43And I know the nature of the hamstring where it might feel okay, but it doesn't feel okay.
05:49And one foul move can, like, put you right back to where you were with the hamstring.
05:53And the fact that he said, yeah, if it was an ankle, like I could tell you right now, like if he sprained his ankle in that same way and it was like, ooh, grade one ankle, he'd say eight days, six days, nine days.
06:05Cause he's done it so many times he would know, but he doesn't know.
06:09And the fact that he's not even able to go out there and shoot stationary shots, not a big deal, but I think that he's being really, really cautious and conservative as they have to be.
06:19What I wonder, because someone asked me this today is how does the flow of the series affect decision-making down the road?
06:30And I know already that the Warriors and Steph will never do anything irresponsible, but I'm also mindful of what he said about hamstrings, which is that sometimes you think you're ready to go and you're not.
06:41So I don't know really how you ever get to a definitive spot where you know you are.
06:46And I wonder, for example, if that game six a week from Sunday rolls around, let's say that gets here, which I think is highly likely.
06:55Because I don't think the Wolves are going to win four in a row, but I also don't think the Warriors are going to win three of the next four.
07:02So I think it's very likely that game six Sunday, a week and a half from now gets here.
07:08And what if it does and it feels pretty good and you're down three, two, but you're not like a hundred percent sure that it's okay.
07:19What are the Warriors and Steph do in that situation?
07:21I think that they make the determination based on health and health alone.
07:26And that's the one thing that they've always done.
07:28And, you know, I think about the Kevin Durant situation where he had a calf strain and he and Rick Celebrini decided that, you know, he could play.
07:39They knew the risk and, well, the risk turned out to be everyone's worst nightmare because he tore his Achilles and that was it.
07:45The Klay Thompson one, you could never predict a torn ACL, but I think about the KD one a lot because, you know, was it a borderline call or was it was KD saying, no, I'm going to play no matter what.
07:57How did that actually play out when you have Steph Curry and you've got a hamstring, a first time hamstring?
08:02Well, he could play and he could be close to being good to go and he can go out there and he can play through it and he could help him win or help him lose and, you know, it'd be fine.
08:13Or he can go out there and make one false step and it can get worse and the Warriors can go out there and win the game.
08:20And, well, now Steph's going to be out two weeks.
08:22And so, yeah, you advance or maybe you force a game seven, but now you're going to be without Steph for two weeks.
08:28I just think when it comes to Steph, it's always, always, always a medical call more than it is a situational call.
08:35No doubt. No doubt.
08:36I don't think we know this about the Warriors.
08:38They're not going to be irresponsible.
08:39You hear it from Steph right there.
08:41They're not going to be irresponsible.
08:42That would be stupid.
08:43But I do wonder if you're facing elimination, you're facing the end of the year anyway.
08:49Yep. Yep.
08:50Right.
08:50So it's like, what really is the risk in that situation?
08:55It's significant because even if you do have the off season ahead, you still don't want a significant injury.
09:02Number one.
09:03And number two, there's always the possibility that even an all time great could go out there and actually perform worse than whoever his backup is.
09:10Even if the Warriors are down three to two, they're allowed to win the next two games without him.
09:15So that whole push pull to me, I think is going to be really, really difficult.
09:20Assuming that the Warriors get there.
09:22There's also this quote.
09:23This one kind of broke my heart a little bit.
09:25This one broke my heart a little bit.
09:26And I think this is what breaks Steph's heart.
09:28This is why he was in tears in the locker room.
09:32And I saw this from Cal Kami's Twitter.
09:35The quote is, the way we were playing and how I was playing individually that first half, I was starting to feel really, really good about where we were at.
09:51Then you kind of get gut punched.
09:54That one broke my heart a little bit because there's such an admission in there.
10:01There's Steph Curry saying that, like, look, we think we're great.
10:05We think we're this.
10:06We think we're that.
10:07Draymond at the All-Star Games is like, we're going to win a championship.
10:10Okay.
10:10But you still, you got to get in there and do it.
10:13They win their way out of the play-in tournament.
10:15They have to do a road game seven.
10:16They do it.
10:17And then they get off to this awesome start on the road in Minnesota.
10:22And he admits that what's going through his mind is, hold the fort.
10:27Like, we're threatening to take game one on the road, which really twists the percentages in our favor that we're going to make the conference finals.
10:38And the conference finals is when you can officially start saying, we're contending for a title.
10:42Absolutely.
10:43No matter who you play.
10:44No matter who you play.
10:45So he's sitting here on the court going, hold on a second.
10:50We got a, we got like a real shot maybe here.
10:53A real shot at that fifth ring.
10:57Then you come up lame.
10:58Right.
11:00It's extra frustrating when you have an injury of this nature.
11:03And I looked back at the play many times and he talked about it.
11:07He's on defense and they're playing zone.
11:09And all he does is, you know, he's shuffling and he does a hard jab step to the left.
11:15To try to show defense to the baseline.
11:17And then he pushes off and he comes back and he immediately goes up and grabs right below the buttock.
11:21And it's like, oh boy.
11:23And then you see him like again and he's holding it and he's holding it.
11:25And it's like, dude, you did nothing.
11:28You didn't, you did nothing.
11:29You just jabbed to the left.
11:31And then the hammy went out.
11:33Yeah.
11:33You know that.
11:34I've done it a couple of times.
11:35Yeah.
11:35And I've, I've had them.
11:36I haven't had a bad one, but like they just start barking.
11:39You're like, I didn't do anything.
11:41Nothing.
11:41Where'd this come from?
11:42Oh yeah.
11:42It just starts barking on you.
11:43And if it locks up, it locks up.
11:45Well, that's what he said.
11:46He's like, you know, I was hoping we can go back there and we can, you know, kind of work through it.
11:49Cause sometimes you get that little, Ooh, ah, the hammy, the tweak.
11:53And like, you're able to stretch and it's like, okay, you can stretch it out.
11:56We're going to baby it for a little bit.
11:57And then we're going to walk through it.
11:58We're going to walk it off and hopefully we'll be fine.
12:01And Steph tried to do that.
12:02And clearly it was way worse than, you know, being able to work through it.
12:07Cause he didn't even come back to the bench at all.
12:08And the word immediately came.
12:10He's out for the rest of the game.
12:11Right to the locker room.
12:12Right.
12:13Yeah.
12:13And he was playing great and they were playing great.
12:15And yeah, I'm sure he was starting to feel like, okay, we got through Houston.
12:19We got to the hard one.
12:20This is going to be hard, but we're starting to really hum.
12:24And you know, the only, I guess, positive through all this is that this will give his
12:29thumb some time to heal.
12:30Right.
12:31I mean, no one's going to be swatting his thumb for the next week.
12:35It's only a positive.
12:36If he does put a uniform on again, this year, right.
12:39And he will this calendar year, but this season, I don't know if he will.
12:43I don't know if he's going to get that opportunity.
12:44Hopefully they make it to where he gets that chance.
12:47And I was just looking at if he was to play again and sustain a complete rupture of the
12:54hamstring.
12:54Now you're looking at three to six months.
12:56Yep.
12:57And that is a really, really hard injury.
12:59And that's a hard rehab.
13:01And so three to six months takes you potentially two months into the start of next year.
13:06Right.
13:06Yeah.
13:06I mean, you don't want to do that.
13:08No.
13:08And so you don't want to do any of this stuff at that age, at that age, when you have a
13:12major injury, sometimes you're never the same.
13:14Yeah.
13:14Especially like you said, you know, he's 37 and he's never had this before.
13:17And so when you have a hamstring injury, you're going to get scar tissue.
13:21And if it's a grade one, you're not going to have a lot of scar tissue.
13:23But after a week or two, hopefully he's able to go through all the rehab and he'll get the
13:29best rehab known to man.
13:30And if he can play in game six, if they need him, that would be awesome.
13:35Golly.
13:36It's a shame.
13:37I can't believe it.
13:38And I just noticed that today is the anniversary of the Willis Reed game when Willis Reed famously
13:45limped back and was able to take the floor for the Knicks in their championship year.
13:50So you're saying that Steph will play tonight?
13:52I don't know about tonight, but game six could be his Willis Reed moment.
13:56It could be.
13:57Although I don't think Steph Curry is going to limp onto any basketball court.
14:01If he's still limping, he ain't playing.
14:02So I hear you.
14:04It was a different time.
14:05It was a different time and it's a different injury.
14:07Different injuries.
14:08You handle different ways.
14:10Some can get worse.
14:11Some can't.
14:11Just pain tolerance stuff.
14:13All right.
14:14Back to the phones.
14:15Bob Fitzgerald is going to join us in 10 minutes.
14:16Let's go to Kevin in Oakland.
14:18Hi, Kevin.
14:18Thanks for calling.
14:20Hey, guys.
14:22I'm feeling pretty good about tonight.
14:24Feeling hopeful, as you said.
14:25But one thing that worries me is this continued.
14:28I realize the defense is clamped down in the playoffs, but there's been a lot of shot clock
14:32violations and then possessions where they get down to three, four left and they throw
14:36it out to pods or to, you know, to dream on sometimes or Moses Moody and they fire up
14:41these terrible shots.
14:43And I'm wondering if that worries you guys as much as it worries me and why they seem
14:48to feel the need to kind of be stagnant like that when they, and especially after Steph
14:52went out.
14:52And I noticed it as a more.
14:53So that worries me for tonight and going forward.
14:56No doubt.
14:56And Kevin, here's why it, A, is a good observation, but B, doesn't worry me.
15:01I think what happens in a lot of those situations, first of all, the Warriors are going to be
15:06a little bit offensively challenged without Steph Curry.
15:08I totally get it.
15:10But when he's not out there, what I see, and it's actually sometimes even when he is out
15:16there, you have enough players on the Warriors who can put up a shot, but what clicks in the
15:22back of their mind, and I'm making this up, but this is just my observation.
15:26What clicks in the back of their mind is I could take this three pointer, but maybe this
15:32isn't the best shot we could get because, you know, Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler are both
15:37here, so let's keep moving the ball to see if we can get one of them an open look.
15:43Well, A, we may get some more shot clock violations because Minnesota is still a good defensive
15:48team, and the Warriors are going to have a harder time creating their own looks.
15:52The other side to that is, though, and this is my hope for how it gets fixed, look, Steph
15:59Curry is gone for now, so the rest of you, shoot it.
16:04What's your expression?
16:05Shoot your shot, it is all you got.
16:10So, Pods.
16:10Ladies and gentlemen.
16:11Oh, wait.
16:12Not quite yet.
16:13It's the best day of the week.
16:14Get me excited.
16:14Anyway, Pods and Moody and Kaminga if you get in there and Quentin for sure and my goodness,
16:22Pat Spencer, Mr. Not Scared.
16:24Shoot your shot, it is all you got.
16:27And Jimmy, you heard him say it.
16:29You don't have to worry about Buddy.
16:30He'll shoot.
16:31Right.
16:31But Jimmy said it in the press conference after the game, I'm going to get really ticked
16:36at these guys if the open shot comes their way and they don't take it.
16:40They have to take an open look when it comes because those are going to be like gold, and
16:45there's no reason to sit there and wait and hope that you can find an open one for Steph
16:50because right now he doesn't play for the Warriors.
16:51Yeah, he's not going to have a chance to shoot it.
16:53And I look for Draymond again to be as aggressive as he was in game one where, you know, he took
16:5810 threes, which is one of only four times in his career, playoff or regular season, and
17:03he shot 10 or more threes.
17:05So I look for that again, and he doesn't care if they leave him open.
17:09He's going to shoot it.
17:10And he was hot early and cold late, and that is usually the pattern for Draymond.
17:14But I think about the one thing I'm going to be watching is how they run their offense
17:18and how different it is.
17:19I think it's going to be a lot more of ISO and out.
17:21Like, you're going to give it to Jimmy and let Jimmy try to cook whatever matchup he
17:26has, and then if they double or if it's not going his way, kick it out and see if you
17:30can then pass pass and try to get a three.
17:3242 minutes for Jimmy tonight?
17:34Feels about right.
17:35Three minutes a half.
17:36And pending a blowout, right?
17:38Yeah, of course.
17:38I mean, pending it being...
17:39No, if you're in it, if you're in it, you keep him on the floor for all but three minutes
17:43a half, I would bet.
17:44Yeah, I just wonder who gets the come-up minutes, who gets the Steph minutes, because, you know,
17:50the easy answer is Kaminga, but Kaminga doesn't play great with Draymond and Jimmy, so...
17:54And that's not replacing Steph.
17:56I know it's not, but you're not going to play pods much more than you have.
18:00And Moses Moody played eight minutes.
18:02Does he play more?
18:03Probably.
18:04Gary plays a little bit more.
18:05Is it Pat Spencer who gets a real chance?
18:08Yeah, he plays more.
18:09I think Looney does, too, because you do...
18:13Listen, Steve will never say this, and I don't know this to be true, but I would think, you
18:18know, they've always had a defensive mentality.
18:21They've been a very, very good defensive team, but the importance of it now comes up even more,
18:27doesn't it?
18:27Like, I don't think the Warriors are capable of winning a game in the 120s against this
18:32team without Steph.
18:33So, like, the importance of your defensive possessions, that's what's going to keep you
18:37in it, and Looney was so good on defense the other night, and maybe he's tailor-made for
18:43this series.
18:44I know Houston was tall, too, but they're a little bit different with how they go about
18:49it.
18:49To have Gobert and Nas Reed and Julius Randle, I think, come on, Looney is on that list as
18:56well.
18:56So, let's go.