One of the biggest storylines in the Golden State Warriors' first-round NBA playoffs matchup against the Houston Rockets has centered around Steph Curry's concerning thumb injury.
Ahead of Golden State's Game 5 loss on Wednesday, a photo of Curry's swollen right thumb made its rounds on social media. Fans and experts alike were stunned by the condition of the former back-to-back MVP's thumb, which is an issue that he has been playing through since January.
NBA guru Shams Charania provided a major update on Curry's lingering injury ahead of Friday's Game 6 clash. According to the renowned insider, the Warriors superstar has vowed to continue playing through the issue.
"Malika, right now, Stephen Curry will play, but what he deals with is irritation at times," Charania said. "And it's really whenever that thumb gets hit. But this is a contact sport. That's a part of it. He knows that.
"I spoke to some Warriors sources today, and they told me that Stephen Curry is fine. He's fine enough to play. He's not even on our injury report.
"And for his part, I'm told Stephen Curry has told people around the Warriors and people around him even this week that, 'Yeah, it hurts. But I'm not talking about this. I'm not here to discuss this. I'm here to just play. I'm just playing on this. I'm just playing through it.'
"And that's his mentality. He's just going to continue to play on."
This is not the first time Curry has played through an injury, and it very likely won't be the last. However, the 11-time All-Star knows full well what's at stake in the playoffs, and he just refuses to let this problem get in the way of his or his team's objectives this season.
Charania did note, though, that the plan is to deal with this injury once the season has come to an end.
"I do expect him to get that reexamined after the season," Charania continued. "But right now, Stephen Curry, he's not using that as an excuse. He doesn't even want to talk about it."
The fact of the matter here is that Curry is hurt, and he currently is not 100% healthy. The injury is in his shooting hand, too, which makes the issue even more complicated.
Be that as it may, Curry has no intention whatsoever to sit out because of this injury -- not when the stakes are this high.
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