Stephen Curry Lost the Ability to Use Injury as Excuse When He Yelled "I'm Back"

Golden State is on the brink of elimination and two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry looks mortal for the first time in two years. A record-setting regular season is in serious jeopardy of becoming a hollow accomplishment.

A 3-1 deficit would be daunting had the losses come in close games. The fact Oklahoma City has crushed the Warriors and usurped all their powers Monstars-style means the sky is falling in the Bay Area.

Curry has gone 13-for-37 from the floor and 5-for-21 from three-point range in 67 minutes as the Thunder grabbed control of the series. He’s created eight assists and turned the ball over seven times.

As the seconds ticked away in Game 4, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was coming next.

The answer? Yes.

Adrian Wojnarowski’s story from last night is the vessel.

"Curry has been a shell of himself – missing shots, throwing away passes, losing his dribble and completely unable to prove that there’s Curry-esque agility in that knee. “He’s playing at 70 percent, at best,” a source close to Curry told The Vertical. Curry refuses to make excuses, but privately the Thunder see something – no explosion, no ability to make the bigs switching onto him pay a price. Nineteen points on 20 shots Tuesday night bore no resemblance to the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player."

Now, there’s little doubt that Curry is playing at less than 100 percent. He missed six of the Warriors’ first eight playoffs games due to injuries and hasn’t shown the same explosiveness that’s become his calling card.

But at this time of the year, who is playing at peak health? And why is this nugget emerging now, when things look the bleakest?

This information could be seen as an excuse for Curry’s lackluster play. I’ll give his camp the benefit of the doubt and categorize it as an explanation.

A confusing explanation, especially when one considers the ample evidence Curry has provided to the contrary.

Exhibit No. 1 comes right from the source. After coming off the bench to score 40 points — including 17 in overtime — in a win over the Trail Blazers, Curry taunted the Portland crowd by saying, “I’m back!”

Players say all kinds of things on the court. But when you have a guy loudly proclaiming that he’s himself again, it submarines any future arguments that he’s a shell of himself.

Also, is it advisable for the most important player in a playoff series to be performing meaningless 360 degree dunks on a bum knee?

Seems like an interesting choice.

Since returning, Curry has played at least 37 minutes in every game that wasn’t a blowout. He averaged 34.5 points against Portland and is scoring 24.3 against Oklahoma City. His flurry of points in Game 2 is the major reason Golden State hasn’t already been swept.

If he’s really doing this at 70 percent, he should be commended.

For fun, though, let’s imagine LeBron James in a similar situation. You know LeBron James, the same guy who was tarred and feathered online for not playing through excruciating cramps in the 2014 NBA Finals. Do you think the public would be as willing to accept a “playing at 70 percent” narrative from his inner circle?

We don’t really know what’s going on with Curry’s health. What we do know is that he thought he “was back” 16 days ago. Whether that was a premature statement or not, it certainly takes some bite out of the “playing hurt” narrative.