Very few players in the history of the league understand the NBA Finals grind better than Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, who is trying to get back to that stage for the seventh time in his career at the age of 37.
The Houston Rockets pushed the Warriors all the way to a Game 7 in a hard-fought and especially physical first-round series, in which Curry was the focus of Houston\’s defense literally every minute that he was on the floor.
Curry, who has battled through a thumb injury on his shooting hand for weeks now, spoke on the court during the postgame after Golden State advanced to the second round. He was asked for his thoughts on the Warriors\’ upcoming opponents, the Minnesota Timberwolves, but openly admitted he was unable to muster the mental energy to get into that topic.
Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry.
© Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Curry said his brain was “fried” from the energy it took to overcome the young, athletic Rockets roster and lauded similar efforts from teammates like Jimmy Butler, who battled through an injury of his own for the majority of Round 1, and Buddy Hield, who tied a playoff record with nine made 3-pointers in a Game 7 on Sunday night, May 4.
Unfortunately for the banged up Warriors, they will have very little time to regroup before Game 1 tips off in Minnesota on Tuesday, with less than 48 hours of rest in between their Round 1 and Round 2 series.
The NBA\’s playoff schedule affords just one day of rest between each contest beginning with Game 1 and running through Game 5, which is likely to prove a significant advantage to the younger and better-rested Timberwolves.