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Stephen Curry has been forced onto the sidelines following his controversial collision with Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart. The Golden State Warriors will reportedly miss their star player for the foreseeable future.
Warriors role player Juan Toscano-Anderson weighed in on the allegedly dirty hit by Marcus Smart. To him, it wasn't as deplorable as most observers are making it out to be.
Via Anthony Slater:
“I don't think it was a dirty play,” said the Warriors forward. “Could've probably been a little more cautious. But when you play that hard and all you know is to do that. It's kind of like me diving over the scoreboard for the ball. If I had time to think about it, I probably wouldn't do it, but it's just the natural instinct. We all know that's Marcus Smart, though. That's how he plays. He plays gritty, 50/50 balls. … unfortunately Steph Curry was a casualty of that But that's part of the game, right?”
JTA plays a somewhat similar role to Marcus Smart in that he's out there to bring energy, hustle for loose balls, and try to impact the game on the defensive end. He knows what that role entails and how the instincts kick in when trying to make winning plays for your team.
But not everyone was as forgiving of Marcus Smart as JTA was. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr admitted that he confronted the Celtics guard over the “dangerous” play.
“I thought it was a dangerous play. I thought Marcus had dove into Steph's knee. That's what I was upset about. A lot of respect for Marcus. He's a hell of a player. Gamer. Competitor. I coaching him in the World Cup a few summers ago. We talked after the game. We're good. But I thought it was a dangerous play and just let him know.”
According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the Warriors largely avoided a more serious injury when it came to the initial diagnosis. Stephen Curry is reportedly dealing with a sprained ligament in his foot but nothing currently season-ending.
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Via Shams:
Warriors star Stephen Curry has been diagnosed with a sprained ligament in left foot that will sideline him indefinitely, sources tell The Athletic. X-rays on the foot returned negative Wednesday night – meaning no fracture or major damage, a sigh of relief.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski offered a a glimpse into the potential timetable of Steph Curry's return. The Warriors are hoping to have their superstar back right as the NBA playoffs begin.
Via Woj:
Initial evaluation of Steph Curry's sprained ligament in his left foot offers optimism that he can return by the start of the playoffs in mid-April, but he's expected to see specialists soon for further evaluation, sources tell Ramona Shelburne and me.
The Golden State Warriors have been playing undermanned the entire season, and that looks to continue during the final stretch of games leading into the playoffs. They'll lose the chance to build team-wide chemistry on the court, but Warriors fans can at least be content that Steph Curry likely still takes the court this season. When that happens, Golden State always has a chance.
