Major Boost for Stephen Curry’s Warriors Hours Ahead of NBA Finals vs Celtics as Injured Star Set to Return

Published 06/02/2022, 1:19 PM EDT

Stephen Curry and the Warriors face the Boston Celtics in one of the biggest stages ever. The hype around the two teams’ NBA Finals matchup is already over the roof as near the end of an amazing NBA season. The experienced and time-tested Warriors go up against the young Celtics.

The Warriors missed out on the playoffs for the past two years. They finally sealed the playoff spot this year and are in the Finals. During the playoffs so far, the Warriors didn’t need a game-7. But their route to the Finals wasn’t very comfortable. And they had some injuries along the way as well.

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During the Warriors’ Conference Semi-Finals against the Grizzlies, Gary Payton suffered a fractured elbow after a flagrant 2 foul from Dillon Brooks. It was one of the most talked-about topics during the series.

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Head coach Steve Kerr voiced out his support for Payton and also said that the foul was dirty. Brooks was suspended for a game without pay. But it is reported that Payton could be back and could play in game-1 of the NBA Finals.

Can Gary Payton help Stephen Curry and the Warriors?

Shams Charania reported that Gary Payton is on track to suit up and play in the game-1 of the Finals against the Boston Celtics. It would be a remarkable recovery after only fracturing his elbow a month back.

Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II is on track to dress and be available for Game 1 of the NBA Finals vs. Boston tonight, sources tell me and @anthonyVslater. Remarkable return process for Payton after fracturing his left elbow on May 3.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 2, 2022

Gary Payton is not known for his scoring prowess. The Warriors have Curry, Thompson, Poole, and Wiggins to take care of that department. But Payton plays a key role in the Warriors’ defense. The Warriors need all the help they need to defend the stars of this Celtics team, especially on the perimeter. And Payton could be a valuable asset in defending the perimeter.

In the playoffs this year, Gary averages 6.1 points, 3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.9 steals in 7 games. While it is not superstar numbers, he is still valuable for this Warriors team.

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Steph came up limping after fighting for a loose ball pic.twitter.com/hOjIvE2f8k
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 17, 2022

It is also interesting to note that Marcus Smart’s hustle play injured Stephen Curry, and he missed the rest of the regular-season games. While the Warriors fans would hope Curry wouldn’t get injured again, Steph would want revenge by winning the title.

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Do you think the Warriors can win the NBA title this year?

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Written by:

Bagavathi Eswaran is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been playing the game of basketball for more than 20 years now and has also been following the NBA for more than 10 years. After not being able to go pro, this former college player decided to join the IT industry.

Edited by:

Arunaditya Aima

Major Boost for Stephen Curry’s Warriors Hours Ahead of NBA Finals vs Celtics as Injured Star Set to Return

Can Gary Payton help Stephen Curry and the Warriors?

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