2 min read • June 15, 2022
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Heading into a potential championship-clinching Game 6 on Thursday, a lot has been made of whether Stephen Curry's left foot injury played into his unfamiliarly bad shooting performance in Game 5.
Curry followed up a 43-point, seven-three-pointer showing with 16 points on 7-22 shooting while failing to make a three for the first time in his 145-game playoff career.
The minor left foot injury that Curry suffered in Game 3 has made no significant impact on his play, according to the ProBasketballDocs, and certainly wasn't the cause of his off shooting night.
Curry maintains an SIC health score of 90 heading into Thursday's contest in Boston.
While more severe than in previous instances, Curry consistently posts one bad shooting performance in every Finals: he has posted one game of fewer than 20 points while making three-or-fewer threes in each of his six career championship series.
The biggest reason, however, was Boston's adjustment to task Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown with pushing Curry as far away from the play as possible while pushing up switching defenders from drop coverage, giving him less space to shoot while opening up the middle of the floor for the Warriors' frontcourt.
Curry appeared to point out a right pointer finger issue to assistant coach Brett Brown, according to video captured by Ed Greenberger here, but a minor finger issue wouldn't negatively impact his play. Curry has played with and through multiple finger ailments in his career while putting up impressive performances, including in Game 6 in Houston during thr 2019 playoffs.
As is now tradition, the Celtics are listing center Rob Williams III as questionable for Game 6 with left knee soreness.
The Pro Basketball Docs give Williams III an SIC score of 76 for Game 6.
Williams has been a difference maker in the Finals despite having to undergo around-the-clock treatment in between games on his left knee, which has included having it drained multiple times according to media reports.
Williams tweaked his left knee in Game 4 but played the second-most minutes of the playoffs in a Game 5 loss: Williams scored 10 points with eight rebounds in 30:14 but didn't record a block for only the third time this postseason.
The most concerning and impactful injury in the Finals continues to be Jayson Tatum's shoulder nerve issue.
The ProBasketballDocs have detailed before how Tatum's right shoulder flare-ups will likely continue to happen and worsen in severity as he deals with a potential cervical disc issue.
Tatum's scoring and efficiency has dipped since suffering a stinger on May 23, especially in the fourth quarter: the 24-year-old is averaging 23.2 points on 37.6% shooting and is only 5-21 in the fourth quarter.
Tatum holds an SIC health score of 79 as the Celtics look to extend their season to a winner-take-all Game 7.
Andrew Wiggins O25.5 Points+Rebounds - The Canadian international has played heavy minutes the majority of the playoffs beginning with the Gary Payton II injury in the second round and although all the small forwards that were injured are back (Otto Porter Jr. and Andre Iguodala), not one has had back-to-back games of consistent basketball leaving Wiggins firmly entrenched in any lineup HC Steve Kerr throws out, don't fall in love with the recent Payton Jr. performance and instead ride a prop that has hit in 4 of 5 Finals games
Robert Williams U8.5 Rebounds - The elite defensive center has played above expectations the past few games and has even eclipsed 30 minutes played in back-to-back matchups for the time since initial injury but the knee is still a lingering concern leaving him questionable for what seems like the umpteenth time this postseason, bet on the center to not reach 30 minutes for the third time in a row and to fall just short of his boards prop
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.@YahooSports Sources: Inside the lengths Boston Celtics center Robert Williams III has gone to play this postseason, including having knee drained repeatedly. sports.yahoo.com/sources-the-le…
