Golden State Warriors players and assistant coach Luke Walton stands on the court. (Photo : Getty Images/Ezra Shaw)
Stephen Curry is set to miss a couple of weeks due to a Grade 1 MCL sprain he suffered in Game 4 against the Houston Rockets. The Golden State Warriors are still full of confidence going forward in the playoffs even without their superstar MVP.
The Warriors received some good and bad news following an MRI scan to determine the severity of Curry's knee injury. Tests revealed a Grade 1 MCL sprain that typically takes two to three weeks of recovery.
The reigning MVP who averaged 30.1 points in the regular season missed Game 2 and 3 against the Rockets due to an ankle sprain before going down again in Game 4. Even with the injury, Curry is in high spirits and his teammates are full of confidence heading to Game 5.
"I think our confidence level with Steph is through the roof. It's beyond high. Without Steph, it's still out the roof. We're not losing much confidence. We still believe in ourselves," Draymond Green said in an interview with USA Today.
Green added that he thinks it is possible for them to have a good run even without Curry for the next two weeks. They plan on doing the best they can until he gets cleared to play again.
2015-16 Coach of the Year Steve Kerr will rely on Green, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala to carry the load that Curry left. He will be using Shaun Livingston in Game 5 who started in Curry's absence in Game 2 and 3.
Livingston plans on being aggressive and expose the matchup problems he possesses due to his height and length. Golden State has shown their depth in this series by manhandling Houston in three out of the four games. Their lone loss in Game 3 came after James Harden hit a game-winning jump shot which the NBA admitted that should not have counted.
On the other hand, the Rockets are also confident about their chances of survival against the Warriors. According to ESPN, veteran loudmouth guard Jason Terry guarantees that there will be a Game 6 in Houston on April 28, Thursday.
If the Warriors advance to the second round, they will face the winners of the Clippers-Blazers series. The Blazers are now the favorites to move on the next round following the season-ending injuries to two of the Clippers' best players, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.
Game 5 of the first-round matchup between the Warriors and Rockets will be on April 27, Wednesday at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California.
Check out the video below for reactions of some Warriors players regarding Curry's injury.
