Last week Slate launched the Stephen Curry Ankle Watch, a series of updates on the Golden State Warriors star’s delicate right ankle, which he tweaked during Game 1 of his team’s first-round playoff series with the Houston Rockets. The good news is that Curry’s ankle now seems to be pretty much OK. The bad news is that during Game 4 he wrenched his right knee and had to sit out the second half of the game—and today an MRI confirmed that he has a “Grade I MCL sprain” and will likely miss at least two weeks of play.
What does this mean for you, the Curryphile? It means that you don’t have to give up all hope of seeing Curry play again this season; MCL sprains (which seem to be referred to sometimes as “MCL tears”) also come in more serious Grade II and Grade III varieties. But it also means that Curry will likely miss the rest of the Warriors’ series against the Rockets, which the W’s lead 3-1, and at least the first few games of his team’s second-round series. (This assumes that the Warriors finish off their series against the Rockets, which is very likely but obviously not guaranteed.) That second-round series will be against the Los Angeles Clippers or Portland Trail Blazers, who are currently playing a series that the Clippers lead 2-1. That series could end as soon as April 27 or as late as May 1; Curry fans should be rooting it for it to go 7 games, in which case the Warriors’ first second-round game wouldn’t be until May 3 at the soonest.
Portland and L.A. play tonight at 10:30 ET—you’ll want to root for a Blazers win to even things up. For now, just think positive thoughts and behold the updated status of the newly rechristened Stephen Curry Lower Extremity Joint Watch.
Photo illustration by Derreck Johnson. Image by Thearon W. Henderson
