Stephen Curry suffered a scary injury while driving for a basket in a game against the Toronto Raptors in the third quarter on Thursday, March 20. The Golden State Warriors point guard has been out since that game.
Now, analyst Mark Willard has taken aim at NBA officials for their poor judgment, and he doesn’t mince words as he highlights their questionable work during the game.
Mark Willard Targets NBA Officiating After Stephen Curry’s Tailbone Injury
Golden State fans were shocked as play resumed after Curry was taken off the court, still holding his back and in pain. The game continued, and no foul was called on the play where Curry was double-teamed.
Willard, on his show “95.7 The Game,” called out the referees for not protecting one of the game’s biggest stars. “Hey, NBA, you’ve got to protect. Stephen Curry. He’s your freaking face, and this is out of control,” he said.
“And only because he got hurt did it distract us from the fact that that guy got slammed from 2 Toronto Raptors and no foul was called… If he changed his name to LeBron, somebody would’ve gotten thrown out of the game.”
"Hey NBA, you've got. to protect. Stephen Curry. He's your freaking face and this is out of control.
And only because he got hurt did it distract us from the fact that that guy got slammed from 2 Toronto Raptors and no foul was called…
If he changed his name to Lebron,… pic.twitter.com/eD5QWcstp3
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame)
Tough Road Ahead for the Warriors Without Curry
Despite this being his 16th NBA season, Curry has been going strong this year. In 60 games, he’s averaged 24.2 points, 4,4 rebounds, and six assists. Two nights later without him, the Warriors lost 124-115 on the road to the Atlanta Hawks.
As it currently stands, Golden State is the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference with a 41-30 record. The Warriors sit just two games behind the fifth-ranked Memphis Grizzles. However, over their shoulders are the Los Angeles Clippers, who are only 0.5 games behind them for the final guaranteed playoff spot.
The Warriors are on a six-game road trip during a tough part of the season. Head coach Steve Kerr clearly wants Curry back to help hold onto a top-six playoff spot and avoid the play-in tournament.
“Steve Kerr said he is hopeful that Steph Curry will rejoin the Warriors at some point on this road trip. He will be re-evaluated on Monday,” ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk reported.
“Warriors play at Miami on Tuesday, at New Orleans on Friday, San Antonio next Sunday, Memphis following Tuesday and at Lakers on Thursday.”
Fans want Draymond Green and new arrival Jimmy Butler to step up in Curry’s absence. But that’s easier said than done, as shown in the loss to Atlanta.
The Warriors’ next game is Tuesday, March 25, against the Miami Heat at Kaseya Center.
