The Golden State Warriors have been up in arms over how the Houston Rockets have treated Stephen Curry in their first-round playoff series. The Rockets have been extremely physical, with Dillon Brooks even targeting Curry's injured thumb. Despite the uproar over that, Brooks had a message for Curry and the Warriors before Game 6.
“If he doesn’t want contact, he should play tennis," Brooks said.
That's classic Brooks right there. He has never been one who's scared to speak his mind, even if what he says isn't going to go down too well. There aren't too many around who would have openly admitted to targeting Curry's injured thumb the way Brooks did.
“If I had an injured ankle, I would attack that ankle every single time," Brooks said. "So, whatever they’re saying on the broadcast, they can keep saying it."
Brooks has most notably hit Curry's hand on multiple occasions in this series after the Warriors superstar shoots. That's not a foul according to the rule book, and he's taking full advantage of that.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has called for a rule change after this season. Kerr believes defenders have been taking advantage of this and have regularly hit shooters after they put up a shot all season long.
There is going to be no change in how the games are officiated in this series, though, so Curry will keep getting that treatment. Despite dealing with that thumb injury in his shooting hand, he still has had some magical moments in this series.
Curry had 31 points in Game 1 and then put up 36 in Game 3. That 36-point outing was simply spectacular, but the 37-year-old has struggled a bit outside of these two games, though.
Coming into Game 6, Curry is averaging 23.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in the series. Those aren't bad numbers, but you'd expect more from a player of his caliber. He failed to hit the 20-point mark in Games 4 and 5, and you struggle to recollect the last time that happened in back-to-back playoff games.
The Rockets have done a great job of limiting Curry, and it speaks to his greatness that he has still managed to go off twice in this series. The 11-time All-Star would be hoping he doesn't have to play the Rockets again this season after tonight.
While Curry wouldn't be the least bit afraid of the Rockets, it sure would feel nice not to be hit on the hand all the time. As for Brooks, who has averaged 15.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game against the Warriors coming into Game 6, he's desperate to extend this series.
The Rockets have had opportunities to regain control but have squandered them. They went down 3-1 following a crushing 109-106 loss in Game 4 but rebounded with a 131-116 win in Game 5. The odds are still well and truly against them, but they're still alive.
The Rockets won't be going down without a fight, and they led 53-48 at halftime in Game 6. They are in a position again to win a game at Chase Center, and it will be interesting to see if they succeed now after failing in Games 3 and 4. If they don't, well, then a season that promised much will end in the first round.
