In the second game of the second round of the play-offs between Memphis and Golden State (106-101) on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, Gary Payton II suffered a big foul from Dillon Brooks after only three minutes of play. Left to dunk, the leader of the Warriors took the full force of the arm of the Grizzlies winger on the head before falling violently on the floor. Payton stayed on the ground and held his elbow before the offender was ruled out for the rest of the game. He risks a suspension of one or more games, if the NBA deems a sanction appropriate to the extent of the severity of the injury – a fracture of the left elbow presumably.
During the postgame, the members of the Warriors did not hide their bitterness towards Brooks. ” I don’t know if it was intentional, but it was dirtydeclares Steve Kerr, the coach of Golden State. Basketball in the play-offs is supposed to be physical, everyone has to fight. But there’s a code in this league that players follow that you never put a guy’s season or career in jeopardy by mowing him down mid-air and hitting him in the head, and in the end break his elbow. Dillon Brooks broke that code. That’s how I see it. »
“When something like this happens, it annoys you”
A statement shared by the leader and the star of the Warriors, Stephen Curry. ” I feel bad for Gary. It was his time to shine and an action like that knocks him out. He’s a badass, so when you see him in pain like that, you know it’s not something light. And when something like that happens, it pisses you off. »
Steve Kerr has confirmed that Gary Payton II will not be able to play again for the season. He will undergo an MRI during the day to find out the severity of his injury and the duration of his unavailability.
