Draymond Green saw Klay Thompson limping on his tender left ankle a day before Game 2 of the NBA Finals and quickly texted Nick Young to tell him the Golden State Warriors would need big minutes from the backup.
But Golden State’s most durable player and understated star once again managed to play through the pain and scored 20 points to help the Warriors beat Cleveland 122-103 to take a 2-0 series lead Sunday night.
”He came out there and gutted through it Youth Seattle Seahawks Jerseys ,” Green said. ”Even if you saw him take the first lay-up he took in warmups and ran back to the locker room. It’s like he’s not going to have it. Sure enough he did. I mean, that’s just a microcosm of who he is, one of the toughest guys if not the toughest guy I’ve ever played with. He’ll never get credit for it because he’s not going to physically beat you up. But one of the toughest, if not the toughest guy for sure.”
Green might be the loudest of Golden State’s four superstars and Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are the most accomplished. Thompson often flies a bit under the radar, just delivering lockdown defense and long-range shooting that help the Warriors thrive.
He’s so consistent and always available, having played in a franchise record 100 playoff games without missing a single one, that he sometimes gets overlooked. But after Cleveland’s J.R. Smith awkwardly fell into his left leg in the first half of Game 1, sending Thompson to the locker room following the scary fall Bengals Sam Hubbard Jersey , there has been plenty of focus on if he’d be able to play.
He made it back for the rest of Game 1 and scored 24 points in a 124-114 overtime win Thursday before the injury got worse the next day. But he still managed to play in Game 2 and shot 8 for 13, making three 3-pointers to become the sixth player with 300 in a career in the playoffs.
”Being on the training table for, it felt like, three straight days. That’s something I’m not used to,” Thompson said. ”But at this point in the season, any means necessary. And the ankle feels great. I won’t do much tomorrow and I’ll do a little bit Tuesday. But I’m just going to conserve all I’ve got for Wednesday because I don’t want to play with it. It’s something that you use a lot. I didn’t realize how much you use your ankle until you hurt it …”
That drew a quick quip from Curry, who has been plagued by ankle injuries throughout his career.
”You should have asked me,” Curry said.
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Wearing a brace around his surgically repaired left knee Cheap Josey Jewell Jersey , Carson Wentz participated in all of the Philadelphia Eagles' first training camp practice Thursday.
About seven months and two weeks removed from tearing two knee ligaments in a December game against the Rams, Wentz took a handful of reps, mainly leading the second-team offense.
"I thought he was comfortable," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. "He did some nice things today. It was very, very limited obviously, but we didn't do too much. I think we had 30 offensive plays. It was good. It was a good first start for everybody."
The Eagles practiced for about two hours and weren't in pads. None of their drills involved serious contact or tackling. The team doesn't usually practice in pads or tackle for the first three days of practice.
Nick Foles, who replaced Wentz and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl, worked with the first offense Thursday in Wentz's place. Foles said he doesn't need any commitment at some point from the coaches that he is or isn't the starter for the Sept. 6 season opener against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field.
Wentz said he hasn't yet received medical clearance for contact. Pederson offered no timetable for when the team expects Wentz to be cleared for contact practices and also didn't say if Wentz would play in the preseason.
Also undetermined Authentic Kyzir White Jersey , or just unannounced: How far along Wentz is right now toward full recovery and whether Wentz can expect to be cleared to start on Sept. 6.
"I'm not going to push him or get him out there sooner than he has to," Pederson added. "I want to make sure that he's 100 percent. He looked good today, and we're just going to continue to progress."
Wentz said any decision to clear him for contact practice or a preseason game would be made in conjunction with Pederson and the team's medical staff. Wentz, who set the team record for touchdown passes in a season last year with 33, didn't specify if he believes it's necessary to play in the preseason.
"My goal is Sept. 6," he said. "We'll see what happens with all that. But when I'm ready, I'll be ready."
Pederson sidestepped questions about the long-term plan for Wentz, or even a plan for when Wentz would take snaps with the first-team offense.
Asked when he needed to switch from a rehab mindset to a season preparation approach for his quarterback Adidas Blake Wheeler Jersey , Pederson said that he wasn't in any hurry to make that decision.
"We got a lot of time," Pederson said, when asked about shifting from rehab mode to season preparation. "Six weeks is a lot of time. A lot time. We're still evaluating everybody. I can't tell you exactly when that's going to be during camp, but ... I'm not going to push him. He and I are married to this deal, you know what I'm saying?"
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