Steve Kerr Says Stephen Curry's Injuries Aren't Reason for Recent Slump

Stephen Curry is not playing at less than 100 percent—at least that's the story Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is sticking to.   

"Is that 'sources with knowledge of the team's thinking?'" Kerr asked reporters Wednesday, referring to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who wrote Curry was playing injured, per ESPN.com's Tim Keown. "Nobody has said anything about Steph being 70 percent to me. Training staff, relatives, friends, sources with knowledge of the team's thinking—nobody has told me he's 70 percent. Evidently they told the media but not me."

Curry, the two-time reigning MVP, shot a combined 13-of-37 in back-to-back losses to the Thunder in Oklahoma City in Games 3 and 4. He hit just five of 21 shots from three-point range and turned the ball over seven times combined in the losses. The underdog Thunder are now one victory from unseating the defending champions, who won an NBA-record 73 regular-season games.

Curry played a combined 39 minutes in Golden State's first eight playoff games. He sprained an ankle in Game 1 against the Houston Rockets that cost him two contests and then suffered a sprained MCL in Game 4. The knee injury did not seem to affect him against the Portland Trail Blazers but has become a talking point with the Warriors on the brink of elimination down 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals.

"He's playing at 70 percent, at best," a source told Wojnarowski.

Kerr said Curry is more affected by his layoff than any lingering injury.

"I know he's not injured—if he were injured, he would not be playing," Kerr said. "Is he bothered a little bit, perhaps by the layoff when he went three weeks without a game? He may not be quite where he needs to be, but it's not an injury, and that's the important thing."

The truth here is likely somewhere in the middle. Kerr's rust theory would have tracked better if Curry struggled against Portland. The 28-year-old returned from his knee injury on May 9. If anything, he should be rounding into form as the Oklahoma City series goes along rather than falling apart. 

Vince Cellini of NBA TV wants the Thunder to get their due:

The phrasing of Wojnarowski's report—"a source close to Curry"—is also interesting. This could be a case of Curry gutting through the pain; he'd hardly be the first athlete playing at less than 100 percent without being fully forthcoming.

What's clear is that this is not the same otherworldly player who was so good a video game couldn't even keep up with his greatness. Russell Westbrook is torching him on both ends of the floor, including with a virtuoso triple-double (36 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) in Oklahoma City's 118-94 Game 4 win. 

Curry isn't getting help from his supporting cast—particularly Draymond Green, who has been abysmal for two straight games—but the Warriors go as the MVP does. If Curry doesn't pick it up soon, the only history Golden State will be making is going down as the greatest NBA team to not win a championship.

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.