The 2022 NBA Finals get underway on Thursday night when the Golden State Warriors take on the Boston Celtics in Game 1. All of the expected faces will be there, including Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Jayson Tatum, and Marcus Smart.
Another player who is now expected to be available to play is Gary Payton II. According to Shams Charania, the Golden State guard will be dressed and available to play after a speedy recovery from an elbow fracture.
Payton, along with Otto Porter Jr. and Andre Iguodala are considered “questionable” heading into the game, according to Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.
Payton has been out of the lineup since the infamous play in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals when Memphis’ Dillon Brooks hit Payton from behind while he was going up for a layup. Payton fell hard to the ground and immediately grabbed his left arm. Brooks was ejected from the game and there was bad blood between the two teams for the duration of the series.
Shams has been reporting for a while that Payton was on track to return for the NBA Finals, but the fact that it appears to be happening is huge news, not just for Warriors fans but for the NBA world excited to see whether or not the Celtics can match-up with the franchise that’s been to six of the last eight Finals.
I started to write this story minutes after fracturing my left elbow, and all I got was people *laughing* at me. Seems unfair. https://t.co/QzLNeJi2PL https://t.co/eczeQxCzYr
— Grant Brisbee (@GrantBrisbee) June 2, 2022
Payton set career highs during the regular season with 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game.
[Shams]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.