Game 1 of the NBA Finals could not have gone worse for the Mavericks and their fans - they dropped Game 1 in Miami to the Heat, and Dirk Nowitzki injured himself in the fourth quarter. To make things worse, it was revealed that Nowitzki actually suffered a torn finger tendon in his non-shooting hand.
Still, there's some good news: Nowitzki doesn't think the injury is that serious, and he might not even need to play with a splint in Game 2.
"I have this splint on for now," said Nowitzki, whose tendon is detached in his top knuckle. "I think we're going to play around with some other stuff. Try tape, or try a splint from the back so I can feel the ball and not lose grip of the ball.
"We're going to play around with it today in practice, maybe tomorrow in shootaround. By then, I'll have an idea how it feels and how it is to play with the thing. I'll be OK. I'm really not worried. It's not that sore, so it should be OK."
While it's definitely good news, it's also news that needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Any athlete is going to downplay their injury - especially a superstar on the biggest stage. Nowitzki isn't going to come out and say that his finger is in constant pain.