Gary Payton II 'ready to go' for Warriors ahead of Game 1

It would have been a real shame if Gary Payton II had needed to sit on the sidelines as the Golden State Warriors took part in the NBA Finals.

The gritty guard played a huge part in getting the team here but after he fractured his elbow early in the Western Conference Semi-finals series with the Memphis Grizzlies following a controversial collision with Dillon Brooks which his head coach Steve Kerr said "broke the code", it looked like he may miss out on the moment he's worked so hard for.

The 29-year-old has bounced around the G League and had stints here and there with various teams including the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers on the fringes of NBA rosters but had never really carved out a role for himself. That was, until this season, where he has become a massive contributor for the Warriors from the bench.

The son of Hall of Famer Gary Payton – the last guard to win NBA Defensive Player of the Year before Marcus Smart managed to this season – has shown that toughness very much runs in the family genes and has demonstrated remarkable powers of recovery to be ready for Game 1 on Thursday night against the Boston Celtics, live on Sky Sports Arena & Main Event with repeats available on Friday morning.

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His injury occurred on May 3. Just under a month later, he has been confirmed as being available for the series opener.

"I'm ready to go," he said in Wednesday's media scrum, pending a couple of "green lights" from medical and training staff, which he subsequently got.

"Hopefully, you get to see the old GP you know, before the playoffs, in that first round of playoffs. So other than that, I'm ready to go."

He admitted to being a bit relieved that the injury a month wasn't the end of his story this season but how is Payton II finding his first time on the biggest stage of them all?

"It's unbelievable," he said. "The last 29 years I've been watching this from home. It's crazy just to be here and experiencing just this energy and this vibe is unbelievable. I'm just trying to take it in and enjoy it."

His dad did experience it when he won an NBA title in 2006 with the Miami Heat, so he has seen it before but it's a totally different experience as a player. He admits that keeping focused is what everyone has been preaching in the lead-up to the biggest series in basketball.

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"In Miami, I was just running around the arena so I didn't really quite watch too many of the games until like the last close-out game, but the environment is hectic." Payton II said. "It's crazy. Everybody's family, everybody is here. It's gonna be good to see everybody and have this experience with them.

"I have got a couple of champions on his team. They said it's pretty crazy around this time with media cameras everywhere, every day. Just try to stay locked in. You know, don't do anything crazy. stay locked in and try to get this done. And we can have all the fun we want after."

Surprisingly, Payton II hasn't spoken to his dad yet prior to the NBA Finals.

"I don't think there's anything he can really tell me at this point," he admitted, referring to his dad. "Or like, you know, just go out there and be myself, as usual, be aggressive and have fun. He's toned it down a lot since school so I guess that's a good thing. Hopefully, it's a good thing, but I'm sure I'll hear from him, if not then I will after the game for sure."

Payton II admits that preparation for this series is slightly different to any other but that the array of leaders and ring-winners in the locker room – Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and the likes – have all been telling him the same things

"They reiterate to us every day: stay locked in, go home, take care of your bodies, stay out of trouble – just the normal stuff," he added. "The playoffs are the biggest stage with the best people and the best players in the world so take advantage of it. Be there, ready, prepared, and ready for your moment.

"They're acting the same. It's meant more mentals (mental preparation). We watched a lot of film, a lot of film. We talked, you know, throughout the day, [about] what we're doing, what we're trying to do, what we're trying to get done. We just have great leaders out there from Iggy all the way down, you know, Wiggs, 30, Dray, Klay. We have a bunch of champions here that have been here multiple times. I just feed off them."

Payton II has shown more fight than most to ensure he has overcome every hurdle in his way to get a chance to compete for the Larry O'Brien. On Thursday night, he will fulfil a lifelong dream by playing on his stage – but the real dream is winning it and for that, he'll have to continue to keep fighting as hard as he ever has done to make sure the Golden State Warriors become champions once again.

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