USA TODAY Sports

Stephen Curry may be hesitant to discuss whether or not the MCL sprain he suffered early in the 2016 postseason had any impact on Golden State's eventual Finals loss to Cleveland ... but his personal trainer isn't.

Brandon Payne, who has trained Curry since 2011, told USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick that the back-to-back MVP wasn't the same player after suffering the injury.

“As bad as I wanted it to be him (in the Finals), it wasn’t him,” Payne said of Curry, who was sidelined for four games in the first two playoff rounds as a result of the sprain. “We don’t like to make excuses, and we’re not going to make excuses because all that matters is what happens in the 48 minutes when you’re on the floor. (But) I wish it was the other version of him, the version that we saw for 82 games.”

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