Winning can make a brutal injury slightly easier to swallow. Case in point: the Golden State Warriors' strong play has opened the door to Gary Payton II returning this season.
And he says he didn't need it, but Payton got a belated apology from Dillon Brooks after the Warriors eliminated the Grizzlies in the second round.
In Game 2 of their scrappy series, the Grizzlies' Brooks clobbered Payton in mid-air, and the Warriors guard broke his elbow on the ensuing fall.
The Warriors were furious, with head coach Steve Kerr saying Brooks "broke the code.