Behind the Locker Room Door: Marcus Camby's swollen hand

The Trail Blazers locker room was nearly deserted after Tuesday's Game 2 loss in Dallas when an irritated voice caught my attention.

"I don't care," Marcus Camby said sharply. "I'm playing."

Camby was sitting at his locker stall, still undressed, and his back to the room. He was flanked by team doctor Don Roberts and athletic trainer Jay Jensen. Roberts was seated to his left, and leaning in toward Camby, while Jensen leaned against the wall, looking down at the Blazers veteran center.

Roberts and Jensen were pleading for Camby to walk down the hall to have his right hand X-Rayed, but Camby was having none of it. 

During the course of the Blazers' 101-89 loss, Camby's right hand got caught in the jersey of a Mavericks player, during which something terribly wrong happened. Camby's usually long and sleek right hand hand now looked like a turkey drumstick, severely swollen in the curve between the thumb and forefinger.

When the Blazers' medical personnel saw the hand, they summoned the Mavericks X-Ray technician. The technician was now waiting for Camby down the hall, and despite the pleas of Roberts and Jensen, Camby was putting his foot down.

"They were wanting me to get film on it, but I was like, it doesn't really matter what the film says or anything," Camby said later. "It's playoff time. I'm still going to play."

Chagrined at the stubbornness of the 37-year-old, Roberts finally gave up. He patted Camby on his knee and said "We're going to have to take a look tomorrow."

"Doesn't matter," Camby said. "I'm playing."

If there has been a knock on Camby's distinguished 15-year career, it's that he doesn't play hurt. Even one of his closest allies, Blazers assistant Bill Bayno, acknowledged that Camby will wait until he is 100 percent healed before returning from injury.

It became somewhat of an issue this season, when Camby took longer than the team had hoped in coming back from minor knee surgery on Jan. 20.

"I can't really defend myself on what other people are thinking or saying; I'm never going to win that battle," Camby said. "Everyone plays hurt. I've been playing hurt all season long."

When the Blazers met Wednesday for a film session, Jensen again pleaded for Camby to get an X-Ray. The swelling was even worse, his knuckles no longer discernible. Camby again refused.