The Timberwolves series was going to be a fantastic matchup for him. After a grueling seven-game slugfest against Houston — which Curry called one of the toughest defenses he’d ever faced — the floor was about to open up. In the 13 minutes he played before the injury, he scored 13 points while getting anywhere he wanted.
Just how much Curry could have dominated, and how far he could’ve taken Golden State, will forever be a mystery.
“I know we had a shot,” head coach Steve Kerr said after getting eliminated. “I know we could’ve gone the distance.”
The way the Warriors’ season ended showed how difficult a task they have ahead of them. Golden State needed to play a month of playoff-level ball to avoid the play-in before grinding through the Rockets and facing Minnesota in an every-other-day playoff structure. They made no excuses and admitted no fatigue, but that kind of lift is daunting for any team, let alone one led by three stars ages 37, 35, and 35.
For moments this postseason, the title looked up for grabs. In the East, the reigning champion Celtics blew consecutive 20-point leads before losing their best player to a catastrophic injury. The top-seeded Cavaliers broke down. In the West, the Clippers crashed out, and Denver and Oklahoma City beat each other up. The best teams in the league looked vulnerable. Draymond Green’s championship declaration from All-Star weekend didn’t look so crazy, after all. The Warriors had a chance to fill a power vacuum, like they did in 2022.
But the teams that win in the playoffs are a bundle of luck, health, continuity, and talent. Without Curry, the Warriors didn’t have enough.