The dreadful nightmare has indeed become reality for the Golden State Warriors as the team lost the survival battle against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Round 2 playoff series. The loss pushed them 1-4 down in the series, and thus, the Warriors' season has come to a disappointing end. The consequence was always feared following the injury departure of Stephen Curry, and his absence was felt throughout the series.
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Steve Kerr Opens Up on How Impactful Stephen Curry's Injury Proved to Be
Despite starting on a positive note, taking a crucial 1-0 lead, the Golden State fell off and could not regain momentum and lost four in a row to crash out of the season. Steph Curry sustaining a hamstring injury turned out to be the turning point in the contest. The likes of Jimmy Butler and Jonathan Kuminga did their best to fill the void left by Curry, but it was too big of a loss, and they could not rescue the side.
Following the culmination of their campaign, head coach Steve Kerr has addressed the relevant query on how much Stephen Curry's injury hurt the Warriors, and whether the result would have been different had he featured in all the games.
“Actually, I don’t even have to think,” Kerr said. “I know we had a shot. I know we could have gone the distance. Maybe we wouldn’t have, but it doesn’t matter. Again, everything in the playoffs is about who stays healthy and who gets hot and are you playing well at the right time. Do you have multiple guys step up in key games, make shots. And do you have good health. You see it every year, in every series. There’s a little bit of luck involved, and we’ve been on both sides of that. It’s just part of it.”
ESPN reporter Ohm Youngmisuk, who asked the question prompting Kerr’s answer detailed above, posted to X in a definitive statement that “the Warriors didn’t want to take anything away from the Wolves.”
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T-Wolves in Western Conference Final
Minnesota has progressed to the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive year. They got the better of superstar laden LA Lakers and Golden State Warriors on the way to the final. The team is filled with youngsters who carry all the ideal attributes to contend for the championship. Moreover, they have a superstar in Anthony Edwards upon whom they can rely. They will await the winner of the Nuggets vs Thunder series, the eventual victor will take on the Timberwolves in the Western Conference final.