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While the NBA is no longer a league that can be dominated by a single player carrying his team to a championship, Stephen Curry is the identity of the Golden State Warriors. Without him on the floor, this team is a shell of the contenders they know they can be, and that has been evident in the Western Conference Semifinal series between the Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Curry has not played since the first game of this NBA Playoffs series when he sustained a Grade 1 left hamstring strain about 16 minutes into the action. The team revealed his MRI results and injury diagnosis on May 7 and said he would be re-evaluated in one week.
On the eve of Curry having his hamstring re-evaluated, the Warriors find themselves with their season on the line, trailing the Timberwolves 3-1 in this conference semifinal series. Golden State has lost each of its last three games by a combined 36 points, as they most recently fell 117-110 on their home floor in Monday's Game 4.
Although Curry continues to make progress behind the scenes and is on schedule in his rehab during the first week of this injury, he is not expected to receive the full green light for Wednesday night's Game 5 in Minnesota, sources told ClutchPoints.
However, the good news is that the Warriors expect Curry to be cleared for further basketball and full movement activities upon being re-evaluated in preparation for a potential Game 6 in San Francisco.
Should he be cleared by some chance on Wednesday before Game 5, sources said Curry would be considered “doubtful” at best. He is expected to be ruled out on the team's first injury report for this game.
The Warriors star told Andscape's Marc J. Spears on Monday night that he doesn't expect to play in Game 5.
“Even if I wanted to be Superman, I couldn't,” Curry told ESPN regarding a potential expedited return from his hamstring injury.
Steph has gone through small workouts behind closed doors, but he has yet to sprint or do any serious running exercises, sources said. He also has not done any serious jumping or cutting on the court since suffering this hamstring injury. Curry has been jogging and testing out his hamstring more and more each day.
Curry will go through more on-court work leading up to Wednesday and the Warriors' Game 5 in Minnesota. If Golden State can steal another game on the road to extend this series, all indications point in the direction of Curry being upgraded and having a chance to play in Game 6, assuming he doesn't suffer any setbacks during his workouts.
Warriors' outlook without Stephen Curry
Although the team won't admit it, the Warriors understand that they need Curry on the floor to win this series against the Timberwolves. Then again, Draymond Green was adamant that the team doesn't need “Superman” immediately after falling into a 3-1 hole in the series.
“If he’s in the place where he can play, I’m sure he will. But we don’t need Superman,” Draymond Green told reporters after Monday's loss. “Gotta play the long game. If he can, we know he will, but there’s no pressure. We gotta figure out a way to win whether he plays or not.”
The Warriors remain of the mindset that they have enough talent to win on the road in Minneapolis without Curry. One of the main reasons for this is because they did so when he departed Game 1 on the road in the first half, but Golden State also maintains a high level of self-belief in themselves.
This organization still prides itself on the championship DNA that Steve Kerr, Draymond, and Steph have built. Since Jimmy Butler's arrival in February, the goal of contending for a championship has not disappeared, regardless of what injuries or adversity the team has dealt with.
While Kerr and others have admitted it's a challenge to figure things out on the court offensively without Curry leading the way, the team has found success without their star guard.
Although the Warriors lost back-to-back home games, they either led the Timberwolves or tied them in six of the eight quarters played.
After holding Minnesota to 40 first-half points in Game 3, the Dubs fell apart in the fourth quarter, and the Wolves outscored them by nine points. In Game 4 on Monday night, Golden State held a two-point lead at halftime before Minnesota outscored them 39-17 in the third quarter.
Should the Warriors put together a complete defensive performance for all 48 minutes in Game 5, they have proven that they are more than capable of hanging in there with Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle, and the Timberwolves.
Ultimately, the Dubs will need Jimmy Butler to be his All-Star self after recording just 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting in 34 minutes during Game 4. Butler wasn't feeling well throughout the day on Monday, sources said, likely factoring into his poor playoff performance.
On top of Butler being ready to play on Wednesday, the Warriors will once again be leaning on Jonathan Kuminga to help spearhead their offense without Curry.
Kuminga has scored at least 18 points in three straight games, averaging 14 shot attempts per game. His offensive production and scoring abilities will be vital to Golden State's chances of extending this series to a Game 6 in Chase Center.
Curry, as he prepares to kick things into a higher gear to try and make a return for a potential Game 6, will be with the team and again have to play the role of coach in Minnesota on Wednesday as he continues to rehab his hamstring injury.
