Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors showed early in the season that they are a force to be reckoned with. But the season is a marathon, not a sprint. The Dubs have been slowly limping down the rest of the season following a very strong start.

Curry's left foot injury has been a reason why the Warriors have slowed down. They are 1-6 since he went down with the injury and have slid down to fourth in the Western Conference standings.

The Warriors have five games remaining before the playoffs. The team announced that his next update will be provided in 10 days and that he is making good progress in his rehab. Golden State's last regular-season game takes place the day before Curry's update will be announced, so he is effectively shut down for the rest of the regular season.

The Warriors can avoid falling into the play-in tournament with just one win. They have just one more team with a .500 record or better left on their schedule (the Utah Jazz).

Golden State will miss Curry's presence down the stretch, both on offense and defense. Still, they could clinch a top-six berth without him, especially with the emergence of Jordan Poole as a serious scorer.

Curry is averaging 25.5 points, 6.3 assists and 5.2 rebounds while making a league-leading 4.5 3-pointers per game. Even though he isn't having his very best shooting season, he is invaluable to the Warriors. A playoff run isn't out of the question just yet, though Curry's injury could be the reason the Warriors fail to capitalize on this season.