Steve Kerr Says Stephen Curry Injury 'Changed Everything' For Warriors After Loss
Even though the Golden State Warriors' season officially ended on Wednesday night, their title chances were essentially ruined as soon as Stephen Curry went down with a hamstring injury.
Following the Warriors' 121-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals, head coach Steve Kerr acknowledged Curry's injury "changed everything" for the team and especially Jimmy Butler (starts at 7:15 mark).
Kerr also went on to say the Warriors with a healthy Curry were good enough to win a title this season.
"I don't even have to think what [if]," 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. Are you playing well at the right time?"
Curry suffered a strained hamstring in the second quarter of Game 1 against Minnesota. The Warriors were able to win that game, but their outlook for the remainder of the series was rough when it was revealed he would miss at least one week.
The addition of Butler prior to the trade deadline certainly gave the Warriors a big boost on both ends of the court. Unfortunately, he was also playing at less than 100 percent after suffering a pelvis injury that kept him out for Game 3 of the first-round series against the Houston Rockets.
It was apparent throughout this series that Butler wasn't going to be able to elevate Golden State's offense against a tenacious Minnesota defense. He averaged 20.2 points per game in the series, but it was on just 43.0 percent shooting from the field.
Kerr explained how the combination of Butler's injury and Curry's absence impacted what he saw from the way Minnesota was defending them:
"I think the injury in Houston definitely impacted him. He's been playing through pain. And I think the biggest thing in this series is that without the spacing that Steph gives us, Minnesota did a great job of just playing us one-on-one. They guarded us on the perimeter. They were trying to take away our 3s. And that forced Jimmy to play a lot of one-on-one against a long, athletic team."
Draymond Green echoed his coach's sentiments about the Warriors being a title contender at full strength after they brought in Butler.
"I think I still have that belief, wholeheartedly," he said. "That has not changed one bit. And you retool, you do whatever it is that you got to do to take that next step and give yourself a better chance."
There was some hope Curry could return for Game 6 if the Warriors could extend the series. He was cleared for light on-court work and shooting drills prior to Game 5.
Minnesota made sure Curry never got the chance to make a difference. All five Timberwolves starters scored at least 14 points, led by 29 from Julius Randle. Anthony Edwards finished with 22 points and 12 assists.
This marks the third consecutive year the Warriors haven't advanced past the second round since winning the 2022 NBA Finals. Their 48 regular-season wins were their most since that 2021-22 season.
