SAN FRANCISCO – Steph Curry to the rescue?
The Warriors cautioned against a hopeful yet hypothetical return of their injured superstar Wednesday night, when they must stave off elimination in their Minnesota return for Game 5 of their Western Conference semifinals.
“No, we’re not going to Superman this thing,” forward Draymond Green said after Monday’s 117-110 home loss. “If he’s in a place where he can play, I’m sure he will. Him and Rick (Celebrini, the Warriors’ director of sports medicine) and everybody will figure that out.
“But we don’t need Superman. Play the long game,” Green continued. “So if he can (play), we know he will. But there’s no pressure. We have to figure out how to win whether he plays or not.”
Coach Steve Kerr refused to entertain whether or not Curry could return Wednesday from a Grade 1 hamstring strain in last Tuesday’s series-opening loss at Minnesota.
“Wednesday, we’ll have an update,” said Kerr, adding that he assumes Curry will make the trip but had yet to confirm that with the four-time NBA champion, two-time league MVP and last summer’s key to the Olympic gold medal.
Kerr did not ignore the impact of Curry’s absence this series, not after the Warriors made just 37-of-85 field-goal attempts and just 8-of-27 from 3-point range Monday night. Super sub Jonathan Kuminga scored a team-high 23 points, but he made only 6-of-13 field-goal attempts; Green made 6-of-14 for 14 points, and Butler 5-of-9 for 14 points.
“The series changed with Steph’s injury, so everybody’s shots are going to be more difficult. Steph is the guy who breaks the defense down for us and creates that offensive flow. The end result is shots are more difficult for every single guy.”
It wasn’t easy for Curry to sit out as the Warriors lost back-to-back home playoff games in a series since the 2019 NBA Finals against Toronto, when Curry & Co. were seeking a three-peat at Oracle Arena.
Monday night, Curry wore a fashionable red jacket and black jeans instead of his No. 30 jersey. He was the last Warriors player off the court, making sure to high-five teammates as they glumly left Chase Center for perhaps the final time this season.
“You can tell it’s killing him not being on the floor but he’s keeping a positive sprit because we need his leadership,” center Kevon Looney said. “Everyone looks to him for his guidance and wisdom. On the floor, he’s trying to coach us up.”
“He’s not silent,” Green added. “He’s communicating with everyone, kind of a voice between coaches and players. You can tell he’s antsy. He grabs thew ball and starts dribbling.”
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“You give up 117 points without Steph, you’re likely losing,” Green added. “Everyone has to commit to getting it done on the defensive end.”
Dr. Nirav Pandya, a USCF professor of orthopedic surgery, also expressed caution about rushing Curry’s return. “In our study of hamstring injuries in NBA players over 5 years, nearly 81% of players suffered a subsequent injury in some part of their body with 37% suffering another hamstring injury,” Pandya posted on the social-media platform X after Monday’s game.
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