The Golden State Warriors endured yet another early exit from the playoffs. After a season in which they had little to zero expectations and exceeded them, they saw their season come to an end on Wednesday after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the second round.
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The Warriors now have a long summer ahead, during which they could be in the mix to add a short-term player to pair alongside Stephen Curry. Curry, 37, is coming off yet another stellar season; however, he was cut during Game 1 of the second-round series.
Curry sustained a left hamstring strain and was unable to appear for the rest of the series. He only played 13 minutes in the second round. While the Warriors were hoping to get him back for Game 6, they failed to extend their season for at least another game.
A day after the loss, Curry caught up with the media and made an odd comment to reporters after his press conference.
“Leave me alone this summer,” said Curry.
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
The 37-year-old superstar was unable to help out his team as they had a legitimate chance to make a finals run, possibly. Instead, their season came to an end without Curry being able to contribute.
“The only solace you can really take was that we had a chance,” Curry told The Athletic. “It’s kind of the ultimate gut-punch because of that. Makes it worse. You just don’t want to go out like that.”
The Warriors believed they could be the last team standing, but injuries had something to say about it. It was a season that was quite the roller coaster, especially in the first half of the season. The Warriors were mediocre at best, recording a 25-25 record through their first 50 games.
Everything shifted when the Warriors pulled off a blockbuster trade for Jimmy Butler ahead of the deadline. From that point through the end of the regular season, Golden State went 23-7 with Butler and Curry sharing the floor.
They looked every bit like a legitimate title threat—but once their star was sidelined, their chances vanished.
Now, Curry heads into his 17th NBA season. At age 38, he’s set to earn $62 million in what could be one of the final chapters of his Hall of Fame career.
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