No More Miracles: The Warriors Swept Out, and Curry Watches Powerlessly

The miracle never came.

Today, the Golden State Warriors were easily defeated by the Minnesota Timberwolves, 110-121, on their home floor — a gentleman’s sweep sending them out of the playoffs.

Coincidentally, by the same scoreline and timing, they joined their old rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, in packing for an early vacation.

And yet, Stephen Curry remained on the bench, watching helplessly as his team was eliminated without him on the court.

Curry’s Lingering Injury Overshadowed the Series Itself

His hamstring strain has been the lingering headline throughout the entire series. Ever since he was injured in Game 1, the narrative shifted from “Can Curry return?” to “When will he return?”, and eventually to “If Curry were healthy, we wouldn’t be losing like this.”

His injury became a bigger talking point than the games themselves.

And if you view this through the lens of his old rival, LeBron James, the irony is hard to ignore.

The Double Standard in NBA Fan Culture

Just ten days ago, when LeBron and the Lakers were eliminated by the Timberwolves — after Donte DiVincenzo (a former Warrior) collided with LeBron’s knee, causing a ligament strain — the public response was very different:

"Faking an injury to avoid blame."

"A loss is a loss — stop using injuries as an excuse."

"He always finds a way to deflect attention when he loses!"

So, if we applied those same standards to Curry and the Warriors today, the narrative would probably look something like this:

• Seeing the Wolves this hot? Better sit out early and blame Jimmy Butler later.

• Dislikes Kuminga, saw Kerr was about to play him heavy minutes, so tapped out.

• Knew this year was a lost cause. Getting past the first round was good enough, might as well let the world see what the Warriors really are without him.

• Kept delaying an official season-ending announcement just to avoid being labeled a “quitter.”

After LeBron’s infamous “smart groin” a few years back, it seems Steph Curry now has his own “smart hamstring.” No worries — he’ll probably need it again next season.

The Reality of Aging and Elite Longevity

Jokes aside, let’s talk seriously about what’s happening with Curry’s body.

Born in 1988, Curry is now a 37-year-old veteran guard. Among elite point guards in NBA history, only Jason Kidd and John Stockton were still starting and leading teams into the playoffs at this age.

But there’s a key difference:

• Kidd, by his late-Mavericks years, was more of a defensive anchor and floor general, no longer the offensive engine.

• Stockton was never reliant on athleticism and had the benefit of running alongside Karl Malone for nearly two decades.

Neither of them was being asked, at 37, to sprint around screens and carry an offense built entirely around their movement like Curry is today.

Curry’s Athleticism Is Elite — But Durability Has Always Been a Question

I’ve never bought the narrative from some overly sympathetic fans that Curry is a “scrappy overachiever” with average talent who succeeded solely through hard work.

His core strength, coordination, reaction time, decision-making, and basketball IQ are all historically elite. Not to mention the greatest shooting touch the game has ever seen — a gift forged from NBA genetics and a mother with equally impressive athleticism.

But when it comes to pure durability, Curry has always been behind the likes of LeBron, Chris Paul, and James Harden. Warriors fans are used to Steph catching fire for a few games, then needing a few nights off to recharge. His recovery window is still better than LeBron’s at 40, but it’s noticeably affecting Golden State’s consistency through the regular season.

Kerr has practically staked his coaching legacy on strict minute management for Steph. But no amount of rest can turn back the clock a decade.

Jimmy Butler’s Arrival Gave Hope — But Reality Hit Hard

The Warriors’ big move this season was bringing in Jimmy Butler, hoping they were getting the “Jordan’s illegitimate son” version who dominated the East a few years back.

Instead, Butler’s greatest contribution so far has been slightly reducing Curry’s offensive burden, letting Steph stay effective for longer stretches.

But what Curry really wanted was peak Butler — someone to play the Andre Iguodala role through the regular season and turn into “Playoff Durant” when it counted.

At 35, however, Butler isn’t even as durable as Curry. After injuring his tailbone against the Rockets, he was already fading by Game 2 against Minnesota, only showing flashes in Game 3 before disappearing completely.

The Signs Were There All Along

I’ve been saying it on livestreams and in columns since last season: Curry’s body can no longer handle the grind of a full campaign. Every extra playoff series increases his risk of a serious injury.

The Kings’ elimination of the Warriors in the Play-In last year might have spared Steph one more postseason beating. But we all remember how rough it was in that series — Keon Ellis made life hell for Curry, holding him to 22 points on 16 shots in their final clash.

This season was worse. The Play-In loss to the Clippers forced the Warriors into two grueling series against the hyper-athletic Rockets and Timberwolves.
They scraped past Houston, but seven games left Curry utterly drained. Collapsing against Minnesota felt inevitable.

The Injury Excuse Doesn’t Hold Up for a Player of His Status

Using a hamstring strain to sit out a do-or-die series is a tough look for a historically elite player.

Consider this:

• 1998 NBA Finals, Game 6: 35-year-old Michael Jordan played 44 minutes, scored 45 of his team’s 87 points, and nailed The Shot despite assistant coach Tex Winter shouting at Phil Jackson, “Take him out, his legs are gone!”

• 2009-10 Season: Kobe Bryant played with multiple broken fingers, hit six game-winners during the regular season, and willed the Lakers past the Celtics in the Finals to claim his fifth ring.

• 2001 Playoffs: Allen Iverson fought through 13 documented injuries to drag the Sixers to the Finals. Coach Larry Brown and captain Eric Snow once had to physically restrain him from playing a game.

• LeBron James: The NBA’s all-time playoff appearance leader, and incredibly, has never missed a postseason game in 18 playoff runs across 22 seasons.

True leaders don’t leave their teammates to fight alone in elimination games. They might ask for extra timeouts, but they’ll be out there.

The Warriors Need to Face Reality

Now, the entire Warriors organization is suddenly adopting the “Let’s win one for Steph” narrative — conveniently forgetting that in 2019, both Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson tore their Achilles and ACL chasing another ring.

And Curry’s response this time?
"I’m not a superhero."

Fair enough. If he’s no superhero anymore, then maybe it’s time to embrace a graceful twilight in Golden State. Stop selling fans on championship-or-bust expectations, and stop pressuring management to chase star partners.

Because truth is — there’s only one Durant-level player willing to join this cause in a lifetime. And they already had him.