The Golden State Warriors overcame injuries to Gary Payton II and Jimmy Butler to win their first round playoff series against second seed Houston in seven games. With one day off they went to Minneapolis and won the first game of the second round series, but in the third quarter Steph Curry sustained a hamstring injury, which kept him out of the next four games. And essentially, that's all she wrote.
The Warriors best chance to extend the series to allow Curry to return for the sixth game was the third game, at home. Butler had 33 points and Kuminga 30, and the Dubs were leading in the fourth quarter, but the refs decided the game by giving Draymond Green his fifth and sixth fouls in quick succession. Without his defense the Wolves feasted at the basket.
But even if Curry hadn't gotten hurt, this series too probably would have gone seven games, and the rest that the Wolves got after overpowering the Lakers in five games, which showed up in their first game as rust, might have provided the energy to finally outlast the Dubs. In any case, MN just got better every game. The Warriors played well and kept every game close--they won three quarters in game 4 but they lost the third quarter badly and then the game. Even in the Wolves biggest win in game 5 the Warriors won several stats categories, but the Wolves shot over 60%.
After the game, the Warriors coach and star players congratulated the Timberwolves, and mouthed the cliche that injuries "are part of the game." But do they have to be as big a part as they have become? The so-called physical play that some teams use to target opponent stars is starting to determine outcomes. In other cases it may be hard to tell--was Jimmy Butler's injury that continued to limit him against the Wolves truly incidental and accidental? Maybe, but maybe not. And the brutal playoff schedule, when every game is so intense, had to play a role in Steph's injury.
Other teams, like Boston, maybe had it worse. But who gains by this, except team investors and owners by the number of games, though game attendance is a small part of their revenue. But even then, the League and basketball itself does not profit when stars can't play. And fans certainly don't profit when they are shortchanged by seeing lesser basketball than they would have. I doubt anybody much agrees with me, but I think the NBA is going down a dark road with too many games and too little protection for players.
As it is now, health, momentum and players rising to the occasion determine playoff outcomes, and the Timberwolves are conspicuously riding high. Peaking at the right time often looks like destiny. With vaunted OKC having trouble with Denver, the Wolves are the surprise team with the best chance at the championship. Whoever emerges from the West is likely to win it all.
For the Warriors, the end is also the beginning of shaping next year. Steph, Draymond and Jimmy Butler are the acknowledged core for the next two years. As to what the Warriors front office will do this offseason, I saw one prominent story saying they will shop aggressively for players, and another that said they are likely to take a conservative approach. Jonathan Kuminga is said to be on his way out, and a player who is highly valued as the Warriors future. I guess we'll see.
The last thing I'll say is how wrong I was about Jimmy Butler. He was not only the missing piece that made that late season run work, he has shown a devotion to team play and a loyalty to the Warriors, to Steph and to Coach Kerr. Instead of a negative in the locker room he has proved to be a positive. It was said that this is in some sense his pattern at first, but he can quickly sour on a team with disastrous results. Still, this relationship of Butler and the Warriors looks real.
That's one reason for optimism--the team has the entire offseason to bond more, and the entire early season to experiment without as much pressure. If JK stays, for example, Kerr intends to play him a lot with his core starters. Whatever happens, it became clear that Butler was the key to allow Steph to be Steph, and another season of that could be a joy forever.
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