Minneapolis – Stephen Curry was sitting on a chair with clothes that seemed ready to take 18 holes on the golf course rather than on the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Or more specifically, rigorous rehabilitation.
He came out carefully from the visitors to visitors and during the Night of Minneapolis on Tuesday, his left-wing hammers, the cause of the concerns for the Golden State Warriors and, honestly, the NBA.
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Inside the Warriors locker room, the conversations had not been from a team that had lost its leader for perhaps an extended period.
You could not say if it was afraid that their season is based strongly on the results of an MRI test Wednesday morning, and you could not say how much they followed a physical and emotional test in the first round.
The energy inside was not too different from what they displayed in 48 minutes of development, as They shocked the Timberwolves in match 1 of the semi-finals of the Western Conference with a 99-88 victory in the target center.
Curry came to box after a float at 8:46 of the second quarter, the final of his 13 points – it was a decision he had made so many times before and that it was starting, would have done much more tonight.
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Now, the Warriors call it “daily” and await the results of the MRI – and the calendar gives the Warriors no break because the games will be played every two days until there is a four -day break between games 5 and 6, if the series lasts so long.
This is yet another example of the unpredictability of these eliminatory series, especially for older statesmen. LeBron James, overturned by Donte Divincenzo in the decreasing minutes of the Lakers season, suffering from a MCL sprain. Damian Lillard sat on the ground of the Fiserv forum with an ironic smile, almost similar to a Joker, immediately after having torn his LCA.
And now perhaps, it's Curry adding to the list, putting a real doubt in the long-term perspectives of the Warriors for an upheaval in this series.
“He is obviously crushed,” said the Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who said that he had spoken to Curry at halftime and that Curry was already receiving treatment, a clear sign that his night was over. “Obviously, we are all concerned about Steph, but that is part of the game. The guys are injured and you are moving forward. Our guys have done a great job to move on.”
Stephen Curry has an MRI scheduled for Wednesday morning after injuring the leg on Tuesday evening in Minneapolis. (Photo / abbie parr)
(Associated Press)
It was only 48 hours after their victory determined in match 7 in Houston, the one Curry polished when Amen Thompson seemed to go down with a cramp, giving to the greatest living shooter more than sitting space to nail another heartbreaking triple and crushing the soul.
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Now, cruelty, or at least its possibility, has turned its head towards Curry. Even when he grabbed the back of his leg, he was able to go up and down for a defensive stop and an offensive game.
It is a better sign than most injuries to devastating hamstrings. There is a sustainable image of Magic Johnson, the founding member of the Pantheon of Great Point Guards, striking his hamstrings in match 2 of the NBA final of 1989 in Detroit. He could barely move, but he immediately knew the gravity, not wanting to leave the ground because the chances of three peat of the Lakers were destroyed at that time.
For Curry, he gave a decisive pass to Draymond Green for a 3 -point pointer and as the dead time was called, immediately started to go to the locker room. But there was no immediate resignation in the moment.
He said to Green, “I will come back” when Green noticed that Curry's approach was moved.
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It may be a good sign to move forward.
The best sign, we can assume that the warriors use Jimmy Butler. His regular season production does not seem radically different from the man he replaced, Andrew Wiggins, but there is a difference in the way he plays during this period of the year.
He defended everyone from Rudy Gobert to Julius Randle to Anthony Edwards, soothing the offensive while Buddy Hield woke up at the right time. Hield was a +16 in the first half, but had only two points (0-7 FG) in his name, then exploded in the third for 16 when the Timberwolves began to shake their lethargy.
“Robin (Butler) turned into Batman … Alfred (Hield) turned into Robin, and they just filled,” said Green. “It was beautiful to see.”
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Butler and Hield have this fun fraternal energy, where they hide to keep things light. Butler reprimanded Hield Hield so as not to have the right game shorts because Hield had to leave the game and change in the locker room.
Buddy Hield and Jimmy Butler intervened after Stephen Curry has drink from the field. (Photo / abbie parr)
(Associated Press)
But that maintains light things in serious and tense moments, especially for a team that has only much experience in the playoffs on the list.
“I saw Butters (Hield) be aggressive and take timely photos and make stops,” said Butler. “I think we all want 30 (curry), that's for sure. But we want him to do his best for himself, better for our group, long-term, long-term. And until then, we can maintain the fort. I know we can. “
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Whenever Hield can defend Anthony Edwards and surpass him (24 to 23 for Edwards), the Warriors will take this business each time. Butler helped control the tempo and seize key possessions with seven of his 11 rebounds to come on the offensive, marking 20 points with eight assists.
Butler has mixed with the culture of the Warriors since his arrival on the deadline, recovering from the management of Curry and Green. But the Warriors are in a place like the case of Miami Heat of these qualifying series, Butler had to occupy the front of the stage.
Regardless of the length of Curry's injury, Butler must do more, and he knows.
“I'm not a volume shooter. I have never been, probably never, but I'm going to play in the right way,” said Butler. “(If) my guys are open, I will pass it and they will shoot it. If they don't shoot it, probably shout them for not having shot the ball, and I'm just going to be effective.
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“I trained for that.”
In these heat races, the butler collected an average of 24.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.9 interceptions on use of 27%. For the context, its use has been around 21 years since arriving at the Warriors.
“We are two of the three leaders of this team,” Green told Yahoo Sports. “Our Down guy, we have to enter this category and understand it, help guys be able to succeed. We have to do it.”
Green admits that the Timberwolves, despite the fact that match 1, will probably feel more confident given the uncertain status of curry. But he will make Butler to do more.
“He knows, and we will make sure he knows it,” said Green.
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Green did not reach four triples in an eliminatory match since the 2017 semi-finals against Utah (he reached five in match 2 of this series), but came to life early when the Warriors needed spacing and shooting.
And it was perhaps just for a night with the Timberwolves who did everything they could to help the Warriors continue the NBA trend in the road teams to take care of business throughout the second round, missing 19 of their first 20 attempts.
It was as if they were trying to best the Boston Celtics Poor recognition of shots and decision -makingThus playing directly in the hands of warriors. Edwards, the next all the NBA, needed 28 minutes of match time to get his first bucket and his 23 -point charge and 14 rebounds came too little, too late because the Timberwolves could never be in front of the match.
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Nor could they use their size advantage to their liking, as the Warriors arrived at each loose ball.
Who knows if it is reproducible for match 2 or the rest of the series, but the waiting game begins.
Will Curry be there for match 3 at home? Or game 4? Or maybe even match 5, in this building, which could be a potential clinic for one or the other, as eccentric as these qualifying series have been.
But for the night, the warriors reigned without their king.
The Warriors did not even cry for a night, but they hope that joy comes in the morning.
