Steve Kerr Says Losing Stephen Curry Sealed the Warriors' Fate

The Golden State Warriors' season ended on Wednesday night when they were defeated in five games by the No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves. The Warriors, who entered the season with little to no expectations, made what some had considered an improbable run to the second round of the playoffs.

Nonetheless, the team that had dominated for the better part of the last decade failed to overcome the young, more physical Timberwolves. The Warriors were not only the smaller team in the series but also the most injured team. While the Warriors were only without one key player for this series, it happened to be arguably the best player in the series, Stephen Curry.

Curry missed most of the series after he suffered a left hamstring strain in Game 1 in the second quarter.

Outside of Game 1, the Warriors faced an uphill battle, and that proved to be the case as they lost four games in a row after winning the first game of the series.

After Wednesday's Game 5 loss, head coach Steve Kerr couldn't help but be blunt. He mentioned how this series was as good as done when they lost Curry.

"I don't even have to think what [if]," Kerr said. "I know we had a shot. I know we could have gone the distance.

"Maybe we wouldn't have, but it doesn't matter. Again, everything in the playoffs is about who stays healthy and who gets hot. Are you playing well at the right time?"

Prior to the injury, the Warriors were hitting their stride and looked like legitimate title contenders. Following the trade deadline, Golden State surged to the top in several key statistical areas, a run that directly translated into consistent success on the court.

From that point forward, the Warriors posted a 23-8 record—third-best in the league during that stretch. They led the NBA in defensive efficiency, ranked third in points allowed per game, and topped the charts in assists per contest, underscoring just how well the team was clicking on both ends of the floor.

They were not only a good team, but they proved to be a championship-level team. Led by Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green, it felt like they had the necessary pieces to get the job done.

Instead, the injury bug hit their best player, and there was so little they could have done.

"I think he was definitely compromised through all series," Kerr said. "I think the injury in Houston definitely impacted him. He's been playing through pain. And I think the biggest thing in this series is that without the spacing that Steph gives us, Minnesota did a great job of just playing us one-on-one. They guarded us on the perimeter. They were trying to take away our 3s. And that forced Jimmy to play a lot of one-on-one against a long, athletic team."

"Once Steph went out, it changed everything for our whole team, but especially for Jimmy."

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