The Golden State Warriors’ season continues to unravel with Dub Nation now feeling jittery over potentially having a rather short post-season. Stephen Curry’s long absence has not helped them, with the Warriors now having lost five in a row. The Chef, however, refuses to throw in the towel this season, and is hell-bent coming back before the play-in begins.
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At one point, No. 8 looked certain for the Warriors. But now, they’ve slipped to ninth in the West, with the Trail Blazers in a good position to pass them in the coming days. To make matters worse, Curry’s knee injury hasn’t improved, and he remains absent from the court. Following the loss to the Knicks on Sunday, he provided a timeline on his potential return.
Curry knows that there are fans in Bay Area who want him to just relax and focus on getting healthy for the 26-27 season. But that’s not something he’ll do.
In an interview with The Athletic, Curry, who recently turned 38, said, “If we have stuff to play for, we play. So, I’m working to get back.”
Curry has missed 18 back-to-back games for the Warriors now with a patellofemoral pain syndrome, more commonly known as ‘runners knee’. The Warriors are set to re-evaluate him on 22nd March, with hopes of having a clear timeline on his return then.
Curry understands that the Warriors aren’t favorites to win anymore. He’s not at a 100% and is unlikely to be even when he does return. Jimmy Butler is out with an ACL tear. And the rest of them just aren’t quite what a team needs to win back-to-back playoff series against the best. But still, the four-time NBA champion will aim for a fifth ring.
“I know we’re depleted, but the idea of my injury is just getting information by the day of, ‘Can I play safely? Be myself out there and not put myself in danger short term or long term?’ And then, we still have stuff to play for. We’d love to see guys in a playoff series and take a swing,” Curry said.
“Hopefully, see this team that’s currently constructed healthy for a stretch to learn as much as we can and compete. That’s who we are.”
The Warriors play the Wizards on Monday in what is a must-win game. They have to snap out of their losing streak to keep themselves in the hunt for higher seeds, or prevent themselves from dropping out of the top 10 altogether.
