If anyone wonders how impactful Steph Curry is for the Warriors, just show them the ongoing playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. At the time of publishing, the Wolves are up 3-1 against a Warriors team that took down the No. 2-seeded Rockets. The only game that the Warriors won was the one Steph played in (albeit briefly).
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Steph was ruled out of Game 1 before the halftime buzzer sounded with a hamstring injury. The same injury kept him sidelined for Games 2, 3, and 4. Unfortunately for the Warriors, Curry will not be able to recover in time to return for a crucial win-or-go-home Game 5 tonight.
With Anthony Edwards and co. having a chance to secure a second straight Western Conference Finals berth, it seems that the panelists on ESPN’s First Take have given up on the Warriors. They moved on from discussing the series at hand to talking about Steph Curry and his chances of ever winning a title again.
Host Molly Qerim kicked things off, reminding that Steph is 37, and raised the question, “Do you feel that Steph has won his last championship?”
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo was the first to answer, agreeing with the question. Mad Dog reminded everyone about the tricky Western Conference, talking about the Rockets. He then names OKC and Minnesota as well. Russo believes this year could have been his best shot at the fifth championship, but the hamstring injury derailed it.
Udonis Haslem was up next. He agreed with Mad Dog, and talked about the age of the Warriors’ core, how Steph is 37, Draymond Green is 35, and Jimmy Butler is soon to be 36. UD pointed out how it’s been a decline for the Dubs since their 2022 championship, while absolving Steph of the blame.
Stephen A. Smith then joined the party, agreeing that Steph has won his last championship, but he had different reasons. “It’s not because of Steph at all. Steph is still playing like an all-world player when he’s on the court,” he said.
Smith then went on to point out the moment he knew Steph Curry’s championship window had closed. “I think the second we really, really knew in our hearts this was it was when they didn’t get Kevin Durant to come back,” he said. “Kevin Durant made it clear he didn’t want to go back.”
SAS referred to the Warriors’ failed attempt at trying for a reunion with Kevin Durant at the February trade deadline, which was shot down by KD. They did manage to get Jimmy Butler and turn around their fortune, but it seems like their luck has run out.
He then went on to talk about Butler and his inconsistent performance in this series, and how Father Time has caught up. Adding on, Smith expressed his disappointment in Draymond Green, who he believes should’ve been Defensive Player of the Year, getting outplayed by Jimmy Butler.
He went on to point out how the only way the Warriors get back on top is if they can get the talent to supplant younger teams like OKC, Minnesota, Dallas, Houston, and a rising San Antonio squad. Smith concluded his rant by saying, “I think we’ve seen the last of Steph Curry as a champion in Golden State.”
Sure, when put this way, the odds seem to be stacked against Curry and the Warriors. But to totally rule out the possibility that Curry can be back on top of the mountain again? That might just light a fire inside the Warriors star, like it has done before in the past.
Steph Curry had called out ESPN talking heads after 2022 Championship
It’s not the first time Steph Curry has been counted out of the title race—especially by an ESPN analyst. Back in 2021, after the Warriors had succumbed to the Lakers and then the Grizzlies in the play-in tournament, many counted the Warriors out.
One particular instance comes to mind when, on August 3, 2021, Kendrick Perkins made a big zero with his hand after saying, “I hate to say this right now, but to be honest with you, I don’t see the Golden State Warriors bringing another championship.”
317 days later, Steph Curry led the Warriors past the Celtics in TD Garden to clinch his 4th NBA Championship. The self-proclaimed ‘Petty King’ recalled the ESPN segment and during the post-game presser said, “I clearly remember some experts and talking heads putting up the big zero on how many championships we would have going forward, because of everything we’ve been through.”
Even though he never named Perk, it was clear as daylight who Curry was referring to. All Warriors fans would hope that Smith’s statement would light a fire inside Curry and the Dubs to go chase that elusive 5th ring and prove the talking heads wrong again.
