Kurtenbach: It’s 2021 all over again for the Warriors after Steph
Curry’s injury
Golden State Warriors: Steph Curry's injured left shoulder will sideline
him past Christmas, putting the Warriors in a deep hole they couldn't
afford.
>Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry reacts from the bench during the
second half of an NBA basketball game against the Milwaukee Bucks
Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
By DIETER KURTENBACH | dkurtenbach@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News
Group
PUBLISHED: December 15, 2022 at 5:26 p.m. | UPDATED: December 16, 2022
at 5:29 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/12/15/kurtenbach-steph-currys-out-for-at-least-two-weeks-and-its-2021-all-over-again-for-the-warriors/

The Warriors just received a big lump of coal in their stockings, just
over a week before Christmas.

Steph Curry’s left shoulder injury, sustained Wednesday in Indianapolis,
is going to keep the Warriors superstar out of the lineup for at least
two weeks.

Yes, he’s out for the Christmas Day game against the Grizzlies.

But knowing the Warriors messaging around injuries — they promise only
re-evaluation in two weeks, nothing more — Curry could well be out
longer than the seven games prescribed on Thursday.

It’s unlikely that Curry is back before the calendar flips. An absence
of double-digit games should be expected.

And with every game Curry misses, the Warriors’ chances of repeating as
champions slip.

>INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - DECEMBER 14: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden
State Warriors grimaces after being hurt in the third quarter of the
game against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on December 14,
2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges
and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is
consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License
Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Because the Warriors didn’t take care of business in the first third of
season, the Dubs go into Curry’s absence already in a hole — they have
the worst road record in the Western Conference, are barely holding the
final play-in tournament seed in, and are under .500 on the season.

Things are not good.

How much worse will it get with Curry out of the lineup?

Considering that the Warriors have won only 10 of 30 games without Curry
over the last three years and are 17 points per 100 possessions worse
without Curry on the floor this season, this next stretch is likely to
be pretty bad.

Strength In Numbers is a nice idea, but in reality, the strength comes
from Curry.

Curry will come back, eventually. And knowing him, he’ll return to his
MVP form — the same form that is positively responsible for the Warriors
having anywhere near a .500 team.

But what kind of hole will he return to?

>MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 13: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden
State Warriors waits for the opening tip during the first half of a game
against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on December 13, 2022 in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and
agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is
consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License
Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

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Chances are it will be fairly prodigious, meaning he’ll have to spend
the second half of the season (if he and the Warriors are lucky in his
recovery) leading the charge out of it.

This season has already resembled the 2021 campaign – albeit with
mercifully less Kelly Oubre. Now it’s eerie.

The Warriors were woeful on the road, they had no idea what to do with
James Wiseman, and then Curry picked up an injury 30-something games
into the season (remember his tailbone fracture?) with the Dubs holding
a mediocre record.

It all combined to leave the team needing a strong, late push to even
make the play-in game.

The Warriors made that push in 2021 — they were great down the stretch,
shortening their rotation and playing small ball. Curry was phenomenal.
But that great play only put them in the play-in tournament. They lost
both games in the NBA’s mini-tournament. They had to expend so much
energy to even make the postseason (or whatever the play-in tournament
is) that they had no gas left in the tank for the tournament itself.

It was a cautionary tale.

One the Warriors didn’t heed, at all, one season removed.

>Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) shows off his soccer skills
after the ball bounced off the hoop on a free throw by Boston Celtics'
Jayson Tatum (0) in the fourth quarter of their NBA game at Chase Center
in San Francisco, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022. (Ray Chavez/Bay
Area News Group)

No, instead, the defending champions have treated nearly every game like
it didn’t matter this season. They acted as if all they needed to do was
show up to the playoffs healthy and they would be in good shape to
retain the crown. After all, the Warriors were aggressively mediocre
from January on last season.

Of course, that overlooks the fact the Warriors started the season 29-7,
not losing back-to-back games until January. Because of that start,
Golden State could afford for Curry and Draymond Green to pick up
injuries last season.

The 2022-23 Warriors can’t afford anything, much less a serious injury
to their best player.

Now, this Warriors’ season isn’t over – this team still has the kind of
talent where missing the postseason would be an embarrassment.

But making the postseason is going to take some serious effort, now.

And amid the marathon that is the season, the Warriors’ early-campaign
coasting, and now Curry’s injuries mean that the team’s chances of
repeating as champions have taken a big — if not fatal — hit. It’s
simply too long of a sprint, now.