Steve Kerr says Warriors ‘could have gone the distance’ if Curry healthy

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reckons his team could have gone all the way in the NBA 2024-25 season if Steph Curry had remained healthy. Curry suffered a hamstring strain in the opening game of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The talisman missed the next four games and the Dubs suffered a 4-1 series loss after losing Game 5 by 121-110 on Wednesday night.

The Warriors won the opening game of the series but lost the next four games without Curry’s services.

“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?”

Before the semifinals, the Warriors had stunned the second-seeded Houston Rockets as they won the series by 4-3.

The Warriors had the confidence on their side, but Curry’s injury was a huge blow for them.

“I think I still have that belief, wholeheartedly,” Green said Wednesday night. “That has not changed one bit. And you retool, you do whatever it is that you got to do to take that next step and give yourself a better chance.”

Golden State was 25-26 before Butler made his Warriors debut at the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 8. With Butler, the Warriors went 23-8. But, Buttler had suffered a nasty fall in the first round and was also suffering from illness.

“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.”