Directly threatened by the Rockets for the last qualifying spot in the play-in tournament, the Warriors have almost no room for error. This did not prevent Steve Kerr from limiting Stephen Curry to just 30 minutes of play yesterday in Minnesota, which ended up costing Golden State dearly (114-110 defeat). But the Warriors coach does not regret his decision.
Stephen Curry sat helplessly on the bench when the Wolves turned the game around between the end of the third quarter and the first half of the fourth. Golden State was leading 70-65 when Steph exited the game. The score on his return? 97-89 for Minnesota with seven minutes remaining. We’ll let you do the math.
Obviously, coach Steve Kerr had to justify himself after the match. Why not bring Curry in earlier when the Dubs were taking on water? Why only 30 minutes of play when Golden State must win every game? Why, why, why?
“We can’t just rely on Steph game after game after game. We’ve been putting the weight of the franchise on his shoulders for 15 years. We can’t expect him to play 35 minutes. If you think the difference between winning and losing is that he played 30 minutes instead of 32, I completely disagree with that.
We tried to win the match. And we try to take it easy too.”
Something tells us that Warriors fans probably don’t agree with Kerr’s analysis. And Stephen Curry – 31 points yesterday – neither for that matter.
“I want to play as many minutes as possible, so I’m a little surprised (to have been on the bench this long) knowing that the Wolves were making a run. We lost our advantage in the score. […] I played the entire fourth quarter against Indiana [au match précédent, ndlr.] and it didn’t work. Tonight against Minnesota, it didn’t work either. We have to find the right balance.”
This isn’t the first time that Steve Kerr and Stephen Curry haven’t been completely on the same page this season. Just a month ago, Kerr explained his favorite’s shooting difficulties as “fatigue”. The 36-year-old sniper’s response? “I’m not tired, it’s just a lack of skills.”
Stephen Curry sat for 11 straight minutes as the Warriors crumbled to the Timberwolves. Even after he checked back in, he couldn’t save his team.
But Steve Kerr defended his choice: “we can’t ride Steph game after game after game.”
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) March 25, 2024
These questions about the use of Stephen Curry and the lack of balance come at a time when the Warriors are under more pressure than ever from the Rockets in the race for the play-in tournament. With this new defeat in Minnesota (the 7th in 11 games for GS), and Houston’s series of eight consecutive victories, Curry’s gang is only a small game ahead of the Texans. Suffice it to say that things are getting tense this matter!
In the middle of a road trip, the Warriors will have to react quickly if they want to avoid falling to 11th place in the West, synonymous with elimination even before the postseason. Needless to say, such a scenario would be a disaster for Golden State.
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Source texte : ESPN
2024-03-25 10:02:00
#Winning #matches #burning #Stephen #Curry #Steve #Kerrs #dilemma
