The Golden State Warriors battled to secure a second play-in spot, thanks to an incredible performance by their superstar, Steph Curry, but unfortunately, they couldn’t win a second play-in game to advance to the eighth seed.
Instead, Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns were victorious, 111-96, giving them a prize of a first-round matchup against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Meanwhile, the loss raised questions for the Warriors, including several about Curry’s future in the NBA.
With the conclusion of the past season, Curry played in his 17th season. While that’s not quite LeBron James territory, it’s still a lot for many players. Curry, 38, is also a four-time NBA champion, has participated in numerous All-Star Games and playoff runs, and has battled through injuries.
During his postgame press conference, a reporter asked Curry about how many seasons he could see himself continuing to play for. Warriors fans received good news with his answer.
“Multiple, for sure,” he stated, suggesting there’s more left in the tank for his career.
However, Curry was less clear about his desire to remain with Golden State, as he responded to questions about his interest in a contract extension.
“For sure,” Curry said, adding, “But none of those conversations have happened, so it’ll be a busy summer for the Warriors.”
Golden State’s scoring superstar dealt with a knee injury this past season that kept him out for several weeks before the end of the regular season. However, he managed to get back on the court in time to help with the play-in games.
He scored 35 in his team’s play-in win over the Los Angeles Clippers, achieving an upset that some people may not have expected. Curry then had a subpar performance in Phoenix, scoring just 17 points on 4-for-16 shooting, along with four assists and four rebounds.
It wasn’t another of those all-time great Curry performances we’ve seen over the years, but he’s still capable of putting on highlight-reel games when we least expect it. He had several near-50-point outings this past season, with two of them coming against the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs.
Unfortunately, with the loss, the Warriors are now enjoying their postseason vacation. The team started this season with plenty of potential, but their roster was hit with injury woes, including season-ending injuries to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody in recent months.
Still, there is optimism about the team’s future, as they may be active in pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo. There’s also speculation that LeBron James could move from the Lakers to the Warriors to form yet another superstar team-up with Curry.