Cole: Jimmy turns the season around, Curry doesn t hurt, we have a chance to go further

"I don't even have to think about what if, I know Curry isn't hurt, we have a chance, I know we could have gone further. Maybe we'll still fall, but that doesn't matter. The playoffs are all about who can stay healthy and in a hot state at the right time." Warriors coach Steve Cole said, whose team has just finished the season.

On May 15, the Warriors lost to the Timberwolves 110-121 away and lost 1-4 in the series. "Miracle" did not happen, they failed to wait until Stephen Curry returned, and after the core retreated in the first half of G1, the Warriors lost four consecutive games from G2. This is the first time that the Warriors have been eliminated in five games during the Cole coaching era.

"After Curry was injured, everything was changed for our team, especially for Jimmy Butler," Cole said.

Butler still failed to start the familiar playoff mode in this game. He played for 42 minutes, made 4 of 11 shots, 0 of 3 three-pointers, 9 of 11 free throws, scored 17 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Podjemsky and Kumingga scored higher than him, and he also made more shots than him. In the last game, Butler only made 9 shots and scored 14 points. At that time, Greene revealed that he was not feeling well after the game.

"I think he was obviously a little struggling in this whole round. The injury against the Rockets must have affected him. He has been enduring the pain and playing." Kerr said, "The most important thing is that with Curry's injury in this round, we had no room for him. The Timberwolves forced our players to play one by one. They stared at us from the outside and took away our three-point opportunity, forcing Butler to face some tall, long and athletic defenders to fight one by one."

But Butler failed to carry the team. In addition to scoring 30+ in the G3 outbreak, the forward had a weak presence after Curry was injured. The Warriors obviously cannot expect Podjemsky and Kumingga to lead the team to defeat the Timberwolves.

"There is no excuse, if you lose, you lose." Butler did not want to attribute the loss to his poor physical condition. But he also said bluntly that if Curry was healthy and the Warriors were in a good position, they would be more competitive.

"Of course, we all see the potential of this team when it's healthy, and everyone knows it and believes in it," Butler said.

Middle season, when the Warriors changed back to Butler, their season situation changed. The Warriors were 25 wins and 26 losses before the trade and were struggling with play-off tickets. After the trade, they finished with a final record of 23 wins and 8 losses, during this period, the league's third-largest win rate, the first in defense, and the first in assists per game. Shortly after getting this star, Green made a bold statement to win the championship.

"I think I still have this belief." Green said after losing and being out. "This has never changed. What you have to do is readjust, do everything that can move forward, and give yourself a better chance." The Warriors will undoubtedly continue to improve their lineup this summer. Cole and Green both believe that the team's general manager Dunleavy Jr. will do the necessary actions.

"I love the players in existence, and it was an amazing sprint considering where we were at the trade deadline, Jimmy changed our season and made everything work and gave us a chance to rush up. We became one of the best teams in the league, we had a chance, but things didn't go as we thought," Cole said.

(text/Thai Fu)