Голдэн Стэйт Уорриорсын од хамгаалагч Стефен Карри хэвлийн булчингийн гэмтэл авч, ойрын хоёр долоо хоногт тоглох боломжгүй болсноо баг мэдэгдлээ.
Стефен Карри лхагва гарагт Хьюстон Рокетс багт 115-108-ын харьцаатай хожигдсон тоглолтын эхний хагаст гэмтсэн юм. 38 настай тоглогч нь энэ улиралд 8-4 гэсэн амжилттай яваа багийн гол хөдөлгөгч хүч байсан бөгөөд 2016 оны MVP хүртэж байсан улиралтайгаа дүйцэхүйц үр дүнтэй тоглолтыг үзүүлж байв. Багийн ахлах дасгалжуулагч Стив Керр болон Дрэймонд Грийн нар багийнхаа нэгдмэл байдал, өөртөө итгэх итгэлийн ачаар Карриг байхгүй хугацаанд ч амжилттай тоглох боломжтой гэж үзэж байна.
Уорриорс ирэх хоёр долоо хоногт Сан Антонио, Даллас, Мемфис, Бостон, Портленд зэрэг хүчтэй өрсөлдөгчидтэй тулна. Карригүйгээр талбайд гарсан үедээ баг нь өнгөрсөн улиралтай харьцуулахад илүү сайн тоглож байгааг статистик үзүүлэлтүүд харуулж байна. Дөрөв дэх улиралдаа тоглож буй Брандин Подземски болон шинэ тоглогч Яксел Лендеборг нар багийн амжилтад илүү их үүрэг гүйцэтгэх хүлээлттэй байна. Лендеборг нь 21.7 онооны дундажтайгаар багийн хоёр дахь мэргэн буучаар нэрлэгдэж байгаа юм.
Карригийн эзгүйд баг нь бөмбөг хуваалцах, дамжуулалт хийх тал дээр илүү анхаарах шаардлагатай болж байна. Багийн гарааны бүрэлдэхүүнд байгаа Дрэймонд Грийн, Ал Хорфорд, Де’Энтони Мелтон, Подземски болон Лендеборг нар нь хамтдаа тоглолтыг найруулах чадвартай гэж үзэж байгаа аж. Уорриорс хамгаалалтын хувьд өрсөлдөгчдийн бөмбөг алдалтыг оновчтой ашиглаж, оноо авах тал дээр лигтээ дээгүүрт бичигдэж байна.
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On Thursday, the Golden State Warriors announced that star guard Steph Curry was diagnosed with an oblique abdominal tear and will be shelved for at least the next two weeks. The 38-year-old suffered the injury midway through the first quarter of Wednesday’s 115-108 loss to the Houston Rockets.
For a team and organization that has orbited around Curry’s generational gravity for nearly two decades, the loss is significant. Prior to Wednesday’s loss (Curry played just five minutes), he had been averaging near-identical production to his 2016 MVP season.
The 18-year veteran has been able to shoulder a seismic load — due to the absence of Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porziņģis’ abrupt decision to step away from basketball citing health reasons — handling the ball more than ever and converting shots at the most efficient rate, all while minimizing turnovers. Curry has been the driving force for the 8-4 Warriors, who have won eight of their past nine games, which is nothing short of a testament to his greatness amid a loaded Western Conference and a team that, on paper, pales in comparison to its peers.
The Warriors’ next seven games offer quite the challenge. In the coming fortnight, Golden State will face San Antonio, Dallas, Memphis, Boston and Portland, which have all won more than 60% of their games to date. But amid those upcoming hurdles, there’s a strong belief within the locker room that the roster as-is can withstand Curry’s absence in the short term.
“The spirit of this team is better,” forward Draymond Green said to reporters following the game. “We’re more certain of who we are, what makes us a good team. That puts us in a better position to be successful without him as opposed to where we were last year.”
Green’s assessment checks out. In 317 non-Curry minutes, the Warriors have been able to outscore teams by 14 points, according to PBP Stats, a substantial improvement from last season (Golden State lost those minutes by a whopping 135 points). The improvement of fourth-year guard Brandin Podziemski, who will now come into focus as the team’s biggest perimeter threat, will be tested in the interim. Albeit in a much-smaller role alongside Curry, Podziemski has been able to clean up his shot profile and ball security, two areas of focus for him since he was drafted in 2023. This season, Podz has taken on a much larger playmaking role when Curry is off the floor and is able to draw more fouls — in addition to excelling in transition and off-ball activity.
There’s also the presence of rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, a Swiss Army knife of a combo forward that is equal parts thrilling and chaotic, who has taken on enough responsibility early on and converted his chances at veteran-level clips, currently in the 87th percentile of rim success and 79th in perimeter success, according to Cleaning the Glass.The first-year phenom is the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging 21.7 points per game.
If the Warriors are to survive these next two weeks, they’ll need to further emphasize their unselfish identity. Without Curry’s gravity, ball movement becomes even more of a premium. They’re second in passes made, third in assists and first in secondary assists because of a starting lineup that possesses five players who can create with the ball in their hands to varying degrees (Lendeborg, Podziemski, Al Horford, Draymond Green and the insertion of De’Anthony Melton, who likely picks up the minutes void and is a capable creator on his own).
(Melton’s presence also juices the Warriors’ penchant for forcing turnovers. They’re surprisingly ninth in half-court defensive efficiency, fifth in opponent turnover rate and are good at turning mistakes into points, eighth-best at the time of this writing.)
The most important factor, however, during this period of uncertainty, is the leadership structure between Green and Kerr. Those two and Curry have been the lone constants over the years, and with Curry gone, Green and Kerr should be the consistent go-tos for guidance and morale.
They share a deep understanding and longevity that transcend most partnerships in sports. And they aren’t new to uncomfortable situations — whether it’s internal drama, injuries, or the growing pains that come with two-timeline situations.
“I was thrilled that the guys stayed together,” Kerr said after Wednesday’s game. “It’s a great group to coach. I really love this team and I’m excited about what’s ahead.”
Make no mistake, Curry’s absence, even if it’s for two weeks, will be felt every time this team steps on the floor. But the energy about this new group, despite the lack of outside expectations, is tangible and might just be enough to hold down the fort until 30 is ready to go again.
