Stephen Curry played only 13 minutes in Game 1 vs. the Timberwolves before getting sidelined for the remainder of the game. The Warriors' superstar suffered a hamstring issue in the second quarter as he limped off the court. It was later confirmed that Curry will miss the remainder of the game due to a left hamstring strain. After the game, Steve Kerr, the Warriors' head coach, spoke to the media about the initial reactions to Curry's injury. When asked about the initial prognosis, Kerr said, “Just day-to-day, he’ll get an MRI tomorrow.”
When asked about what Curry said when he spoke to him, Kerr replied, “I talked to him at halftime, he’s obviously crushed, but the guys picked him up and played a great game. Obviously, we’re all concerned about Steph, but it’s part of the game. Guys get hurt, and you move on, and our guys did a great job of moving on and getting a win, 48 hours after a Game 7 road win. It’s an amazing group of guys, these guys, they compete, they’re together, and they’ve been the best defence in the league since the Jimmy trade, and that’s what’s keeping us afloat right now.”
He later added that the Warriors are working under the assumption that Curry will not be available for Game 2 of this series.
When Draymond Green was asked about how the Warriors responded to facing a major setback with Curry's injury, he lauded the team effort, especially from Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield. Draymond initially said the team was unaware of the gravity of Curry's injury, and when he spoke to Curry, he reassured him that he'll be back. When the team got the news that Curry would be out for the rest of the game, they felt "deflated".
However, Green was very proud of how the team responded. He said, “Robin turned into Batman, and what do you all call Buddy? Alfred turned into Robin, they filled in.” Green hilariously took reference to Jimmy Butler's earlier comments in the season, where he said that he's the Robin to Curry's Batman. Hield later hilariously called Jimmy "Alfred" because he's the Butler (a clever joke on his name). Green went on to appreciate several members of the team for playing exceptionally, even with limited minutes on the floor from players like Gui Santos.
Jimmy Butler flirted with a triple-double as he dropped 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists in the game. Buddy Hield dropped 24 points and grabbed 8 rebounds while shooting 5 of 8 from beyond the three-point line. Both stepped up in the final quarter when the Timberwolves tried to rally back into the game.
In the post-game press conference, the duo hilariously quarrelled over who was Batman and who was Robin in Curry's absence. Hield claimed he was Batman because he "saved the day," and Butler was still Robin in his opinion. While Butler initially seemed to agree that he was still Robin, he reminded Hield of his "stupid" wardrobe malfunction at the beginning of the game and that it wasn't very Batman or Robin-like to make such a mistake. Irrespective of who is who, this duo collectively saved the day for the Warriors.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!