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What started out as a playoff run filled with so much hope has ended with quite a thud for the Golden State Warriors as they saw their season come to its unfortunate conclusion after the Minnesota Timberwolves took care of business, 121-110, in Game 5 to advance to the Western Conference Finals. In the end, the Warriors simply did not have enough firepower without Stephen Curry — with Jimmy Butler not being able to channel his playoff alter-ego as he was held to just 17 points on 4-11 shooting from the field in the elimination game.
This playoff exit was coming for about a week now; the Warriors were simply a shell of themselves without their best player. Curry is simply too important to his team that this series became very lopsided in the Timberwolves’ favor outside of Game 1 and much of Game 3.
Warriors fans are quite passionate, and they are currently in a state of mourning after seeing their team put up the best fight they could and yet fail to come close to the Timberwolves in their season-ending defeat. With Curry, the Dubs could have advanced further into the playoffs, many fans believe.
“Feel bad for Steph Curry. Without him they can’t win one game to give him a chance to come back…” X user @DustinFluff wrote.
“I feel bad for curry. Would’ve been a tighter game if Curry wasn’t injured,” @EmporiumPix added.
“Resignation. That’s what I felt when Curry got injured, coz I knew Dubs season was done. I’m glad they didn’t force him to play again. Proud of our team. We didn’t expect them to make the playoffs, but they made it to the 2nd round. Rest and heal, Dubs. See you next season,” @addictedto09 furthered.
“warriors would win especially when curry is playing. yes warriors lost in 5 just like the lakers but if steph didn’t get his hamstring injured it would be a different story,” @loydrgn explained.
Warriors run out of juice, couldn’t win one game sans Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry is so valuable that the Warriors collapse into a team that doesn’t look like it belongs in the playoffs whenever he’s out. Jimmy Butler, who is dealing with an injury and an illness himself, simply couldn’t channel Playoff Jimmy to try and keep their season alive and perhaps buy some time for Curry to recover from his hamstring injury.
At the very least, there is reason for the Warriors to run back (mostly) the same roster for next season, as they found so much success after acquiring Butler.
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Nugget Could Trade $22 Million Forward to Celtics for Anfernee Simons Amid Reported Interest
After being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs for the second consecutive season last year, the Denver Nuggets felt as though it was time to make some major changes to their roster around Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon this offseason. Denver began the summer by trading Michael Porter Jr. and a first-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for Cameron Johnson. They then signed Bruce Brown and Tim Hardway Jr. in free agency and acquired Jonas Valanciunas from the Sacramento Kings. By making these moves, the Nuggets were able to add a sharpshooting forward in Johnson to their starting lineup while Valanciunas, Hardaway Jr. and Brown will all be massive upgrades to their bench. Because of this, the Nuggets are expected to be a championship contender next season and many around the NBA believe that they are the biggest threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Nuggets showing interest in Anfernee Simons While that may be the case, the Nuggets could also look to make more moves before the start of next season and according to Hoops Wire’s Sam Amico, they have recently expressed interest in trading for Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons. Mock trade sends Simons to Nuggets In a potential trade for Simons, the Nuggets could send Gordon and Peyton Watson to Boston in exchange for Simons and draft capital. This trade would not be able to be made until after September 7 due to the Celtics acquiring Simons earlier this summer from the Portland Trail Blazers in the Jrue Holiday deal. If the Nuggets were open to making this trade, adding Simons to their backcourt alongside Murray would give them a lethal offensive duo. They could also elect to bring Simons off the bench as their sixth man which would give them another great scoring piece in their second unit. Of course, it would be a tough decision for Denver to trade Gordon and it is highly unlikely that they would do so anytime soon but for them to land Simons, they would have to move either Gordon, Murray or Johnson to match salaries. Because of this, it is highly unlikely that the Nuggets will trade for Simons this offseason and the Celtics have also shown little interest in moving on from him before he ever suits up for their franchise.
Steelers should pursue one of Aaron Rodgers' former targets to boost offense
The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently constructing the team's final roster for the 2025 season, which is one of the toughest decisions for every NFL organization. Players on the edge of rosters are traded from team to team, while other players are waived, allowing clubs to pick them up on the waiver wire. The Steelers will have a chance to do this, but it will be interesting to see what positions the franchise prioritizes before the start of the regular season. Wide receiver is a spot fans want to see upgraded, but the organization could also use some added depth on both sides of the ball. The Steelers could consider picking up many players who were released on Monday and Tuesday. However, there is an intriguing name available at wide receiver, Malachi Corley, a 2024 third-round pick, who was waived by the New York Jets on Tuesday. The Steelers previously had shown interest in him during the pre-draft process last year, but didn't have the chance to pick him. Corley had immense potential coming out of college. He played at Western Kentucky, and over four seasons, caught 259 passes for over 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns. His production was consistent, but he had some trouble transitioning to the NFL. It doesn't help that he went to a dysfunctional organization like the Jets, and a part of his release is the fact that a new regime took over in New York An obvious connection between Corley and the Steelers is with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. It was reported that Rodgers wanted the Jets to draft Corley back in 2024, which likely influenced the organization's decision. He has some familiarity with the young receiver, and that could lead Rodgers to sway Pittsburgh into bringing him in. Corley had a rough rookie season as he struggled even to make it onto the football field, but a change of scenery and a new organization could play a role in helping him improve. Until the first three weeks of the regular season are over, the waiver wire goes in the order of the 2025 NFL Draft. After the first three weeks of the regular season, the standings are updated to reflect the current standings in the NFL. Pittsburgh has the 21st priority on the waiver wire. That means that 20 teams in front of them can submit a claim for Corley, or any other player Pittsburgh may be interested in. That cycle will then repeat itself, and that is how waived players end up on new rosters. Corley still has potential, and one of the 20 teams in front of Pittsburgh could try to grab him.
Zachary Yager, Veteran NASCAR Pit Crew Member, Dies Aged 35
Zachary Yager, who had served as an over-the-wall pit crew member in the NASCAR National Series ranks since the 2014 season, has died at the age of 35. TobyChristie.com had the initial report of Yager's death. Yager, a New York native, had pit crew stints with Richard Childress Racing, Team Penske, RFK Racing, and JTG Daugherty Racing (now known as HYAK Motorsports), where he won the 2023 Daytona 500, from 2014 to 2024. Ahead of the 2025 season, Yager moved to Elite Race Services, a Mooresville, NC-based company that specializes in assembling teams of pit crews for NASCAR National Series race teams. This season, Yager had been serving as the Jack Man for the No. 39 RSS Racing team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as well as the No. 88 ThorSport Racing team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The loss of Yager was absolutely unexpected for Elite Race Services, which is grieving the loss of one of its own, while issuing its deepest sympathy to Yager's family. “Obviously, nobody saw this coming and we’re in total disbelief,” Cory DeMarco, owner of Elite Race Services said in a statement given to TobyChristie.com. “All of the guys send our thoughts and prayers out to his dad and family, right now.” ThorSport Racing, likewise, expressed grief over the sudden and unexpected loss of Yager. “We are deeply saddened by the unexpected passing of our friend and teammate, Zachary Yager,” said ThorSport Racing in a statement. “He was an important part of our family, and our hearts are with his loved ones and community as we grieve this loss together.” While he was serving as a Jack Man this season, Yager was well-known as a well-rounded pit crew member, who could perform at nearly every position on an over-the-wall pit crew. Yager previously served as a Tire Carrier and Fueler in addition to the Jack Man role. No details surrounding Yager's death have been released, but the veteran pit crew member had been missing since Monday, August 18, according to various social media posts from members of Yager's family.
Commanders shopping former first-round pick
Noah Igbinoghene was among the Cowboys to follow Dan Quinn to Washington, and the former first-round pick carved out a role for himself last season. But his place on the Commanders’ 2025 roster is not assured. The Commanders are gauging teams’ interest in Igbinoghene as a trade asset, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports. This comes after Igbinoghene’s most active (by far) NFL season. The ex-Dolphins first-rounder played 818 defensive snaps. Part of a Cowboys CB swap (for Kelvin Joseph) in 2023, Igbinoghene caught on under Quinn and then-Dallas DBs coach Joe Whitt. The duo signed a few ex-Cowboys contributors to start their Washington tenures last year, and Igbinoghene was among them. The 2020 draftee then re-signed on a one-year, $1.5M deal this offseason. Washington used Igbinoghene as its primary slot corner last season, giving him 582 snaps inside. That nearly doubled his usage at any defensive position in a season, as the former No. 30 overall pick’s previous career-high snap count was 287 — as a rookie in 2020. The Dolphins did not see much from Igbinoghene — the third of their three 2020 first-round picks — before trading him straight up for Joseph. Even as the 5-foot-11 CB posted a career-best usage rate, Pro Football Focus viewed him as one of the NFL’s worst corners in 2024. The advanced metrics site ranked him 115th out of 116 qualified options at CB. The Commanders made offseason changes at corner, signing Jonathan Jones and using a second-round pick on Trey Amos. The team has Marshon Lattimore and Mike Sainristil coming back. Sainristil arrived in Washington as a slot option, while Jones made his name as a Patriots slot before finishing his New England run as more of a boundary player. While both Jones and Sainristil have NFL perimeter experience, each can man the slot as well. This would leave Igbinoghene set for a role reduction.
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