Every playoff game is a significant one and should mean plenty, but they aren't created equal according to the Golden State Warriors over recent years.
While the Warriors have so often stood up when it's mattered most in the postseason, they've also had some stinkers where they evidently just didn't arrive with the requisite playoff intensity required to win.
If there's one silver lining Golden State fans can take from Stephen Curry's hamstring injury, it's that those playoff blunders shouldn't be evident over the next few games against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Warriors have had some playoff no-shows over recent years
After going up 3-1 against the Houston Rockets in the first-round, the Warriors appeared to have little interest in closing out the series in Game 5 at Toyota Center last week. The visitors were flat, fell behind by 30 early in the second-quarter, and ultimately got a not so grand total of 40 points combined from their starters.
The lack of energy and intensity seeped into Game 6 as well. While Golden State were much more competitive in that home matchup, they still lost and were forced to a Game 7 where they finally prevailed.
No one can forget the rather laughable Game 5 of the second-round series against the Memphis Grizzlies in 2022, with the Warriors falling behind by 50 in the second-half before eventually losing by 39.
These playoff no-shows have almost always come when Golden State were leading a series and therefore had some room for error. Now, even though they took Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Tuesday, there is no room for error for the Warriors without their best player.
If Golden State have any hope of taking down Minnesota with Curry on the sidelines, they're going to have to play every possession as if it's their last. If anything the 2x MVP's absence should lift the intensity and focus, knowing full well they're almost certainly at a distinct talent disadvantage.
The defense, in particular, will have to remain at the same level we've seen over the past two games. The Warriors suffocated the Rockets into submission by keeping them to just 89 points in Game 7 on Sunday, before limiting the Timberwolves to just 31 first-half points and 88 overall in Game 1 on Tuesday.
Perhaps the talent differential and likely offensive concerns do lead to a major loss or two, but it shouldn't be through a lack of effort like we've seen on occasion from the Warriors as recently as last week.
