After five straight Finals appearances from 2015 to 2019, Golden State Warriors star guard Steph Curry became accustomed to deep playoff runs. This year, however, injury issues plagued Curry and the Warriors. Klay Thompson missed the entire season due to a torn ACL that he suffered during last year's Finals, and Curry was limited to just five total games after breaking his hand in October. In turn, the Warriors failed to qualify for postseason play for the first time since 2012.
Thus, while the league is finishing out the 2019-20 season on an extremely unique stage in the Orlando bubble, Curry and his Warriors teammates are home, watching the games on television. After being at the center of the action for so long, being on the outside of the playoff picture this year was a tough transition for Curry, who admitted that he initially felt a bit left out when the season restarted last month.
"Obviously I was happy to see basketball back on TV, but that first week I had major FOMO [fear of missing out]," Curry said in an interview with Marc Stein of the New York Times. "Once you see [LeBron James] and [Kawhi Leonard] and [Paul George] go at it, and you remember how much fun it is to play in those types of games and that kind of level, you miss it badly,"
Curry's Warriors were among the eight teams that didn't travel to Orlando to finish out the season. The other seven were the Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets and Atlanta Hawks. Although Steph isn't playing personally, the Curry name is still represented in the bubble as his brother, Seth, played 33 minutes and scored 14 points in the Dallas Mavericks' Game 1 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night.
"For most of my career, I'm usually the one who's been home watching Steph late in the season," Seth said. "Now it's the other way around and I'm still at work. I can tell it's a little tough on him."
Curry might not be the center of attention of the basketball world right now, but he and the Warriors will have a major opportunity to bounce back next season. After ample time off, Curry and Thompson should both be fully healthy and that alone is enough to catapult the team back into the thick of the playoff picture in the West. Factor in Draymond Green, Andrew Wiggins, a top draft pick and the rest of the pieces on their roster, and the notion of the Warriors competing for a title again next season is completely conceivable.
