Stephen Curry expressed optimism Thursday about the Golden State Warriors' future despite the team’s second-round playoff elimination and his own injury absence during the final four games of the series.
Golden State’s postseason run ended Wednesday with a 121-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who secured a 4-1 victory in their Western Conference semifinal series. Curry missed the final four games due to a hamstring injury sustained in Game 1.
Speaking during the team’s season-ending media availability, the 37-year-old guard emphasized that the Warriors' experienced core still has the ability to contend.
"You look at the sample size the last two months and even the Houston series when we had our mind focused on a goal, we had enough to accomplish it and get to a point where we were playing pretty high-level basketball," Curry said. "Does that mean we can win a championship? We hope so. That's really all you want is a fighter's chance."
Golden State showed signs of resurgence late in the regular season, bolstered by the arrival of Jimmy Butler in a midseason trade from Miami. The Warriors then upset the second-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round.
"You look at the league right now. I know there's a lot of youth taking over, but we were one of the last eight teams that realistically had a shot, and if you can run that back, make some tweaks that can help our overall roster ... I feel like we had enough that we showed we could be that team," Curry said.
Curry said the upcoming offseason, without international basketball obligations, will give him an opportunity to fully recover and prepare for another campaign.
"I don't have any Olympics and it's going to be just about rebuilding -- one, getting rest, getting away from the game a little bit, and then rebuilding everything for another great run," Curry said.
"I'm going to take full advantage of the off-season knowing I've been playing a lot of basketball for the last year, and a lot left in the tank to prepare for, so I'm excited about it."
Curry indicated that Butler, along with Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr, share his enthusiasm for continuing their run together.
"Me, Draymond, Steve, Jimmy -- our contracts are all two years, and we want this ride to last as long as possible," Curry said. "That's all I'm really focused on right now. I'm excited about it because there's clarity, although there are a lot of decisions that need to be made over the summer."
He also praised Butler’s impact since joining the team, highlighting their strong on-court chemistry.
"Me and him complemented each other so well," Curry said of Butler. "He gave us so much belief that we could beat anybody any given night and make a legitimate run at climbing up the standings and even having some playoff experience to look forward to.
"I think it was a success, and now you have to build off of that with a full season hopefully in front of us. I'm excited about it."