The best players aren’t always the most irreplaceable, but Stephen Curry is the rare case that fits into both, with his injury putting the Golden State Warriors in perilous straits.
Curry’s left shoulder injury will cost him a couple weeks, and perhaps longer if the Warriors plan on being conservative with his recovery. Being the champions earns them a certain level of grace — being a dynasty gives them a little more, but they’re burning up that currency weekly.
From the overseas preseason trip that always seems to take something out of the teams that go, to the championship hangover every team usually goes through, to the Draymond Green-incited event in the preseason that was sure to fatigue a group that needed to be fresh — this was the last thing the Warriors needed.