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San Francisco Chronicle​

Has Warriors' Steve Kerr decided how to cover Steph Curry's absence?

Golden State Warriors' head coach Steve Kerr instructs his team during 4th quarter time out in Minnesota Timberwolves' 102-97 win in NBA Western Conference Semifinals' Game 3 at Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle Anthony Edwards (5) passes to a teammate between Gary Payton II (0) and Quinten Post (21) in the first half as the Golden State Warriors played the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Conference Semifinals of the NBA Playoffs at Chase Center in San Francisco., on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle Golden State Warriors' Kevon Looney is fouled by Minnesota Timberwolves' Mike Conley in 4th quarter during Dubs' 102-97 loss in NBA Western Conference Semifinals' Game 3 at Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle Jaden McDaniels (3) leaps to defend againt Brandin Podziemski (2) in the first half as the Golden State Warriors played the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Conference Semifinals of the NBA Playoffs at Chase Center in San Francisco., on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle Gary Payton II (0) puts up a layup in the first half as the Golden State Warriors played the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 3 of the Conference Semifinals of the NBA Playoffs at Chase Center in San Francisco., on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/S.F. Chronicle This could all fall apart in a hurry for the Golden State Warriors. They're down 2-1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in their second-round playoff series, but Saturday night's down-to-the-wire 102-97 loss shows what this postseason has the potential to become: The Warriors' craziest playoff run in the Steve Kerr era. Advertisement Article continues below this ad They have no business still being in the thick of this series, not with Stephen Curry sidelined. But the Warriors came alive Saturday and seem to believe they can go toe-to-toe with the full-strength T'wolves. Until or unless things go sideways, this is the most interesting spare-parts assembly project since Dr. Frankenstein's lab experiment. The Warriors even led by five with eight minutes to go Saturday, and though they lost, they did not collapse under the weight of reality. No Curry? No problem. OK, that's not true, Curry's absence is a monstrous problem, but the Warriors are tackling it gamely, like a guy who skipped classes all semester and now is confidently chugging Red Bull on his all-nighter before the final. When Curry went down with that hammie in Game 1, Kerr said he would use Game 2 and the day off beefore Game 3 to search for the formula for playing without Curry. He and his staff would go into the lab and tinker with various player rotations/combinations and strategies. Advertisement Article continues below this ad That's a lot of experimenting to do in a very short time. It's a level of mixing-and-matching that a coach and his staff usually do in training camp, not 10 games into the postseason. It's like putting together an IKEA credenza with a 24-second clock ticking. And yet when Kerr was asked after Game 3 how close his team is to finding the 'formula,' he said: 'Really close. I feel good about the way the game went tonight. We just couldn't close it out. Again, give them credit. They made all the plays in the fourth and (Julius) Randle and (Anthony) Edwards really got going, and we just couldn't quite overcome them once we got down. 'But we controlled much of the game. … The formula looks good. We'll have some adjustments to make, but I like the matchup. I like what we're doing.' In Game 2, Kerr seemed to be allocating playing time by pulling random names out of a hat. Saturday's substitution pattern still had a slightly experimental feel early on, then settled into something more orderly. Advertisement Article continues below this ad There's not much margin for error now, so some things seem clear. Jimmy Butler is going to go 43 minutes, minimum. Playoff Jimmy is the real deal, and they'll ride him hard. Jonathan Kuminga is suddenly playing like Kerr has wanted him to play all along, and they'll sink or swim with him. Somehow, some time during the last few days, Kuminga and Butler figured out how to play together effectively, after a half season of futility. Possibly out of the mix until further notice, because the Warriors can't wait for them to get their footing: Quinten Post and Moses Moody. This is not, and won't be, the old Steph Curry Warriors, but so far it's better than New Coke (remember that?). This squad might be a slightly better defensive team without Curry. The offense, instead of flowing gracefully around Curry, depends on a more elemental scheme, basically getting the ball to Butler and running around setting picks. Poetry lite. Different? Good grief. In the first half, the Warriors — the team that revolutionized basketball with 3-point shooting — were 0-for-5 (!) from distance. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The Warriors are stripped down to playground pickup-game basics, but there's enough brain power — Butler, Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Gary Payton II — to make it kinda sing at times. And that's against a solid defensive club, in the Western Conference semifinals. Professor Kerr and his staff will be tinkering with the formula right up until tipoff Monday in Game 4 at Chase Center, but it's pretty much locked in. They just need to remind their players to never make a mistake, ever, because they can't afford to. 'When (Curry's) not here, there's no room for error,' Butler mansplained. 'You can't make mistakes. You can't turn the ball over. ... And then you've got to take the right shots.' We're in new territory here. The Warriors of past playoff runs never dashed out of the tunnel before games with the world wondering who three of the starters would be. They've never had to face extinction without Curry. Advertisement Article continues below this ad But they've never had Playoff Jimmy, or this version of Kuminga. Somehow, so far, the Warriors are no longer the doomed crew defending the Alamo. This is an even battle. If you were hoping for thrills, surprises and suspense, you are not being cheated.