A few weeks ago, it was reasonable to think that the Golden State Warriors were on the decline.
However, the blockbuster trade that brought in six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler in early February has rejuvenated this franchise and its longtime superstar, Stephen Curry.
Excluding his five-game ‘19-’20 campaign that was cut short by injury, the 36-year-old Curry was in the midst of his lowest scoring season in 10 years. Many questioned if it was time to blow up the Warriors as it seemed that Curry’s best days were behind him.
Since Butler’s arrival though, Curry has played like he found the Fountain of Youth somewhere in the Bay Area and Golden State is suddenly back in the championship conversation. In eight games with Butler, Curry is averaging 30.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and a steal in only 32.2 minutes per game.
The Warriors’ most recent game, a 121-115 win over the Orlando Magic, was Curry’s best of the year so far, as he put up a season-high 56 points on 16-of-25 field goal shooting. He also hit 12 three pointers, marking the third time in his career that he has made this many in a game (His career-high is 13 and the record of 14 is held by his former teammate Klay Thompson) and the 45th time in his career that he has made more than nine (No other player has done this more than 14 times).
Golden State closed out the month of February with a 7-1 win-loss record when Butler is in the line-up and it has helped them climb up to seventh in the Western Conference standings with a 32-27 win-loss record. They trail the sixth place Los Angeles Clippers for the final guaranteed postseason berth by only half a game and are behind the fifth seeded Houston Rockets by just five games with over 20 games remaining on their regular season calendar.
With the way that Curry and the rest of this team is playing, the Warriors could make a legitimate push for that fifth seed over these next few weeks. The presence of another creator in Butler has freed up Curry in ways that have not been seen since Kevin Durant left the team in free agency back in 2019. With the road to the NBA championship seemingly wide open, their front office’s ballsy decision to bring in the mercurial Butler is now looking like a home run.
Curry’s recent form suggests that he just might have one last title run in him and if the odds break in their favor during these next few months, it would not be surprising at all to see him lifting up his fifth NBA championship trophy this June.
