Warriors have made hay without Stephen Curry, and are in prime position for another championship chase

Perhaps the most rosy takeaway from a tough season for the Golden State Warriors is this: In the last 20 games that Stephen Curry has missed through injury, the Warriors have posted an 11-9 record.

This last stretch without Curry, who has had torn ligaments in his leg since Feb. 4, the Warriors are 6-4 up 6-4 with a 26-minute injury win over Dallas. This is while the rest of the Western Conference failed to secede.

That 6-4 record over the past 10 games is better than the Clippers, Mavericks, Timberwolves, Jazz, Pelicans and Blazers, all of which are within two games of the Warriors’ losing column. “, which currently ranks fifth in the West. .

It’s right. After everything the Warriors have been through this season, due in large part to their own lackluster performance, they are just two games behind the 20-game fourth seed. Of course, they’re also just two games away from the lottery line, so they’re not exactly out of the woods.

But with Draymond Green back from his brief injury absence, Curry close to returning and Klay Thompson in vintage form for the past two months, the Warriors would be in a pretty good position assuming Andrew Wiggins in will eventually return to the lineup that he is expected to do. Remember, the Warriors are supposed to bring Gary Payton II back into the roster during the playoffs.

It simply cannot be overstated how important it was for the Warriors to not just stagnate, but actually move up the standings when Curry and Wiggins were both out for extended periods; when Curry dropped out on February 4, the Warriors were in eighth place. They are now number 5.

They’ve made their hay against the lowly ones like the Thunder, the Wizards, the Timberwolves, the Rockets and the Blazers, but no one cares. The record is all that matters at this point in the season.

Anything close to 0.500 without Curry would be more than acceptable. Being above 0.500 at the moment greatly improves their odds, but there is still a lot to be done. Curry has yet to return and the Warriors will face a tough showdown with the Clippers and Pelicans, both teams tight in the same seeding race as the Warriors on Thursday and Friday. But Warriors reportedly optimistic that Curry might be back next week

If you’re a Warriors fan, don’t count your chickens just yet. Every game without Curry is a risky proposition, and again, a couple of losses could send the Warriors plummeting into the conference standings. But they seem to have weathered the darkest part of the storm, and 20 games in, they’re starting to see the light of yet another championship chase.