Kurtenbach: The Warriors were awful in their Game 2 loss. That could help them in a big way

You apparently don t remember the Warriors - season I don t blame you for erasing it from your memory After five straight trips to the Finals and the departures of Kevin Durant Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston in the offseason the Warriors entered the season knowing that contending for a title was a long shot Within five games the season was over as Steph Curry broke his hand They won games before the season was ended by a worldwide pandemic Why am I bringing up this awful forgettable season Because it felt like I was watching that crew in Contest of the Warriors Western Conference Semifinals series with the Minnesota Timberwolves Who are half these guys and what were they doing on the floor in a playoff meeting But here s the crazy thing Selected of those guys might just be the key for the Warriors achieving their new postseason goal winning one of the next three games to send this series to a Contest Why six Well the squad will be returning to San Francisco after their - Meeting drubbing and Curry sidelined with a hamstring injury that the unit won t even reevaluate until next Wednesday the Dubs need to buy themselves A single win can give the Warriors a chance just a chance at Curry returning for games on May and Even down - in the series the Dubs have to like their chances in win-or-go-home games with No on the court That crucial season-saving win wasn t coming Thursday No one should have expected such a thing Related Articles Warriors sputter without Steph Curry drop Meeting vs Timberwolves Warriors Steph Curry shares details about hamstring injury I ve never dealt with this before Warriors Wolves already complaining about officiating in their playoff series Warriors backup plan without Curry is only two words Jimmy Butler With Curry expected to miss time Draymond Green sets new standard for Warriors defense And as almost anyone could have predicted the Warriors turned in an absolute dud of an offensive performance in Tournament To call their first half abysmal might be underselling it The Warriors had a negative turnover-to-assist ratio in the first quarter the first five minutes of the tournament the Warriors had zero points on the board and I was searching through the least-desirable NBA records to see if any had been broken Yes instead of Eric Paschall Mychal Mulder and Marquese Chris the Warriors had a hobbled not-even-close-to- -percent and kinda-going-through-the-motions Jimmy Butler a frustrated and electable Draymond Green a hallmark of the - season a struggling Brandin Podziemski and once again Braxton Key But amid all the bad there was a push to start the second half a fleeting moment where the Warriors looked like a real honest playoff group And that stretch which cut Minnesota s lead to seven points gives me optimism that the Dubs can find a win in the next week Sure that optimism might have more to do with their opponent than the Warriors themselves but whatever works right And my goodness does Minnesota want to give the Warriors another win Let s be clear about this though Thursday s championship was an experiment Warriors coach Steve Kerr is looking for seven players he can trust Without Curry the Warriors were without their system and that meant everything Kerr has thought he learned about his association in up-to-date weeks was antiquated He was back at the drawing board Thursday playing guys in the first half We have to figure out what we re going to do in this series without Steph Kerr explained postgame We gave a lot of people a lot of chances Several people really stepped up That tactic might have lost the event the Dubs spotted the Wolves a - lead but it might have revealed the seven Related Articles Draymond Green vents about being stereotyped after another technical foul Warriors sputter without Steph Curry drop Tournament vs Timberwolves Anthony Edwards returns to Warriors-Timberwolves Competition after ankle injury Warriors Steph Curry shares details about hamstring injury I ve never dealt with this before Steph Curry injury history How the Warriors have fared in the playoffs without their MVP Moses Moody is out Kerr gave him time to work his way out of a slump but when you pull up for a short transition jumper and miss the rim entirely on a l-footer you re not coming back from the abyss Quinten Post had his shot and lost it off the jump This is not a Gui Santos series either But Kuminga deserves a longer look after Thursday Freed from the rules and regulations of a Curry-led system and empowered to do only whatever he wants on offense Kuminga made his first seven shots and looked excellent for stretches including that start-of-the-second one Trayce Jackson-Davis looked the part of a contributor on Thursday too His bounce and burst particularly in the high pick-and-roil made somehow four-time NBA Defensive Contestant of the Year Rudy Gobert look like Willie Cauley-Stein Their athleticism was essential Kerr explained Those guys really performed well and indicated why they can help us win this series Let s just start with a championship But Kerr is right Between Kuminga and Jackson-Davis Buddy Hield and Podziemski even with his struggles and particular combination of Pat Spencer and Gary Payton II the Warriors might have determined their rotation for the remainder of this series Now can they find a vintage Butler and Green battle They ll have two shots at one at Chase Center Frankly with the way Butler is laboring on defense and not attacking the rim on offense there might only be one good shot in his legs He d be well served to coordinate with Green on when that burst is coming if it s coming Don t write off these Dubs just yet though Winning one of three isn t a big ask But for this group it could prove to be huge accomplishment And it s doable now that Kerr has a better read on his roster and the Wolves