That's what makes Curry's second-round hamstring strain ( in their five-game series loss to the Wolves) so devastating for the Warriors. It's not just a lost chance at that elusive fifth title. It's a lost chance to figure out how far away it really is.

Is the answer to keep developing young players like Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski around the aging veteran core?

A surging Minnesota squad eliminated shorthanded Golden State in five games to reach its second straight Western Conference finals.