Following an MRI on Wednesday that confirmed a mild strain in the star guard's left hamstring, the Golden State Warriors intend to proceed without Stephen Curry for at least the upcoming three games of their second-round series against Minnesota.

The Warriors announced Curry would be sidelined for at least a week after sustaining an injury on Tuesday night which compelled him to leave early in the second quarter of Game 1, a match they ultimately won 99-88.

Coach Steve Kerr explained that the playoffs always require teams to change and adjust, whether it's their plan for the game, dealing with injuries, or changing the players on the team. He said, "We just need to adapt." He added that they have faced similar situations before and are sure they can handle it again.

The second game of the series is scheduled for Thursday in Minneapolis, before the competition relocates to San Francisco for Game 3 on Saturday and Game 4 on Monday. The earliest possible return for Curry seems to be Game 5 on May 14, which is advantageously succeeded by three consecutive days off before Game 6 on May 18.

Curry has never had a big hamstring injury in his career. This makes it unclear how long he will be away and if the Warriors can play well enough without the best 3-point shooter in NBA history until he comes back near the end of the series. However, it would not be smart for them to depend on that.

Kerr stated, "We believe our defensive capabilities are unparalleled in the league, a fact substantiated by our performance in recent months."

However, this Golden State team is not as good as the earlier teams, especially when Curry and Draymond Green were younger and important players like Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala were key to their wins. Also, by 2018, they had Kevin Durant.

For now, the Warriors were happy with the team effort led by Jimmy Butler, Buddy Hield, and Green in Game 1, where Kerr used 12 different players.

Without Curry, Butler will handle the ball on most plays, just like he did on Tuesday. The six-time All-Star, who joined the Warriors from Miami three months ago and helped make the team stronger on offense and defense, scored 20 points, got 11 rebounds, and made eight assists in Game 1. He scored 20 or more points in four of the five full games he played in the first round against Houston.

"Everyone entering the game is focused and eager to make an impact," noted Timberwolves guard Mike Conley. "Therefore, you need to be exceptionally attentive to the game itself, your direct opponent, and their playing habits. They aren't solely looking for Stephen Curry; certainly, Buddy Hield and Jimmy Butler will be more assertive, but they also possess players capable of scoring, and they might collectively strive to achieve this as a unit."