Warriors' Steph Curry is back on postseason stage. Will it be his final whirl?

LOS ANGELES - Shortly after 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Stephen Curry will bounce onto the court at the Intuit Dome. He will sprint to the basket stanchion beyond one baseline, his pre-tipoff ritual, and briefly bro-hug longtime teammate Draymond Green.

And then Curry will experience meaningful basketball once again.

There are many compelling ways to convey Curry's transcendent career with the Golden State Warriors, but these numbers seem especially relevant. Wednesday night's play-in opener will mark the franchise's 176th postseason game over the past 17 years, since drafting Curry in 2009.

Golden State played only 11 postseason games (the "We Believe" team) in its previous 15, pre-Steph seasons.

Curry and the Warriors are back in the fray once again, embarking on an uphill quest to return to the playoffs. They must win twice on the road, first against the Los Angeles Clippers and then Friday against Phoenix, to earn the daunting assignment of facing reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City.

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Set aside the logistics and remember this: Curry really will play "meaningful basketball" Wednesday. That's his oft-stated goal at age 38, and he made it happen - even if it might not last long - despite missing more than two months with a lingering knee injury.

Now the Warriors tackle at least one, and maybe two, win-or-go-home games. That means something.

Warriors' play-in history

The Warriors are 1-3 in the NBA play-in tournament. Here's the breakdown:

2025: As No. 7 seed, beat Memphis 121-116

2024: As No. 10 seed, lost at Sacramento 118-94

2021: As No. 8 seed, lost at Lakers 103-100, then lost to Memphis 117-112 (OT)

"It was a concept of how I wanted us to end this run," Curry said Tuesday, referring to the origin of his pet phrase. "It's hard to keep this thing together, we all know that. What we've done over the last decade-plus has been very special and unique. We've been at the top of the mountain, had to fall down and climb back up.

"And meaningful basketball is just a way for us as the core - me, Draymond, Steve (Kerr), Klay (Thompson) when he was here - it was an idea of trying to keep it together. Still be competitive and still try to chase championships, with the framework of what we've built."

The effort to keep it together has sputtered at times, clearly, since Curry and the Warriors steamed to five consecutive NBA Finals (2015-19). They posted the league's worst record the next season, derailed by injuries to Thompson and Curry, before bouncing all over the map: play-in loss, championship, conference semifinals, play-in loss, conference semifinals.

Golden State found new life in February 2025, with the acquisition of Jimmy Butler as Curry's new sidekick. That fueled last season's surge into the playoffs and first-round takedown of Houston, and the Warriors were starting to find their groove this season when Butler went down Jan. 19 with a torn ACL.

Then Curry vanished for 27 games with a stubborn case of runner's knee, raising questions about the wisdom of a comeback. He was driven to return, he said, in large part to team up with Green and get back in the mix.

"I'm so happy he made it back for this reason - meaningful basketball, a challenge," Kerr said. "He's 38, so who knows how many more chances he'll have?"

Butler and Moses Moody (torn patellar tendon) figure to miss at least half of next season, complicating Curry's quest to return to the playoffs in his age-39 season. So Wednesday night could become the last time Warriors fans watch No. 30 in the postseason, even if it's merely a play-in game.

He clearly relishes the opportunity. Kerr spoke the past few days about Green's laser focus ahead of this matchup with Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers, and both Kerr and Green also noted how intensely Curry locks in ahead of a game with high stakes.

"When you have the skills of Steph Curry, you don't have to always focus - you can bail yourself out of any situation," Green said. "But come playoff time, his focus goes to a completely different level. He talks more. He's putting guys in position. He's telling people what you're going to see.

"And when Steph speaks like that, it's a calming force for everyone."

Green offered two examples of Curry's typical transformation on the postseason stage. He pointed to Game 4 of the 2022 NBA Finals, with the Warriors trailing two games to one, playing in Boston and struggling to find their rhythm.

They were scattered in the first half - Green even described himself as rattled in retrospect. Curry, ever calm, went for 43 points and 10 rebounds. The Warriors won, flipping the momentum on their way to the fourth title of the Curry era.

Also consider a snapshot from last year's play-in game against Memphis. The Warriors were clinging to a narrow lead in the final three minutes when Green missed a 3-point shot from the corner.

Moments later, Curry told Green to look for him if the situation repeated itself. Green interpreted it as Curry's polite way of saying, "Pass me the damn ball."

Green complied - and Curry buried the shot.

Curry does have a way of coming through in big moments. Witness his 50-point outburst in Game 7 against Sacramento in 2023. Or his sublime numbers in last year's Game 7 against Houston, overshadowed by Buddy Hield: Curry had 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.

And, of course, there were his epic Olympic performances against Serbia and France in 2024.

"Steph never stops and thinks about things like a lot of players do, like I did: ‘Oh, man, if I miss this we could lose,'" Kerr said. "That never enters his mind. He just plays and seeks this flow state. I think that's what everybody loves about him."

The Warriors might need another superhero effort from Curry on Wednesday. They arrive after losing 26 of their final 38 regular-season games (since Butler's injury). They're on the road. Their best player is 38 years old and has participated in only four games since Jan. 30.

Yes, the odds are stacked against Stephen Curry. But he's playing meaningful basketball, so it would be wise to pay attention.

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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 7:15 PM.