Stephen Curry's run of five-straight All-NBA honors has all but come to an end, with the superstar guard remaining sidelined for the Golden State Warriors' return to action against the Boston Celtics at Chase Center on Thursday night.
Curry missed five-straight games before the All-Star break after being diagnosed with 'runner's knee', and while there was optimism of an immediate return, the 2x MVP failed to practice with the team on Wednesday.
Stephen Curry's All-NBA chances are flying out the window
Thursday's game will be the 17th Curry has missed so far this season, meaning the 37-year-old will have to play in each of the last 26 to hit the 65-game threshold and remain eligible for All-NBA honors.
Given the concern over this knee injury, there's no guarantee Curry returns on Sunday at home against the Denver Nuggets, let alone him playing in every game over the remainder of a season that still consists of a further six back-to-backs.
Assuming Curry does miss a further game beyond Thursday night, it will be the first time in six seasons he hasn't made an All-NBA team, and just the second time in the past 13 years he hasn't featured.
Curry made six-straight All-NBA appearances between 2014 and 2019, including in 2018 where he made the Third Team despite appearing in only 51 games. That streak ended in 2020 when Curry broke his hand and was limited to just five games for the season, subsequently leaving Golden State as the worst team in the league.
The legendary guard has since returned to being a consistent All-NBA presence, but in the meantime the NBA has also introduced the 65-game threshold which has caused much debate among league circles.
Curry's performances have remained at an All-NBA level this season, leading to him being named an All-Star starter again, only for his current injury to have kept him sidelined from Sunday's All-Star Game in Los Angeles.
Curry is averaging 27.2 points per game this season -- his most in the last three years. He's also adding 3.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game, while shooting 46.8% from the floor and 39.1% from 3-point range.
While Curry's knee issue all but ends his hope of another All-NBA appearance, the bigger concern is what it does for the Warriors over the remainder of the season. The team is 2-3 in the five games Curry missed before the All-Star break, and needless to say Golden State's chances of a top six seed will be effectively over if he's to miss too much more time.