Former NBA champions Golden State Warriors were eliminated from the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves one step away from the Western Conference finals. The Warriors were forced to play without star Stephen Curry, who has been out with a hamstring strain since the second quarter in Game 1. The series ended early for the Warriors with a 121-110 defeat in Game 5. The former NBA champs were hoping to stay alive at least their talisman Curry returned to action. While the team’s second star Jimmy Butler had 17 points for the Warriors, players like Brandin Podziemski, who scored a playoff career-high 28 points for the Warriors, and Jonathan Kuminga, who came off the bench for the team and scored 26 points. Curry watched from the sidelines as his 16th season in the league ended unceremoniously. Before eliminating the Warriors, the Minnesota Timberwolves had also shown the exit door to the Los Angeles Lakers. They have now earned themselves a few days to recoup, and could enjoy as much as five days off if the Nuggets …