Feeling queasy? This postseason unlikely to be easy

Stephen Curry was upbeat before Sunday’s game, and so was head coach Steve Kerr, both of them putting a positive — or at least hopeful — spin on the injury to Curry’s left knee.

Of course, they were chipper and positive. There’s no crying in basketball.

But from a distance, from the outside, this season continues to smell faintly of doom. As the Warriors’ superstars take numbers, deli-style, and line up outside the trainer’s room, it’s getting harder to shake the feeling that the outlook is not good.

Kerr, surprisingly, ruled Curry out through the first round of the playoffs. Fellow All-Stars Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson will return to action soon, but their injuries are problematic; it’s unlikely that any of them will be close to 100 percent.

Curry almost certainly won’t be 100 percent

when he returns, and let’s not forget those ankles.

Curry laughed Sunday when he told the media that as he was limping off the court after the injury, he heard fans scolding him, saying, “Wear the high-tops,” assuming Curry had injured an ankle because he was wearing lowcuts.

This might be a good time for Under Armour to unveil its new Curry Waders: the super high-top, over-the-knee model.

Meanwhile, as the Warriors be illin’, the rest of the Western Conference is blooming like roses on steroids. The Warriors picked a bad year to limp into the playoffs.

Not to be overly dramatic, but look at the West playoff field. It’s like a gluten-free kid’s birthday party: no cupcakes. Last year’s Warriors 16-1 blitz of the playoffs, which surprised nobody, now seems so long ago, like it took place in the era of short pants.

The pregame intros at Oracle Arena on Sunday provided a sobering moment. The names were quite familiar, but I’m talking about the Jazz names: Gobert, Ingles, Rubio, the usual suspects.

The Warriors’ starting five? Well, it was Kerr’s 23rd different starting lineup of the season, which tells you something. Last season, Kerr trotted out 14 different starting lineups.

The Warriors have conceded the top seed in the conference to Houston, but the last thing they want to do is stagger into the playoffs.

They won’t count up the wins and losses, because this is essentially a three-week training camp for the Warriors. But stagger they did Sunday, losing 110-91 to Utah. Food for thought: The Jazz might be the Warriors’ firstround opponent.

When Andre Iguodala buried a three from the corner to cut the Jazz lead to 23 points with just less than three minutes left in the third quarter, Utah head coach Quin Snyder quickly called a timeout. Like, C’mon guys, we’re up by only 23! Ouch.

The Warriors didn’t phone it in. With four minutes left and down by 24, Kerr was still drawing up plays in the huddle. It’s just that a very good NBA team beat a great team’s second string.

“We just didn’t have enough firepower,” Kerr said, matter of factly, “but I like the way we fought.”

Even as the starters begin to trickle back to action, the Warriors and their fans won’t be sinking back in easy chairs, locking hands behind heads and enjoying the rest of the season and the playoffs.

There’s plenty to sweat. The Warriors are getting a nice boost from G League refugee Quinn Cook, standing in for Curry and staking his claim for a meaty role once Curry returns. Just before halftime Sunday, Cook, enjoying an effective eight-point half, took contact on a shot attempt, fell to the court and came up slowly, limping.

Who would have thought a couple of months ago that the Warriors would be thinking, “We’ll feel a lot better about our chances if we can have a healthy Quinn Cook for the playoffs?”

And remember, the ongoing theme for this season, before the injury epidemic, was “When will the Warriors flip the switch? When will they start playing like they’re hungry?” Kerr has conceded it’s far from automatic that his team will play up to its potential on any given night.

It could turn out that this is all a plan. The four superstars drop back into the action, one at a time, rested and hungry. The role players, called upon to maintain team pride the last few weeks of the regular season, are energized and confident. The fans, having peeked over the ledge, are realistic and less prone to stretching that halftime cocktail break well into the second half.

Last season, the playoffs loomed like a speed bump. This time, the Warriors face a mountain range. More fun, more adventure.