Every week in the past, Warriors coach Steve Kerr dismissed the notion of the Warriors overtaking the Phoenix Suns for the highest seed in Western Convention Playoffs.
“That’s numerous video games (to make up),” Kerr stated. “It’s very unrealistic to assume we’ll make up no matter it's.”
However he additionally added an vital caveat.
“We additionally know this league is loopy.”
Certainly it's.
The Warriors may need misplaced much more floor to the Suns since Kerr’s feedback, however the paradigm within the Western Convention may need shifted dramatically over All-Star Weekend.
That’s the place it was first reported that Chris Paul is out for what is probably going the remainder of the common season — maybe even past — with a damaged thumb.
The Suns, who've developed this nasty behavior of successful seemingly each evening, ought to seem like a unique group with out their level guard, their chief, their talisman.
How totally different? That’s to be decided. However forgive me for considering the drop off from Paul — one of many NBA’s 75 best gamers of all time — to backup level guard Cameron Payne is important.
The Warriors are 6.5 video games behind Phoenix within the standings with one fewer sport to play within the common season.
Kerr’s proper. That's numerous video games. However I believe the Warriors can take that No. 1 seed now that Paul is out.
I’ll go additional: They’d be foolhardy to not attempt to make a critical push, beginning with their first sport after the All-Star break Thursday in Portland.
Now, the Warriors shouldn’t have a look at the space — these large 6.5 video games — between the Suns and them. No, as a substitute, they need to ignore the opponent and focus solely on ending their race sturdy.
Right here’s a mark for which the Warriors ought to goal: 60 wins. To get to that quantity would require the Dubs to win 18 of their remaining 23 video games.
It’s a giant ask, however it’s a successful clip the Warriors had been on earlier than their misplaced 4 of 5 video games heading into the All-Star break. A part of that slide was fatigue, little question. A part of that slide was Draymond Inexperienced not being round, too.
However now the group is (hopefully) rested and there’s optimism round Inexperienced’s return within the coming weeks.
That is the time for the Warriors to recapture their early-season mojo, after they had been hellbent on proving that they had been nonetheless a championship contender. That is the second for the Warriors to make a push to make their postseason lives that a lot simpler.
The Warriors’ core three gamers is perhaps right in considering that they'll deal with anybody in a best-of-seven sequence — that their expertise and subsequent nerve offers them an higher hand on anybody they face — however basketball is a group sport and there are key gamers on this Dubs group that don't have any championship-hunting expertise.
Sure, Andre Iguodala and Kevon Looney have rings, and that's constructive, little question, however Andrew Wiggins has performed within the postseason as soon as. His Timberwolves had been bounced in 5 video games.
Nemanja Bjelica was on that Wolves group, too. He’s solely performed in two playoff video games since, when he performed garbage-time minutes.
Otto Porter is a giant a part of this Warriors group. He has performed in 28 playoff video games, however they had been all for the Wizards, a group that wasn’t critically actually competing for a title.
Everybody else has zip, zilch, nada. Damion Lee, Gary Payton II and Juan Toscano-Anderson don't have any sensible playoff expertise. Sorry, the play-in event final 12 months doesn’t rely.
That is all going to be new and probably weird for the group’s younger weapons, too: Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and Wiseman.
This isn’t to say that these Warriors don’t have what it takes to win a title. I imagine they do. However the Warriors’ troika will need assistance — maybe greater than ever earlier than — and we don’t know if that assist goes to take to the anytime-anywhere motto of the leaders.
The No. 1 seed will give the Warriors dwelling court docket all through the playoffs. And with the rolling Memphis Grizzlies 4 video games away from anybody else within the No. 3 seed, Golden State attending to No. 1 would imply no less than one of many Grizzlies or Suns will get knocked out earlier than the Western Convention Finals.
It’s little question going to be laborious to acquire, however it will make playoff life a lot simpler for the Dubs.
Now, will 60 wins get the job executed?
Most probably not.
The Warriors must win in bunches. The Suns must change into a very mediocre group, going 12-12 of their remaining 24 video games — probably all sans-Paul — simply to tie the Warriors at 60.
However even when it doesn’t work out, the Warriors have to push in that path. They should see if they'll put some stress on the Suns for the primary time in weeks.
They should play higher ball and having a transparent goal helps with that objective.
We all know the Warriors can play higher. We all know they are often the group to beat within the Western Convention by the point the playoffs begin.
But it surely’s been a minute since we’ve seen it. A transparent push for the No. 1 seed would function a powerful reminder — a warning to the remainder of the league — whether or not they get hold of the highest spot or not.