With an NBA game scheduled for Thursday night, things couldn't be going much better for the Golden State Warriors. Well, that's not entirely true. The Dubs had a closer game than they would have liked, but that meant Stephen Curry played far more minutes than Steve Kerr expected.
But this time of year, results matter most, and the two games that affected the Warriors in the Western Conference playoff standings both went Golden State's way. The Dubs defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 100-92, and the New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Portland Trail Blazers. Sacramento Kings 135-123.
These results certainly helped the Warriors as they try to avoid being the 10th and last seed in the play-in tournament…and hopefully in the playoffs, which will be double-elimination instead of single-elimination. Hopefully they can even jump up to an 8 seed.
With the Warriors winning, the Kings losing, and the Los Angeles Lakers not playing, these three teams now find themselves in a tight spot. All three games have the same record of 45 wins and 35 losses with two games remaining.
As for the tiebreaker, the Dubs sit between their two rival schools in California. Sacramento holds the tiebreaker against both Golden State and Los Angeles, and the Warriors hold the tiebreaker against the Lakers. That means the Kings are currently the 8th seed, the Warriors are the 9th seed, and the Lakers are the 10th seed.
This is a move in the right direction for the Warriors, who have long been a No. 10 seed. They are working their way up! If this standings holds, the Warriors will begin the play-in tournament by hosting the Lakers at home rather than visiting them. In theory that should be an easier game (I say “in theory” because the Dubs have had a better road trip this year), but it's also good for Joe Lacob's bank account. Certainly desirable.
But the bigger news here is that the Warriors could move up to the No. 8 seed. Sacramento has a tiebreaker, so the Warriors need to win the game in the standings. That means the Dubs need to win their final two games (Friday against the Pelicans and Sunday against the Utah Jazz), while the Kings hope for a win (Friday against the Phoenix Suns and Sunday against the Utah Jazz). (game against the Blazers). It's possible that the Warriors will beat the Kings with a 1-1 record and Sacramento will advance with an 0-2 record, but that's unlikely.
Golden State will continue to stay ahead of Los Angeles as long as they keep pace with Los Angeles. The Lakers close out the year with road games against the Memphis Grizzlies and Pelicans on Friday and Sunday.
If the Warriors fall to the 10th seed, they will face the 9th seed on the road. If you lose, you will be eliminated. If they win, they will stay on and face the loser of the match between the seventh and eighth seeds. If they win that game, they will advance to the playoffs as the 8th seed.
If the Warriors stay in ninth place, they will host the No. 10 seed. After that game, everything is the same as if they were the No. 10 seed.
If they move up to the 8th seed, they will face the 7th seed. If they win that game, they will advance to the playoffs as the 7th seed. If they lose, they will face the winner of the match between the 9th and 10th seeds.
The Dubs moved up in the standings on Thursday. There's still work to be done and a little help needed to advance further. But it is certainly becoming more and more likely.
