The Golden State Warriors won the NBA Championship in 2022. Despite winning it all, most people did not expect the Warriors to replicate their success. There were many reasons listed, and the more the 2022-23 season progressed, those comments started looking more true.
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Stephen Curry and co. have been absolutely baffling this season. They have one of the best home records in the NBA, but at the same time, also hold the worst road record. The Warriors touched the .500 mark 18 times this season.
Currently, they sit on the 5th seed with a 43-38 record. They’re 2.0 games behind the 4th-seeded Suns and 4.0 games ahead of the 10th-seeded Thunder. With one game left in the regular season, all possibilities are wide open for the defending champions.
What does the final game look like for the Warriors?
The Golden State Warriors did not fumble the bag too badly in their last five games. They have won four of their last five contests, with the loss coming against a Nikola Jokic-less Denver Nuggets. After that loss, the Warriors came home, and took care of business against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Tonight they took down the Sacramento Kings 119-97 propelling them to the 5th seed in the West. With this game under the belt, the Warriors just have one contest left for the season. A road game against the Portland Trailblazers.
The Blazers are already out of playoff contention and have been resting their key players. While a Damian Lillard matchup with Stephen Curry would have been fun, the fans would be glad it’s not happening.
A win in Portland helps the Warriors stay in a playoff seed. Whether it’s 5th or 6th depends on how the Clippers perform in their final two games of the season. However, a loss on Sunday might mean a play-in ticket for the defending champions.
What does the rest of the West look like?
With one or two games left on the season, the West is still wide open. We have the Top 4 fixed – Nuggets, Grizzlies, Kings, and Suns. We have #9 and #10 fixed – Timberwolves and Thunder. However, the 5th to 8th seeds are all open for the taking right now.
Tonight’s win put the Warriors at #5, half a game ahead of the Clippers. The Lakers and Pelicans both won their matchups, so they stay at #7 and #8, half a game behind the Clippers. Now, the Clippers take on the Trailblazers tomorrow, and a win will put them back on the 5th seed, and push the Warriors to the 6th. Meanwhile, a loss will send the Pelicans to the 6th seed, the Clippers to the 7th seed, and the Lakers down to the 8th.
It all comes down to the Final Day to tell us where the seedings end up.
Playoff Picture:
The way the Warriors have played throughout the season has now put their final standings in jeopardy. Instead of controlling their own seeding, their place in the final standings now also depends on external factors.
The Warriors are currently poised to finish as the 6th seed. They can finish as high as 5th seed, or end as low as the 8th seed. For the moment, if we assume they stay on the 6th spot, they’d potentially face the surging Sacramento Kings in the first round.
The Kings have Dubs’ former defensive coach, Mike Brown as the head coach. Under Brown’s leadership, the Kings snapped a 16-year playoff drought, and are looking really sharp. However, they lack post-season experience, which is where the Warriors have the upper hand.
If these two teams do end up matching in the first round, it will be a tough North Cali battle, which wouldn’t be pretty for anyone but the fans. With the Warriors playing the final regular season game of the season on 9th April, all we can do is wait and see how things turn out for the defending champions.
