Moving up one spot in West would do Warriors wonders
Golden State desperately trying to avoid needing two play-in victories
With eight games left in the regular season, the Warriors’ goal is clear: finish eighth in the Western Conference.
In previous years, that got you into the playoffs and a best-of-7 series, albeit
against the No. 1 seed.
In COVID times, finishing eighth gets you into the pre-playoffs, something the NBA is calling the Play-In Tournament. It will run May 18-21, and here is how it works, as easily as we can explain it. Follow the bouncing ball.
The team with the seventh-best record in the West (currently Portland) will host a one-game playoff against the team with the eighth-best record (currently Memphis). The winner of that game advances to the real playoffs, as the No. 7 seed, playing a bestof-7 against the No. 2 seed, just like old times.
The loser of the 7-8 game will host the winner of a game between the 9-10 teams. The winner of that game advances to the real playoffs, as the No. 8 seed, playing a best-of-7 against
the No. 1 seed.
The Warriors are currently the No. 9 team. They are tied with San Antonio, but hold the tiebreaker. They are a half-game behind Memphis for the eighth spot.
Take a look:
8. MEMPHIS (32-31)
9. GOLDEN STATE (32-32)
10. SAN ANTONIO (31-31)
11. NEW ORLEANS (29-35)
If the season ended today, the Warriors would play San Antonio at Chase Center in a win-or-go-home game. A victory would pit them against the loser of Portland-Memphis, on the road, in another win-or-gohome game.
The goal is to play just one win-or-go-home game, win it, and advance to the real playoffs. To be in that position, though, the Warriors need to finish eighth. They need to beat out Memphis. It could come down to the last game of the season: Warriors vs. Memphis, May 16 at Chase Center, time TBA. Get your tickets now.
Of course, to make that regular-season finale all that it could be, the Warriors cannot afford a slip. They had one last week, losing to a Minnesota Timberwolves team that entered with a 20-44 record. And the Warriors looked vulnerable Saturday night in Houston, trailing the miserable Rockets (16-48) by 11 points late in the first half.
Steph Curry came to the rescue, as usual. He scored 23 of his 30 points in the third quarter, powering a 39-12 run that made the fourth quarter a laugher — literally.
Curry missed 10 of his first 12 shots and had missed 19 of his last 27 from beyond the arc when he dropped in a corner 3 to break a 59-59 tie. It was in the early stages of a 24-0 run, the biggest of the season, and brought a roar from Curry that ranked right up there with the biggest.
“Sometimes you have to force it a little bit,” Curry said. “There’s no reason I should celebrate a three like that other than just trying to get some juice going.”
Curry poured in shots from all over the floor, going 7 for 11 overall, including 5 for 7 from 3-point range, and 4 for 5 from the free-throw line. He had 15 points in the 24-0 run and all 12 in a stretch that took the Golden State lead from 65-59 to 77-59.
“One of the most remarkable things about Steph is that he can be in the midst of what looks like his worst game of the entire season, and then just explode,” head coach Steve Kerr said. “Most human beings wouldn’t be able to dig themselves out of a hole like Steph.”
Andrew Wiggins, who scored the first six points in the 24-0 run, finished with 20. Jordan Poole and Mychal Mulder both contributed 17 points. Draymond Green had another vintage game (9 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists), and Juan Toscano-Anderson delivered another impressive impersonation (6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 5 blocks.
“It’s great vibes going into New Orleans,” Toscano-Anderson said as the Warriors left Houston, “and those are must-wins.”