Kurtenbach

Star Weekend.

That's where it was first reported that Chris Paul is out for what is likely the rest of the regular season — perhaps even beyond — with a broken thumb.

The Suns, who have developed this nasty habit of winning seemingly every night, should look like a different team without their point guard, their leader, their talisman.

How different? That's to be determined. But forgive me for thinking the drop off from Paul — one of the NBA's 75 greatest players of all time — to backup point guard Cameron Payne is significant.

The Warriors are 6 1/2 games behind Phoenix in the standings with one fewer game to play in the regular season.

Kerr's right. That is a lot of games. But I think the Warriors can take that No. 1 seed now that Paul is out.

I'll go further. They'd be foolhardy to not try to make a serious push, starting with their first game after the All-Star break Thursday in Portland.

Now, the Warriors shouldn't look at the distance between the Suns and them. No, instead, they should ignore the opponent and focus solely on finishing their race strong.

Here's a mark for which the Warriors should aim: 60 wins. To get to that number would require the Dubs to win 18 of their final 23 games.

It's a big ask, but it's a winning clip the Warriors were on before their lost four of five games heading into the All-Star break. Part of that

slide was fatigue, no doubt. Part of that slide was Draymond Green not being around, too.

But now the team is (hopefully) rested and there's optimism around Green's return in the coming weeks.

This is the time for the Warriors to recapture their early-season mojo, when they were bent on proving that they were still a championship contender. This is the moment for the Warriors to make a push to make their postseason lives easier.

The Warriors' core three players might be correct in thinking that they can handle anyone in a best-ofseven series — that their experience and subsequent nerve gives them an upper hand on anyone they face — but basketball is a team sport and there are key players on this Dubs team that have no championshiphunting experience.

Yes, Andre Iguodala and Kevon Looney have rings, and that is positive, no doubt, but Andrew Wiggins has played in the postseason once. His Timberwolves were bounced in five games.

Nemanja Bjelica was on that Wolves team, too. He's only played in two playoff games since, when he played garbage-time minutes.

Otto Porter is a big part of this Warriors team. He has played in 28 playoff games, but they were all for the Wizards, a team that wasn't seriously really competing for a title.

Everyone else has zip, zilch, nada. Damion Lee, Gary Payton II and Juan Toscano-Anderson have no practical playoff experience. Sorry, the play-in tournament last year doesn't count.

This is all going to be new and possibly bizarre for the team's young guns, 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 believe they do. But the Warriors' troika will need help — perhaps more than ever before — and we don't know if that help is going to take to the anytime-anywhere motto of the leaders.

The No. 1 seed will give the Warriors home court throughout the playoffs. And with the rolling Memphis Grizzlies four games clear of anyone else in the No. 3 seed, Golden State getting to No. 1 would mean at least one of the Grizzlies or Suns gets knocked out before the Western Conference Finals.

It's no doubt going to be hard to obtain, but it would make playoff life so much easier for the Dubs.

Now, will 60 wins get the job done?

Most likely not.

The Warriors would have to win in bunches. The Suns would have to become a truly mediocre team, going 12-12 in their final 24 games — possibly all sans-Paul — just to tie the Warriors at 60.

But even if it doesn't work out, the Warriors need to push in that direction. They need to see if they can put some pressure on the Suns for the first time in weeks.

They need to play better ball and having a clear target helps with that goal.

We know the Warriors can play better. We know they can be the team to beat in the Western Conference by the time the playoffs start.

But it's been a minute since we've seen it. A clear push for the No. 1 seed would serve as a strong reminder — a warning to the rest of the league — whether they obtain the top spot or not.