Where Warriors Heading Into the Final Week of Regular Season in NBA
Over the past ten days, the Warriors have had a couple of opportunities to firmly establish their place among the top six seeds in the Western Conference.
Still, devastating defeats to the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 26 and the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night have left Golden State vulnerable.
Los Angeles Clippers (41 victories), Los Angeles Lakers (40 victories), and New Orleans Pelicans (40 victories) are all presently 41-38 and in the No. 6 spot in the West, while the Warriors are currently 38-38 and in the No. 7 slot.
The fact that the Warriors lack tiebreaker advantages against the Clippers, Lakers, or Pelicans makes matters worse for them.
The Lakers control the tiebreaker since they defeated the Warriors in the season series, three games to one.
The Clippers and Warriors split the regular-season matchup, but at 7-7, Los Angeles presently leads Golden State in the division (6-9).
The Clippers have two divisional games remaining (Sunday against the Phoenix Suns and Wednesday at home against the Lakers), compared to the Warriors’ one (against the Kings on Friday night).
The Warriors and Pelicans split their regular-season meetings, but as the season’s final week approaches, New Orleans (28-21) leads Golden State (27-22) in the conference standings.
The Pelicans’ last four games are against the West, while three of the Warriors’ final three games are against the West.
The fact that one of the Clippers or Lakers will conclude the season with at least 39 defeats due to their Wednesday night matchup is good news for the Warriors.
The Clippers, Lakers, and Pelicans would all have to lose at least one game in the last week for any of them to finish better than 43-39, while the Warriors’ best-case scenario would be a victory to move to 44-38.
The Warriors were hoping to earn the No. 5 seed in the West a week ago, and although that still may happen, their current objective is No. 6 and avoiding the play-in round.
Yet the clubs at the top of the Western Conference rankings might need assistance.
By defeating the Pelicans on Tuesday night, the Kings, who hold the No. 3 seed in the West, may significantly help the Warriors. Of course, Golden State must win over the Kings on Friday in their matchup.
The Suns play the Lakers on the road and the Clippers at home in their last two games, so Kevin Durant’s new squad can significantly aid his former team.
What may the outcome of all this be? The Lakers are predicted to secure the No. 7 slot, the Pelicans the No. 8 spot, and the Clippers the last two seeds to go to the postseason.
According to ESPN’s Andrew Lopez and Matt Williams, with assistance from the Basketball Power Index.
The Clippers and Warriors will be the final two seeds in this most likely scenario (8.5% chance of occurring). The 9–10 contest would occur between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Timberwolves at home.
With the Pelicans and Clippers clinching the final two playoff positions, Golden State (No. 8) travelling to Los Angeles to face the No. 7 seed Lakers is the most likely scenario in which the Warriors enter the play-in playoffs, according to Lopez and Williams (with a 3 percent probability of happening).
According to Lopez and Williams, a six-way tie involving the Warriors, Pelicans, Lakers, Clippers, Thunder, and Timberwolves has a 0.000009 percent probability of occurring.
In this rare scenario, all six teams would have 41-41 records, and the Warriors would receive the No. 8 seed since the tiebreakers don’t work in their favor.
The ultimate seeding may be decided on Sunday, the season’s penultimate day, as the situation is fluid and will alter daily. Put your seatbelt on.
Over the next six days, things will get crazy for both the Warriors and Dub Nation. A
