Warriors beat writer Danny Emerman shares his thoughts on the NBA
Only 11 games remain for the playoff-destined Warriors, but they likely won’t know their first-round opponent until the last day of the regular season.
Because of how jumbled the Western Conference is, Golden State could reasonably finish anywhere between fifth and eighth. After the Warriors’ impressive win over Milwaukee last week, one player mused in the locker room that if they finish 11-2 down the stretch, they’d lock themselves into the four-five matchup.
The inverse is true. A rolled ankle here or some back tightness there, and the Warriors could slide into the play-in. Steph Curry’s pelvic contusion is an inconvenient reminder of that.
The Warriors have more championship pedigree than any team in the league. They won’t fear anyone, especially if they keep rolling. But there are certainly teams they’d rather match up with than others.
Here’s a sentence on each of Golden State’s potential first-round opponents come mid April.
Oklahoma City Thunder: A defense that covers up space like The Flash and an MVP-engineered offense, OKC is the top seed for a reason.
Houston Rockets: Down two with the game on the line, do you trust Jalen Green to generate a good look? (Houston has the most clutch wins in the league but the 18th net rating in such situations)
Los Angeles Lakers: If Luka Doncic and LeBron James are healthy, no one’s going to want to play them — not even the Warriors.
Denver Nuggets: They’re always going to have the best player in a series, but only become true threats if Aaron Gordon can stay on the court.
Memphis Grizzlies: Zach Edey, the type of player who perennially gets played off the court in playoff series, could have a tough time in his first postseason taste.
Los Angeles Clippers: They’re well-coached and playing great with Kawhi Leonard healthy, but don’t get fooled again: it’s James Harden in a series.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Look out, the Wolves are finally clicking with Julius Randle in the mix as a facilitator.
Sacramento Kings: Plant-based lunch meat.
Phoenix Suns: Been mentally in Cancun since February.
Get the mute button ready
March Madness is here, which means the dumbest talking head topic is right around the corner. You’re going to hear it soon, the interminably obnoxious hypothetical: Could the NCAA Champion beat the worst team in the NBA?
It’s up there with Pete Rose Hall of Fame debates and LeBron James clutch gene takes for worst recurring talk radio segment.
Whoever wins the NCAA Tournament (I’ve got Michigan State, Florida, Duke and Houston in my Final Four), will get this year’s honors.
But no, of course they wouldn’t beat the Wizards. They’d get demolished. And no, they wouldn’t beat the Process Sixers or seven-win Bobcats, either.
We can be smarter about records
With Steph Curry’s 4,000th 3-pointer and Steve Kerr’s 558th win last week, a plea: let’s include playoff statistics in records. In all sports, for all of the round-numbered figures fans care about.
Ignoring the postseason — when the greats rise, when the games really truly matter — is like reviewing a restaurant off just the drinks and appetizers.
In reality, Curry passed the unprecedented 4,000-mark years ago and is just 400 away from 5,000 now. The gulf between him and James Harden, in second place, is even wider when factoring in the postseason.
Barry Bonds is still the Home Run Champ, don’t worry Giants fans. He’s got 771 bombs including the postseason, 10 more than Hank Aaron. As fun as Alex Ovechkin’s chase for Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record has been, he’s really not even close; with Gretzky’s all-time best 122 playoff scores, the Capitals star is really 57 goals behind The Great One.
Grimes going to get the bag
The Mavericks traded Quentin Grimes to Philadelphia because they knew they wouldn’t want to pay him in free agency, and now he’s en route to a bigger payday than even they could’ve anticipated.
March basketball can come with a grain of salt, but Grimes is hooping for the skeleton-crew Sixers. Over his last 11 games, Grimes is averaging 28.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game while shooting 41% from deep and playing solid perimeter defense. He’s dropped 40 twice, including the eruption against Golden State that ignited his hot hand.
The 2025 free agent list is shallow (and the teams with cap space perhaps even shallower). Depending on how player and club options pan out, the top free agents could be Jonathan Kuminga, Myles Turner, Fred VanVleet, Naz Reid, Brook Lopez and Cam Thomas.
Some comparable contracts for Grimes? Cole Anthony (three years, $39 million), Payton Pritchard (four years, $30 million), Caris LeVert (two years, $32 million), and Jordan Clarkson (two years, $28 million).
The 24-year-old Grimes might be playing himself into a bigger deal than all of them.
The next domino
There’s a sense within league circles that the Luka Doncic trade may have opened Pandora’s Box when it comes to superstar movement.
Kevin Durant is the obvious candidate to change teams again after the Suns shopped him at the deadline. But it’s possible no one is safe. Ja Morant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, a suddenly svelte Zion Williamson, Damian Lillard, LaMelo Ball, Devin Booker, Joel Embiid, Trae Young, Domantas Sabonis…after the Doncic trade, who knows?