The heavy lifting is already done.
All the Warriors have to do now is take care of business.
Two wins — Wednesday against the Spurs and Friday against the Blazers, and it becomes exceptionally difficult to envision a scenario where the Dubs are not a top-six seed in the Western Conference playoffs come the end of the season at the end of this week.
And while there are higher seeds in play for the Dubs in these final days, it’s that No. 6 seed that they’re after.
It’s all that matters.
Don’t let the allure of higher seeds or “ideal” playoff matchups sway you. The Warriors’ three best players are old—sorry, battle-tested—veterans carrying long-held injuries. That makes a full week of rest, starting Saturday, before the season finale with the Clippers on Sunday, and running until the following Saturday, when the playoffs would begin, the most important thing for this team.
“Whatever squad I’m on, we always have a chance,” Jimmy Butler said earlier this week. “I know whatever squad 30 [Steph Curry] is on, whatever squad 23 [Draymond Green] is on, always [has] a chance, so I’d only like to think that all three of us together have a really good chance. We [do not want to be] in the play-in. We’re playing to not be in the play-in… We [have] a job to do anyways, and that’s to win a championship no matter what seed we are.”
The reason they don’t want to be in the play-in tournament is simple:
It gives 10, 23, and 30 some rest. A surprising spring break, if you will.
Remember: Curry needed a night off for “exhaustion” just a few weeks ago, and Green, coming off of three games in four nights in four cities, declared he was “tired.”
Curry only scored three points in that “tired” game against the Rockets, though he didn’t make such an excuse.
But being tired was understandable. And it served as a reminder that these Warriors are not spring chickens and there’s a marathon coming — either in the play-in tournament starting next Tuesday or the playoffs starting April 19.
Whatever the Warriors can do to expend as little energy as possible, as to save it for that real race, would be wise.
Tuesday night’s win over the hapless, hopeless Suns was a great start: Curry only had to play 25 minutes, which seemed excessive when you consider that Butler and Green both played roughly 20.
But that’s just a start. Taking a fourth quarter off doesn’t match a week of respite.
Further good news for the Dubs is that they hold tiebreakers on the Grizzlies (tied in the standings) and Timberwolves (one game back), and those two teams will play each other Thursday. That means it should only take two wins against inferior opponents to effectively clinch that No. 6 seed, setting up a what-are-we-doing-here game with the Clippers Sunday.
Is there a scenario in which Sunday’s game could decide whether the Warriors make the play-in tournament? Sure, but again, it’s not likely.
Two wins and you can bet that the Dubs are in.
And there isn’t a Western Conference opponent who should be excited about playing a surging, rested, and oh-so-experienced Dubs there.