It Doesn’t Matter Who the Eighth Seed Is

As the regular season winds down and the Golden State Warriors seemingly assured of their first seed in the Western Conference, the focus in recent weeks has shifted to the Warriors possibly resting players and the ongoing debate on which team they would rather face in the first round of the playoffs. After last night’s result and the announcement that Kevin Durant could miss the rest of the season, it might not matter who the Warriors face after all.

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Currently, the race for the eighth seed in the Western Conference is as follows: the Oklahoma City Thunder are in eighth, the New Orleans Pelicans are 2.5 games behind the Thunder, and the Phoenix Suns are three games behind the Pelicans.

The sentiment from the Warriors’ fanbase is that many would rather the Warriors face off against the Suns or the Pelicans. The Thunder have the best squad on paper, and if all players are healthy, would pose the biggest threat to the Warriors. Russell Westbrook is having an incredible year, posting up triple-doubles like it’s no one’s business, Kevin Durant is the reigning MVP, and Serge Ibaka is a defensive monster.

March 1, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) is greeted by forward Kevin Durant after a scoring play against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

However, the Thunder could be without two of their Big Three when the playoffs roll around. Just yesterday, general manager Sam Presti held a press conference where he revealed that Durant would be out indefinitely. Durant is having the worst season of his career, and has been dealing with foot problems sustained from a hairline fracture during the offseason. Meanwhile, Ibaka recently underwent surgery to deal with some soreness in his knees and is expected to be out for up to six weeks.

Despite Westbrook’s gaudy numbers, the Thunder simply cannot succeed without Ibaka and Durant. The Warriors’ stifling perimeter defense will force the Thunder to be even more inefficient, and the offense will eventually breakdown into a series of isolation plays. The Thunder’s starting lineup of Westbrook, Dion Waiters, Andre Roberson, Enes Kanter, and Steven Adams is already a net -4.7 three-point field goals per game – just imagine what that number will balloon to when they take on the trigger-happy Warriors’ offense.

Mar 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Andre Iguodala (9) shoots over New Orleans Pelicans forward Luke Babbitt (8) during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

The Warriors displayed in their dismantling of the Pelicans last night that they would be confident in a playoff series against their New Orleans counterparts as well. The Warriors dealt with an off-night from Curry and an injured Klay Thompson, and continued their unbeaten streak when holding opponents to under 100 points.

Yes, the Pelicans were missing Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, Omer Asik and Ryan Anderson. But the Warriors have bested the full-health Pelicans in their two previous matchups, and their lack of depth doesn’t stand a chance against the Warriors, who have one of the deepest rosters in the league. Davis might be a future superstar in the league, but this is Chef Curry’s year.

Davis might be a future superstar in the league, but this is Chef Curry’s year.

And last, but not least, the Phoenix Suns. The Suns’ transfer deadline moves confused everyone, and it also signalled the end of their point guard experiment. Their results since the trades have been mixed (7-8) but they are still a puncher’s chance of making the playoffs. They are arguably the weakest team of the three, and aside from an early season loss, the Warriors have managed to take care of the Suns with relative ease.

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The suggestion that the Warriors might lose a few games to affect the race for eighth has been brought up. But in light of recent news, it might not matter.

The Golden State Warriors are ready for whoever the eighth seed will be. Bring on the playoffs.

Next: Iguodala Crucial to Warriors' Championship Aspirations