Do the Golden State Warriors really need to have the top seed in the Western Conference?
It is no secret that the Golden State Warriors are struggling right now. They just lost their third consecutive game, which might not be that many to lose in a row, but this is their first three-game losing streak during the regular season since 2013.
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The loss tonight against the Spurs was not only their third straight, but also, it means that San Antonio has the tie-breaker if the teams were to have the same record at the end of the regular season. A positive from this loss is that the Warriors are still the #1 seed in the West by half of a game.
Now, this begs the question: Does the Warriors getting the #1 seed in the West even matter?
There are many answers to this question.
One answer could be that it absolutely matters for the Warriors to get the #1 seed in the West because it would guarantee them home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs and be a bit easier of a road to the Finals if the Warriors were to make it that far.
Another answer could be that the Warriors getting the #1 seed should not matter because the coaching staff is trusting that Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will get out of their shooting slumps and Kevin Durant will come back strong and at least 80% of the dominant force he was before the injury. The Warriors are thinking that this team at full strength and full health can beat any team in the league four out of seven times.
If the Warriors were to maintain the #1 seed in the West, they would play the eighth seed Denver and then if they beat them, they would go on to play either the Jazz or Clippers, who are #4 and #5 respectively. If the Warriors beat them, then they would go on to play the winner of the matchup of the Spurs vs. the Grizzlies and the winner of the Rockets and Thunder matchup.
Say hypothetically, the Warriors beat the Nuggets and played the Clippers, they would have the mental edge over the Clippers and I think they would win. The other seeding would be a bit harder to speculate, but the Spurs would make it out of those four teams.
If the Warriors did play the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, it would be a well coached series, with the mastermind of Gregg Popovich coaching the Spurs and Steve Kerr, a former player of Popovich, coaching the Warriors. The #1 seed would also give the Warriors a Game 7 at home, which could be an advantage to them with the crazy “Roaracle” crowd.
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Now, if the Warriors were to lose the #1 seed in the West to the Spurs, the matchups would be tougher. They would have to play the Grizzlies, who they have lost twice to them with Durant and the physical nature and style the Grizzlies play could put the Warriors in more of a physical toll in the later series if they were to move on.
They would have to play the winner of the Rockets and Thunder to get to the Western Conference Finals. The Rockets would be the tougher team to beat because of their floor spacing and how talented James Harden is, driving to the rim and drawing fouls.
Whichever seed the Warriors get, either #1 or #2 should not matter because when at full strength, they are one of the most, if not the most dominant team in the league.