Golden State Warriors: Home stretch will determine their fate

It’s nothing new for the final seeds in the Western Conference to be decided during the home stretch of the season. But, for the Golden State Warriors, a last-second push to jump in the standings could be crucial.

The Golden State Warriors are jockeying for playoffs position and the home stretch of the season will determine their fate.

Under normal circumstances, the Warriors would be feeling a bit more pessimistic about their playoff hopes. Sitting three games behind the eighth seed with fewer than 20 games remaining isn’t an ideal position to be in.

But things are different this year. Thanks to the new play-in format, the Warriors only need to remain in the top 10 to earn a shot at the postseason. Winning consecutive games against the San Antonio Spurs and either the Memphis Grizzlies or Dallas Mavericks would thrust the Dubs back into the postseason.

With a ticking time bomb like Stephen Curry, the Warriors would be a tough team for anyone to challenge in the play-in tourney. A single-elimination game allows for anything to happen and with Curry, we can expect nothing short of greatness.

Even so, the Dubs might be able to bump their chances of reaching the playoffs by capitalizing on the next month of play. The Warriors hold the 27th easiest schedule remaining while their competitors all face tougher opponents (aside from the Mavericks who rank 28th).

Most importantly, the Spurs are looking at the second-toughest schedule in the league with multiple games against Celtics, Bucks, Jazz, Suns and Heat to close out their season. While moving up to ninth won’t help the Warriors much – there’s still a possibility they steal the eight seed from Memphis who faces a slightly tougher home stretch than the Dubs.

Jumping up to the eighth seed would mean the Warriors only need to win one of two games to reach the playoffs. In exchange? They get the honors of playing either the Utah Jazz or Phoenix Suns… likely resulting in a swift first round exit.

Nonetheless, the young core will get their feet wet in the postseason and receive the ultimate opportunity to show their worth. It might be better to miss the playoffs altogether but there’s no question the Dubs are gunning for a spot regardless.