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Golden State Warriors should be rooting for Phoenix Suns

By Tony Pesta

OAKLAND, CA - MARCH 10: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns is guarded by Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on March 10, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - MARCH 10: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns is guarded by Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on March 10, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Through their quotes and actions, the Golden State Warriors have shown they want to reach the playoffs this season. Because of this, they should be rooting for the Phoenix Suns to snatch the top seed in the Western Conference.

If the Golden State Warriors want to avoid being smacked in the first round – they should be rooting for the Pheonix Suns.

I don’t think anyone on the Warriors is expecting to win a championship. However, if they are pushing for a playoff berth – they certainly aren’t looking to get swept in the first round. At the very least, the Dubs are hoping to be competitive.

Sadly, the Warriors aren’t going to draw any easy opponents in the West. They’re currently sitting in 10th place, meaning the Warriors would have to win the play-in tournament just to earn a meeting with the top-seed in the West. I recently wrote on the three keys to reaching the playoffs for Golden State.

In this case, the Dubs will be hoping to face the Suns rather than the Jazz. While both are more than worthy opponents, the Suns are far more susceptible to an upset. Outside of Chris Paul and Jae Crowder, the Suns are an extremely young team. So are the Warriors, but the x-factors of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green could make for an exciting series.

The Suns are led by Devin Booker,  who would be competing in his first postseason this year. He’s averaging 26.0 points on 49.4 percent shooting from the floor – the best of his career. Nonetheless, his youth and inexperience could play a role in allowing the Dubs to push this matchup to the brink.

The individual battles in this series would be fun. Curry and CP3 have a long-standing rivalry while Kelly Oubre will have plenty of motivation going against his old team. Andrew Wiggins has his match on the wing in Mikal Bridges while Green and Crowder will act as point forwards for their respective teams. Even James Wiseman has a fun duel with another young center, Deandre Ayton.

In contrast, the Jazz have been in the playoffs in each of the last four seasons with Donovan Mitchell routinely showing up big for his team. Not to mention, Rudy Gobert would terrorize the undersized Dubs and I don’t think Wiseman is ready for a task that tall.

Let’s take a quick look at the standings and see what it would take for Phoenix to steal the top seed.

  1. Utah Jazz
  2. Pheonix Suns (2.5)
  3. LA Clippers (4.5)
  4. Denver Nuggets (5.5)
  5. Los Angeles Lakers (7.0)
  6. Portland Trail Blazers (8.5)
  7. Dallas Mavericks (9.5)
  8. Memphis Grizzlies (11.5)
  9. San Antonio Spurs (13.5)
  10. Golden State Warriors (14.5)
  11. New Orleans Pelicans (16.5)

(Games Back)

With just about 20 games remaining for every NBA team, a 2.5 game margin isn’t too much to overcome. However, the Suns have the league’s eighth toughest schedule remaining – whereas the Jazz have the easiest remaining schedule. If you’re curious, the Warriors have the 27th easiest remaining path to the playoffs.

The Suns will have to close the season out strong to snatch the first seed. But, it’s in the Warriors’ best interest that they do.

Next. Top 30 Warriors of all-time. dark

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