About a month ago, it seemed like the Golden State Warriors were headed back to the NBA Draft Lottery and set to miss the postseason once again. Thankfully, a recent spark has pushed the Warriors deeper into the playoff picture and it now seems certain they will be in the Play-In Tournament.
Although it would have been nice to close out a few of their recent games such as a last-second collapse against Boston and a similar fumble versus the Washington Wizards — the Dubs are still 5-2 over their last seven games and heading into the home stretch of the season with momentum.
The NBA Playoff Race is nearing its finish line and the Golden State Warriors will want to turn their attention to these three pivotal games.
As a quick refresher, the Play-In Tournament will pit the seven/eight seed and the nine/10 seed in each conference against each other. The winner of the seven/eight-game secures the seventh seed — the loser will face either the nine or 10 seed (depending on who wins the nine/10-game) with the winner locking up the final spot in the playoffs.
The NBA Play-In Tournament Explained@DaKidGowie breaks down what it is, how it works and when it happens in the first episode of a weekly series to get you all you need to know about who's in, who's out and how it's all going down. pic.twitter.com/lNAAKZyxQg
— NBA (@NBA) April 8, 2021
Considering the Warriors have a four-game lead on the New Orleans Pelicans who sit in 11th — it’s safe to assume they reach the Play-In. Even so, there are consequences to being the eighth seed as opposed to the ninth and there’s still a possibility Golden State can rise all the way to sixth and avoid the Play-In altogether.
It all comes down to how they perform in a few key games down the stretch. For the most part, their fate is in their own hands. Let’s preview three games that will be pivotal for the Warriors’ playoff hopes.