The smell of NBA Playoff basketball is in the air. In just a few weeks, the Golden State Warriors will (likely) be battling in their first Play-In game in hopes of punching their tickets to the postseason for the first time since reaching the Finals in 2019.
The new format is expected to become permanent and will pin the 7-through-10 seeds in each conference against one another. For a refresher, here is how the Play-In works:
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
The Golden State Warriors have a few potential opponents to focus on. Here is a ranking of each Play-In opponent they could face.
Right now, the Warriors sit smack dab in the middle of either Play-In scenario. They are 10th in the West — but fewer than two games away from the seven-seeded Portland Trail Blazers and three games away from leaping out of the Play-In entirely.
Realistically, the four teams they will potentially meet in the tournament are the Blazers, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Memphis Grizzlies. While yes, the New Orleans Pelicans have a fighting chance to squeeze in — we’re going to assume they don’t have what it takes to overcome a four-game deficit with fewer than 12 games remaining.
So, if those are the potential opponents, who are the biggest threats? Let’s rank them from worst to best and preview what to expect in each scenario.