Golden State Warriors: A path through the West is opening

Apr 18, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) calls on the crowd during a timeout against the Denver Nuggets during the third quarter of game two of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 18, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) calls on the crowd during a timeout against the Denver Nuggets during the third quarter of game two of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Western Conference appeared to be a gauntlet at the start of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Now, a path is opening up for the Golden State Warriors to cakewalk to the NBA Finals.

Okay, I’ll pump the brakes a little. The road to the NBA Finals will not be easy by any means but the Dubs should be licking their chops at their potential opponents.

The Western Conference isn’t looking so scary anymore as the Golden State Warriors can see a path to the NBA Finals opening up.

Memphis and Phoenix, the two top seeds in the conference, are struggling to get past their first round matchups. A hamstring injury to Devin Booker has the Suns on the ropes while the Grizzlies’ youth is proving to be a bigger factor than expected, locked in a tight series with Minnesota.

The Suns still pack a heavy-hitting punch if they can advance to round two and regain Booker. However, their recent signs of weakness should be enough to give the Warriors a confidence boost.

Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz are on the verge of imploding. Despite Luka Doncic being on the sideline for the first half of the series, Dallas is in a commanding 3-2 lead and ready to deliver a fatality on Thursday.

With Dallas rolling and Phoneix reeling, it is possible the Warriors will enter the conference finals with homecourt advantage. This is significant as the Dubs held a 31-10 record at home in the regular season and are 2-0 in the playoffs thus far.

I’d be remiss to gloss over the Denver Nuggets, who are still technically in the fight despite being down 3-1. The Warriors will have to keep their eye on the ball and focus on wrapping this series up before getting giddy about the future.

Still, a potential path to the NBA Finals is becoming clear. The Dubs are peaking at precisely the right time whereas other teams appear to be stalling out.