20-year NBA veteran still thinks Warriors have shot at deep playoff run

The Golden State Warriors' season appears to be melting away to very little, with six losses in their last nine games having undone some good work over the past couple of months.

All of a sudden the Warriors are simply battling just to make the Play-In Tournament, having further lost their grip on the tenth-seed after the Houston Rockets' victory on Monday. Yet when you've won four championships over the last decade, there's a certain faith that's not easily relinquished.

20-year NBA veteran Jamal Crawford believes the Golden State Warriors remain with a shot of a deep playoff run this season

Despite their current standing and present form saying completely otherwise, some believe the Warriors are still capable of an unlikely run. That's what happens when you've got one of the greatest players of all-time who's still proven capable of extraordinary feats.

Asked last week whether the Warriors have a legitimate playoff run in them, former player Jamal Crawford suggested the presence of Curry will always make them a dangerous proposition.

"As long as you have Curry, you always have a shot. (No pun intended.) They can be dangerous with the right matchup and the right magic. What I mean by magic is I’m not sure anybody had them winning their last championship before the playoffs started. So they’ve shown they can go on those magical runs when it matters most."

- Jamal Crawford

The issue with Crawford's statement is that Golden State were in a far better position to attack the playoffs in 2022 than they are now. The franchise had sealed a spot in the postseason by this stage, eventually winning 53 games and finishing as the third-seed in the Western Conference.

That was a legitimate title team from early on, having started the season 18-2 through their first 20 games. This team appears like one simply trying to scratch and cling onto their former glory, with the results reflecting as much.

Golden State themselves believe they have what it takes, with Curry stating after Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves that "we still feel like we're capable of beating anybody."

The Warriors have had moments where that statement rings true, but the season has been long enough to prove they can't do it anywhere near consistently enough. Curry and Crawford may believe the team is still capable, yet the list of people with that mindset continues to wane with each passing loss.