What a difference one month can make. On February 6 the Golden State Warriors held a below .500 record and were tied for 10th in the Western Conference standings.
Fast-forward to March 6 and the Warriors have surged up to the sixth-seed, with the arrival of 6x All-Star Jimmy Butler inspiring a 9-2 record over the last month. But while the six spot may have been the realistic goal for Golden State at the All-Star break, they're certainly not putting a limit on what they can do over the final 20 games of the season.
Brandin Podziemski believes the Warriors can reach the three-seed
After veteran forward Draymond Green boldly declared during the All-Star break that the Warriors would win the championship, young guard Brandin Podziemski has now also delivered a shock goal for the franchise to try and reach.
With a relatively easy schedule that includes an upcoming seven-game home-stand, Podziemski has his eyes on the third-seed in the West which is currently occupied by the Denver Nuggets.
"The six seed was the minimum expectation after the deadline," Podziemski told 95.7 The Game's Steiny and Guru on Wednesday. "We're three games behind for the five spot. The three-seed is only 5 and a half, 4 away. It does help that we have an easy, straight schedule left."
Getting to third is very ambitious for Golden State, particularly after the Nuggets took care of the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday in a win that now places them six games ahead of the Warriors.
However, getting home-court advantage in the playoffs may not be totally out of the picture. The Memphis Grizzlies currently sit at the fourth-seed, yet have slid back to just four games ahead of Golden State after Wednesday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Grizzlies have now lost their past four games, and seven of their past 10. The fifth-seed Houston Rockets also look entirely gettable, having gone 5-11 over their past 16 games which now has them just three games ahead.
Despite Podziemski's mindset, the Warriors also simply need to keep winning to ensure they stay ahead of those breathing down their necks. The Minnesota Timberwolves in particular are a real threat, especially given they have the easiest remaining schedule in the Western Conference.
The Sacramento Kings and L.A. Clippers are also right there in the picture, though the Dallas Mavericks are in free-fall following Kyrie Irving's devastating season-ending ACL injury earlier in the week.