On Monday's episode of "The Zach Lowe Show," Lowe said that it's "very hard" to see the Golden State Warriors winning a playoff series this season. Right now, the Warriors sit No. 8 in the West, meaning they'd need to make it through the play-in tournament first. If they secured the No. 7 seed, they'd face the Nuggets, who are currently the No. 2 seed. If they were the No. 8 seed, they'd play the No. 1 Thunder.
Imagine what a first-round series with either of those teams would look like. Steph Curry's 48 points in Sunday's five-point loss to the Trail Blazers weren't enough, so what would he need to score for Golden State to have a chance against Oklahoma City? 80? 90?
Anything less than a championship would be a disappointment for the Warriors. They didn't trade for Jimmy Butler last year to end up as a first-round exit. They didn't trade for him to be a second-round exit like they were last season, either. Even a conference finals appearance wouldn't cut it.
It's a good thing that there's a lot of basketball left this season, which could turn out to actually be a bad thing for fans, depending on what Golden State does over the next few weeks.
Lowe doesn't think this version of the Warriors will win a playoff series
Injuries have been an issue for Golden State this season, with Curry missing five games with a quad injury, Butler missing a few games with a knee injury, and Al Horford missing more than half of the team's games due to rest and a right sciatic nerve irritation injury. The youngest player out of that group is Draymond, who is 35.
It serves as yet another reminder that time is ticking for the Warriors to win another title with Curry, who is still easily one of the best players in the league, even though he's 37.
The trade deadline will be here in less than two months, and on Jan. 15, Golden State will be able to throw Jonathan Kuminga into a deal. How the Warriors use his salary in a trade could make-or-break the rest of the season. No pressure!
It's still too early to count Golden State out, especially not when Steph Curry exists, but the past two losses proved yet again that he can't do it by himself. Unless something changes, the Warriors' season could end a few weeks earlier than they want, and that's if they even make it to the first round.