"If Steph and Draymond are locked in and playing well, then they can beat anybody” - NBA insider bills Golden State Warriors the top dog in the West
As the league gears up for the final day of the regular season, plenty of questions remain unanswered, but none are more mystifying than the one about the Golden State Warriors' championship contention.
Stephen Curry has been out since March 16, when he sprained a ligament in his left foot after getting into a scramble with Marcus Smart of the Boston Celtics. Having been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season, Anthony Slater of "The Athletic" reported that Curry was back on the court and going through his shooting routine, while GSW head coach Steve Kerr added that he was advancing.
Tim Bontemps, on ESPN's "The Hoop Collective," stated that a healthy Curry puts the Golden State Warriors at the top of the Western Conference:
"It's really as simple as 'Is Steph healthy?' I mean, that's the whole question with them. I mean, obviously, Draymond (Green) has been up and down. (Andre) Iguodala missed a bunch of time. The Klay (Thompson) thing has gone not great overall."
"They just haven't had a chance to get everybody on the court, but if Steph and Draymond are locked in and playing well, then they can beat anybody including Phoenix."
The Warriors (52-29) are currently the third seed in the Western Conference and will go up against the New Orleans Pelicans (36-45) in their final regular-season game tonight.
If the Warriors win their final game or if the Mavericks lose their final game, the Warriors go into the playoffs as the third seed. For the Mavericks to finish as the third seed, they would have to win their game and hope the Warriors lose theirs.
What's on the line for the season's final day
-Warriors finish as #3 seed if they beat the Pelicans OR Mavericks lose to Spurs
-Warriors finish as #4 seed if they lose to Pelicans AND Mavericks beat the Spurs
How far can the Golden State Warriors go this year?
The Bay Area will rejoice, once again, as Stephen Curry and Co. go into the post-season for the first time since 2019. Since Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant went down, GSW has been plagued with injuries.
Nearly every single superstar on the team, including Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, was out for a substantial amount of time, and although Stephen Curry almost made it through the play-in game last season, things look much better now.
Curry is expected to return to the court for the first playoff game, and the coming week will be crucial in deciding whether he starts in the playoffs or not. Poole has had a breakout season and has basically been Curry 2.0 coming off the bench. Klay, Green and Iguodala have been progressing at a decent pace since their injuries.
The Golden State Warriors' chances for a deep run are almost entirely dependent on Curry. If Curry falls short, the Warriors are, at best, a second-round exit.