“We’d rather not be in this mix”- Steve Kerr admits that the Warriors aren’t used to fight for a playoff spot
Steve Kerr opened up about how there's so much pressure on the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference coming into the final stretch of the regular season. Kerr pointed out that given that every team's record is only a few games apart, anything can happen before the playoffs.
Kerr said that he wants his team, the defending NBA champion, to avoid the situation as much as possible. The Golden State Warriors don't normally compete for a playoff spot, which puts them in a tight spot.
"Well, it's fun," Kerr said before Golden State plays the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. "We’d rather not be in this mix, but it is fun. We got nine games left, and every one of them is crucial. For the teams that end up surviving this, it might be an advantage going into the playoffs.
"It's almost like we've already started the playoffs. Everything is a possibility. We could finish in the top six. ... You can finish 11th and be out of it altogether."
Although not ideal, Steve Kerr is having fun with the pressure of fighting for a playoff spot https://t.co/R2xagRjGKP
Steve Kerr is unimpressed with his Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors set out for a five-game road trip beginning March 15 against the LA Clippers. Going into these road games, there was a lot of pressure considering that they hadn't won on an opponent's court since Jan. 30. True enough, the Warriors proceeded to go on a three-game losing streak, losing to the Clippers, Atlanta Hawks and Memphis Grizzlies.
But Golden State beat the lowly Houston Rockets 121-108 on Monday night. Of the Warriors' eight road wins, two have come in Houston. Steve Kerr wasn't exactly pleased with their victory despite it being the first road win in a long time. The Warriors will wrap up their road trip on Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks.
This is a must-win game for them to build momentum with their remaining nine games in the regular season. As Kerr said Tuesday, there's a lot of pressure in the Western Conference at the moment and anything could happen. Winning the majority of the final stretch will help boost them in the standings.
Golden State (37-36) is sixth in the West. If the season ended before Tuesday's games, the Warriors would be in the playoffs, avoiding the play-in tournament. But Golden State is just 1.5 games ahead of the LA Lakers (35-37), who are 11th and, at the moment, would miss the play-in tournament.