How Can Warriors Qualify for the NBA Playoff?
EN 
ES The Golden State Warriors playoffs chances took a major hit after they lost 114-111 to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. Harrison Barnes scored a game-winning buzzer beater to break home fans’ hearts.
This loss drops Golden State into an even tighter playoff race. The Western Conference has been wild all week. Earlier, seeds 4 to 8 were all tied with 32 losses.
After the loss to San Antonio, the Warriors are now tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the loss column. Both teams have 33 losses. That puts them on track to face each other in the Play-In Tournament, in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchup.
Can Warriors still make it to the NBA Playoffs?
The answer is yes. The Warriors have 2 games remaining. On Sunday, they face the Clippers – one of the teams above them in the standings. But it won’t be easy. The Clippers already won all three previous games against Golden State this season. That means the Clippers hold the tiebreaker.
If the Dubs want to avoid the Play-In, someone else needs to lose.
The Memphis Grizzlies play Minnesota on Thursday and Denver on Friday. They also face Dallas on Sunday. The Warriors hold the tiebreaker over Memphis. So a Memphis loss in any of those games helps Golden State.
How the Warriors Can Still Make the 4th or 5th Seed?
There is still a chance the Warriors could climb into the 4th or 5th seed. But it’s not fully in their control.
For this to happen:
- The Clippers must lose to the Kings on Friday and to the Warriors on Sunday
or - The Denver Nuggets must lose all of their remaining games
Only one of these is likely—Clippers losing both would help Golden State sneak into the top five.
How the Warriors Can Get the 6th Seed
This scenario is more realistic.
To finish 6th:
- The Warriors need to win their last two games
- The Minnesota Timberwolves must beat Memphis on Thursday.
This would move Golden State out of the Play-In and likely into a first-round matchup against the Lakers (3 vs. 6).
If neither of the above scenarios happen, the Warriors are heading to the Play-In Tournament. The 7 vs. 8 game against Minnesota is most likely. But seeding could shift depending on other results.
2 comments