Golden State Warriors: Ranking the 5 most likely first-round playoff opponents

Ranking the five most-likely opponents that the Golden State Warriors will see in the NBA Playoffs. 

With less than two weeks remaining in the NBA’s regular season, the defending champion Golden State Warriors still don’t know where their title defense is going to begin in the NBA Playoffs. And while unlikely, there is even still an outside chance that the Warriors completely miss out on the postseason entirely.

It’s been an inconsistent season for the Warriors but with how top-heavy and veteran-laden the majority of this roster is, they’re going to be considered a dark horse threat to make noise in the postseason. And, after all, they’re still the defending champions until someone beats them in a seven-game series.

The Golden State Warriors could finish anywhere from 4-12 in the West standings

At the moment, the Warriors could finish anywhere from 4-12 in the West standings. However, at the moment, I would say that the likelihood is that the Warriors will probably finish in the 6-9 range. Before the playoffs arrive, let’s explore and rank the five most-likely opponents that the Warriors could see in the postseason.

5. Memphis Grizzlies

It may be a bit of a surprise to see the Memphis Grizzlies checking in at No. 5 considering that they’re sitting in the second seed of the Western Conference. But this has more to do with the fact that the Grizzlies are the team that is struggling the most at the moment. Couple their recent struggles with the fact that they don’t have a high-level ceiling at the moment and it’s easy to see why the Warriors may be open to a first-round matchup with Memphis.

To get to this matchup, the Warriors would have to finish as the 7th or 8th seed and then win their first game to clinch the 7th seed in the West playoffs.