2. Denver Nuggets
Checking in at No. 2 is the Denver Nuggets, the top overall seed in the Western Conference. And I don’t think this is a knock on them. For the most part, the Nuggets are a team that is unproven. But they’re still quite intimidating to face in a possible seven-game series. They have an MVP-worthy player in Nikola Jokic and three of the better (and most underrated) supporting cast players in Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon.
The Nuggets have consistently been the best team in the Western Conference this season and even though they’ve struggled to a certain extent as of late, you can make the argument that they’re going to be the favorite to come out of the conference once the playoffs begin.
In order to get to a Warriors-Nuggets matchup, the Warriors would have to qualify as the 8th seed in the NBA Play-In Tournament. So either they enter as the 7th or 8th seed in the Tournament and lost the first game but win the second. Or, they enter as the 9th or 10th seed and win both games.
With how both teams have played this season, though, a Nuggets-Warriors playoff matchup would feel like a huge mismatch.