The Golden State Warriors can't be ignored as a dark-horse NBA Finals threat heading into the NBA Playoffs.
Losing three of their last five games of the regular season has put the Golden State Warriors in a difficult situation heading into the NBA Playoffs. They'll have to beat the Memphis Grizzlies in a Play-In Tournament game to officially clinch the 7th seed in the Western Conference, but if they do, I'd argue they might be in the perfect position to make an unlikely NBA Finals run.
If the Warriors were to carve out the 7th seed, that would place them in a first-round matchup with the Houston Rockets, one of the more inexperienced teams in the postseason. This season, the Warriors were 3-2 against the Rockets. Even though they lost their most recent matchup against Houston, I do believe there are a lot of people who will expect Golden State's experience to get the best of the Rockets in a potential matchup.
The Warriors are also playing their best basketball of late. Since February 8 (the acquisition of Jimmy Butler), the Warriors are 23-8. That's good enough for the second-best record in the Western Conference. If Golden State can carry that momentum into their first-round series against the Rockets, it's hard to view the Warriors as a traditional 7th seed.
The Golden State Warriors' road after the first round
If - and it's certainly a big "if" - the Warriors are able to upset the Rockets in a first-round series, it will set them up for a big matchup with (likely) the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. Of course, that's under the assumption that the Lakers would be able to handle the Minnesota Timberwolves in their first-round series.
The Warriors could have the upper hand against the Lakers, especially if LeBron James is not 100 percent healthy. It will be interesting to see how the Lakers and LeBron look in the first round, but it's certainly something to keep a close eye on. In what could be an intriguing second-round matchup between the Warriors and Lakers, there is a path toward Golden State winning that series.
And then, if the Warriors were to make the Western Conference Finals, nothing would come as a surprise. They would have a tough time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have clearly been the most dominant team in the league this season. However, the Warriors have been playing championship-worthy basketball since the acquisition of Jimmy.
This Warriors team has the feel of one that will either lose in the first round or make a deep playoff run. I'm not sure how this season will end for the Warriors, but it wouldn't be all that surprising if they did make a somewhat unlikely run to the NBA Finals.