Golden State Warriors Mailbag: Green, Trade Deadline, Playoff Matchups
Jan 16, 2015; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) handles the ball against Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
@MaggiePilloton of the 3 teams competing for 8 seed, which presents the hardest matchup for GS?
— sean (@seanyouidiot) February 18, 2015
Given their tough schedule, it’ll be incredibly difficult for the Warriors to maintain their NBA-best record and the top spot in the Western Conference, especially with the Memphis Grizzlies right on their heels. However, for the sake of this question, let’s assume the Warriors remain the number one seed in the Western Conference heading into the playoffs.
As of now, their are three teams in the Western Conference that are competing for the eighth seed: the New Orlean Pelicans, the Phoenix Suns, and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Let’s discuss each team briefly before answering the question.
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The Pelicans are an impressive team. They have one of the best players in the NBA on their roster, Anthony Davis, they have a smart, talented point guard in Jrue Holiday (who is a former All-Star), they have legitimate backcourt threats in Eric Gordon (when healthy) and Tyreke Evans, they finally have a center to pair alongside Davis in Omer Asik, and they have some solid bench players in Ryan Anderson and Quincy Pondexter. I definitely see the Pelicans as a playoff team this year, but the Warriors wouldn’t have much trouble beating them in a seven-game series.
The Suns are a bit in shambles right now. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they missed the playoffs completely. They have a significant, and unnecessary, amount of point guard depth in Goran Dragic, Eric Bledsoe, and Isaiah Thomas, and there have been several trade rumors recently surrounding these players and others on the Suns. No matter what happens with their roster before the trade deadline, the Warriors could definitely beat the Suns in a seven-game series.
The Thunder would pose the biggest threat to the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, if they were to secure the number eight seed in the Western Conference. The Thunder might even move up in the standings in the second half of the season and eventually become the sixth or seventh seed, but let’s just assume for now that they’ll be the eighth seed in the playoffs.
January 5, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) look on during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Thunder 117-91. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Thunder have several qualities that would make them a difficult first round matchup for the Warriors. First of all, whenever the Warriors and Thunder play, the games are extremely competitive, back-and-forth, and exciting. In a playoff atmosphere, this thrilling style would intensify and make this a tough series for the Warriors, especially in front of the Thunder’s boisterous crowd for potentially three games.
Second, the Thunder’s dynamic duo of Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant would give any team trouble in the playoffs. Westbrook is so incredibly quick and dangerous that he’s a tough cover, even for extremely skilled defenders like Thompson or Andre Iguodala. Durant is arguably the best scorer in the NBA and is extremely clutch, so he could also be incredibly dangerous in a seven-game series.
Lastly, the Thunder are experienced and comfortable in the playoffs, unlike the Suns and the Pelicans. They’ve made the playoffs the last five seasons and have made it past the first round in four of those seasons. The Warriors have playoff experience too, but the Thunder have more and could use that to their advantage.
A Warriors-Thunder first round playoff matchup would be extremely entertaining and would probably go six or seven games, but I believe the Warriors could still prevail. It’d be extremely tough though.