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Golden State Warriors Mailbag: Playoff Structure, David Lee, Championship

By Maggie Pilloton

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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

This is a great question and definitely one that is often discussed by NBA fans. Given the current strength and dominance of the Western Conference compared to the clearly more inferior Eastern Conference, it has been suggested that the NBA should possibly consider restructuring the playoff format so that the best 16 teams in the NBA would make the playoffs, instead of eight from the West and eight from the East.

This would allow some of the deserving teams in the Western Conference that just fall out of the playoff picture, due to the heightened competition in the West, to make the playoffs over teams in the East that might not even have a winning record but still make the playoffs due to the weaknesses in the East.

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This scenario relates to the Warriors, because if they are able to maintain the top spot in the Western Conference, then they will most likely face a highly talented, competent playoff team in the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are currently in the eighth spot in the West and are somewhat “locked” in that spot.

Some might believe this is unfair for the Warriors, because their incredible season would be rewarded with a first round playoff appearance against a healthy Kevin Durant, an MVP candidate in Russell Westbrook, and a talented, competitive Thunder team. This might be especially unfair since some teams below the Warriors in the West might have easier competition in the first round against teams trending downward, such as the Dallas Mavericks.

This situation is partially due to the amount of serious injuries and adversity that the Thunder have had to overcome this season. If Durant and Westbrook had been healthy all season, the Thunder would certainly have a higher playoff seed than eighth, but since they have both dealt with injuries that have kept them off the court for a good amount of time, the Thunder are most likely going to finish the season with the eighth seed.

Therefore, part of the reason why the Warriors could potentially see the Thunder in the first round is because of the amount of injuries and the severity of the injuries that they’ve had to endure.

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This situation is also partially due to the heightened competition in the Western Conference. If the NBA used a playoff structure that consisted of the top 16 teams, no matter what conference they’re in, and if the Warriors maintained the top spot in the NBA, then the Warriors could potentially face a team with less playoff experience and less talent from the East, or potentially the West.

Regardless of if that more inferior team would be from the East or West, the Warriors wouldn’t have to face such a talented and potentially frightening playoff team in the Thunder.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, they have to find a way to deal with this tough situation. There’s nothing they can do about this now, except focus on what they can control: their own games. They need to continue to take the rest of the season one game at a time, accumulate wins, push to keep that top spot, and hopefully for the team and the fans, the Warriors will be able to overcome whatever situation they are dealt, however potentially difficult it will be.

It’s unclear if the Thunder will stick in the eighth seed, but regardless, the Warriors will be ready and will be highly focused and determined come playoff time.

Next: Why is Lee Playing Less Minutes?

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