Golden State Warriors: Previewing the Final 30 Games of the Season

April 5-April 13: The Home Stretch

The final five games of the season will be critical for the Warriors. By this time, they will have likely locked up a top two seed, and may be one step away from owning the best record in NBA history, but with two games against San Antonio in the final week of the season, the number one seed could still be in jeopardy.

Game 26: Minnesota Timberwolves
At this point in the season, the Wolves will likely be well out of a playoff spot, and with draft order potentially at stake, they may not mind losing this game. That is not to to say they will not play hard or try to lose, but the only motivation they may be able to get from this one is they are playing the defending champs, but that hasn’t seemed to matter for them so far.

Game 27: San Antonio Spurs
This game could prove to be very vital. With the Warriors currently holding a 3.5 game lead, there is no reason to believe that number will change all that much by the time we get to April. This game will be a bit different, as the Spurs will likely have Tim Duncan back after he missed the first game between these two juggernauts. Will it be enough to hand the Warriors their first home loss? It isn’t out of the question.

Game 28: At Memphis Grizzlies
This Grizzlies team will look vastly different than the last time the Warriors played them. With Marc Gasol likely out for the remainder of the season with a broken foot, and new acquisition Lance Stephenson finding his groove on this team, it’s impossible to predict where this team will be in April. Memphis is always a tough place to play, but with Gasol out, the Warriors shouldn’t drop this one.

Game 29: At San Antonio Spurs
The Warriors and the Spurs will see each other for the second time in just three days, and with the Western Conference potentially on the line, all able-bodied players should be participating in this one. If the Warriors are getting close to 73 wins, this game will be tough to pry out of their hands, but Gregg Popovic and the Spurs are always a threat to victory.

Game 30: Memphis Grizzlies
This game will be the 82nd game of the Warriors season, and quite possibly could be their 7oth plus victory of the season. After just seeing them four days prior, both teams will be very familiar with each other. If this is indeed the potential 73rd victory of the season, it is tough to see a situation in which they lose this game, especially with it coming at home.

Next: Prediction