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Warriors reveal surprise Steph Curry plans for play-in tournament
TL;DR
The Golden State Warriors, as the 10-seed in the Western Conference, face a tough path in the play-in tournament, needing to win two games to reach the playoffs. If successful, they would then face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
Warriors reveal surprise Steph Curry plans for play-in tournament originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry know the deck is stacked against them.
They snuck into the postseason, barely. They're the 10-seed in the Western Conference.
That means they'd have to win their first play-in game just to continue their season. Then they'd have to win a second play-in game to make the actual playoff bracket.
And then if they do that, what awaits? The No. 1 seed and defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
As much as the Warriors believe in Curry to lead them just about anywhere, calling this a Herculean task isn't even a strong enough adjective.
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With that in mind, it seems, the Warriors have made something clear: They won't overdo it with their veteran minutes in the play-in opener.
Warriors beat reporter Joseph Dycus wrote this on X on Sunday:
"Steve Kerr says that there will be a minutes restriction for Steph Curry, Horford and Porzingis. Says none will play 40 minutes in the do or die play in on Wednesday."
The Warriors have to know that their veterans aren't quite up to speed enough after injury-plagued seasons. The mountain may be too tall.
If the Warriors don't make the actual playoff bracket, they also go into the NBA Draft lottery. Not that that should entirely inform any decisions here, but it's not nothing as they try to formulate one more run around Curry (and a hopefully returning to health Jimmy Butler).
Steph, even in a non-overloaded minutes total, can totally swing a game in Golden State's favor, even now.
The Warriors may not have enough firepower this season for that to matter, though.
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Q&A
What are the Warriors' chances of making the playoffs through the play-in tournament?
The Warriors must win two consecutive games in the play-in tournament to qualify for the playoffs, making their chances challenging as the 10-seed.
Who will the Warriors face if they win the play-in tournament?
If the Warriors win the play-in tournament, they will face the No. 1 seed, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the first round of the playoffs.
What seed are the Warriors in the Western Conference?
The Warriors are currently the 10-seed in the Western Conference.
