3 ways Steph Curry and Warriors can avoid play-in tournament

Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors' loss to the San Antonio Spurs dropped them down the playoff standings.

3 ways Steph Curry and Warriors can avoid play-in tournament

Steph Curry and his Golden State Warriors teammates have a battle in front of them

A few days before the trade deadline, the Golden State Warriors were a mess. Steph Curry looked lost, and that mood spread across the team as they struggled to maintain 10th place in the West. Now a couple of months later, they climbed as high as fifth in the standings.

Impressive wins against the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets, all playoff teams jostling for final seedings, gave many the impression the Warriors were one of the teams to watch out for in the playoffs.

Their ability to dismantle teams of various shapes and sizes indicated that the team were intelligent in how they approached games. This stretch was followed by a loss to the Houston Rockets. However, media members and fans disregarded it as something that was a mere blip.

That loss followed a blowout win against the Phoenix Suns, and Warriors fans believed their team was back on track. But tonight, they lost to a Harrison Barnes buzzer-beater. This loss plunged them down to the play in spots. Now the Warriors have to do 3 things to ensure they have a fighting chance of reaching the playoffs.

Win both remaining games

One of the reasons the Golden State Warriors lost against the San Antonio Spurs is because they took the game too casually. De’Aaron Fox, Victor Wembanyama and Jeremy Sochan were not in the lineup, which is probably why the Warriors took it easy.

Such mistakes cannot happen at this stage of the season. Now the Warriors do not have a choice but to win the final two games of the regular season. Had they won tonight, they could have stayed in fifth place.

But now their fate will be decided by how other team’s fare. They have to win both games and hope that either of the Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves or Los Angeles Clippers lose one of their games. The last of those teams will face the Warriors in the final game of the season.

The Warriors have to win that game at all costs. Any slip up will only compound matters as other teams are jostling for position and the Warriors do not have head-to-head advantages over all of them. But winning both games are not enough.

Hope the Grizzlies and Timberwolves lose at least one game

The Memphis Grizzlies face the Timberwolves tomorrow and the Denver Nuggets on the very next day. With both their opponents also jostling for playoff positions, they could lose one or the other. They still have a favorable matchup against the Dallas Mavericks on the final day.

A loss or two will greatly help the Golden State Warriors. The Grizzlies will drop down a place or two and Steph Curry and his teammates can move up one position. The same logic applies to the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, in that scenario, one loss is enough as they are already below the Warriors.

These situations would not have come about had the Warriors won against the Spurs. But now, they have to hope that one of their conference playoff teams suffer a loss or two. In the event that does not happen, then they will have to redeem themselves in the play in.

Steph Curry and Warriors might have to face the play in tournament

Since the fate of the Golden State Warriors rests on the results of other games, Steph Curry and his teammates have to embrace the possibility of them playing in the SoFi play in tournament. It is not ideal as they will have to play at least one extra game whereas their first-round opponents will rest the entire week.

If all teams finish where they currently are, the Warriors will face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on April 15th. It would be wise that the Warriors take care of business and win this game. Then they can rest up until the playoffs start.

If they lose, they will battle on April 18th for the 8th seed. Steph Curry and his teammates would know all too well that it would be wise to avoid this game. Going up against the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round without any rest is not the best way to start their playoff journey.

The team have what it takes to battle against the best in the West. They might be a tweak or two away from being NBA title contenders, but at least they can fight to go deep into the playoffs. Steve Kerr should try and motivate them to at least fight for as long as they can.