Those Warriors going to bed early Monday night probably assumed their first-round playoff opponent would be one of the teams battling for the bottom four seeds in the Western Conference.
That would be the Jazz, the Clippers, the Spurs and the Thunder.
That was it, until late Monday night. That’s when Trail Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic sustained a leg injury severe enough to sideline him for a year or more. Portland, already missing star guard CJ McCollum, will have to overachieve to hang onto fourth place.
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So now there are five. Here’s a look at each one, in order of ease with which they would be dispatched by an engaged Warriors squad.
Portland Trail Blazers (46-27)
Remaining schedule: three home games, six road games
Losing Nurkic is a tremendous blow. He was having his best season and had produced 32 points and 16 rebounds before leaving in the second overtime of a win over the Nets. If Nurkic and McCollum are healthy, the Blazers are a real threat to any team they play.
Golden State Warriors
Though McCollum will not accompany the team on a four-game road trip that begins Wednesday and runs through Monday, he likely will return in time for the playoffs.
Currently the No. 4 seed, they likely will slide. If they drop to seven or eight and run into the Warriors in the first round, it will be a short series. Probably a sweep.
Oklahoma City Thunder (43-31)
Remaining schedule: six home, two road
After spending much of the season among the top four seeds, Oklahoma City has fallen upon hard times, going 6-11 since the All-Star break. Their defense has fallen off slightly and the offense is a mess. Only the Knicks have a lower offensive rating since the break.
That explains why the Thunder currently sit in No. 8 spot. If they can’t fix their offense, they might stay there.
The Warriors have no problem with motivation here. They have no love for OKC, whose defense can’t expect to contain Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. Another short series, five games at most.
Los Angeles Clippers (44-30)
Remaining schedule: five home, three road
They were expected to slide after trading Tobias Harris at the Feb. 7 deadline. Instead, they’ve taken off. Their 12-3 record since the break is second only to Houston’s 14-3.
The Clippers, currently sixth, are dangerous because they’re playing with house money – they have one eye on the summer free agent market – and also because they have the most irrepressible bench in the NBA. Lou Williams an offense problem few teams can solve and Montrezl Harrell, at 6-8, acts as if he owns the paint.
LA’s bench is so effective, the starters produce under the radar. They’re capable of a first-round upset ... but not over the Warriors.
Five games. A very tough five games, though.
Utah Jazz (44-30)
Remaining schedule: five home, three road
The Jazz, currently fifth in the West, have the ability to ugly-up a game. They slow it down and sometimes finds a way to rob the Warriors of their rhythm. They are not fun to play.
But they still have a problem. The Warriors do a great job on their best player, Donovan Mitchell. If he can’t get going, it’s up to Joe Ingles to provide firepower. Durant is not going to let Ingles keep him from getting to the next round.
Utah’s favorable schedule should be enough to keep them between fourth and sixth. If they drop to seventh or eighth, the Warriors win in five.
San Antonio Spurs (43-31)
Remaining schedule: four home, four road
After spending much of the season looking like they could miss the playoffs for the first time since 1997, the Spurs have righted themselves and currently hold the No. 7 seed. Their stars are playing at a very high level.
Asked to explain the difference between the first four months and its last four weeks, coach Gregg Popovich cited his team’s defense. The Spurs were 22nd in defensive rating before the break and they are fifth in the 15 games since.
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Because they have found their defensive mojo and are so disciplined at running Curry and Thompson off the 3-point line, the Spurs are a threat. They will test the Warriors and could hang around for six games before falling.