The Warriors went from NBA playoff pretenders to contenders in the blink of an eye, and some believe Golden State could be set up for another deep playoff run.
Winners of five straight games and seven of their last 10, the Warriors have surged back up the Western Conference standings and currently are the No. 10 and final seed in the NBA Play-In Tournament, just 4.5 games out of the conference's fifth seed.
On the latest episode of "The Bill Simmons Podcast," The Ringer's NBA analyst discussed the Warriors' recent success and what led to a midseason turnaround.
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"The Warriors were +205 to make the playoffs and they were -270 for the [NBA Play-In Tournament]," Simmons said. "Because it's pretty clear they're going to be in the play-in because Utah went backward. And I was like 'Man, I kind of like what I'm watching from this Warriors team.' They're in the top five in offense and defense I think for the last 10 or 11 games. But in general, this Draymond [Green] situation that seemed like it was going to set them sideways and kick them to the curb ... but he's been really good since he came back. And then the [Jonathan] Kuminga thing was the other thing."
The Warriors' dynasty appeared to be on the brink of extinction earlier in the season, but Simmons believes a rejuvenated Golden State team could make some noise should it sneak into the playoffs, similar to a certain NFL team that just won Super Bowl LVIII.
"So sometimes this stuff happens organically, sometimes you need a catalyst, and in this case it was the Draymond suspension," Simmons added. "But if they can get [Andrew] Wiggins going, which there's been signs of life from him, too. Chris Paul's coming back, [Gary] Payton II just came back and they have one of the best seven players in the world.
"So I went from 'I'm completely out' to 'Oh man, is this going to be like the Chiefs?' Is this where we counted out the Chiefs? Their receivers can't catch the ball, they can't score 20 points. And then they win the Super Bowl. I don't know if the Warriors can win the [NBA Finals], but at least it seems believable now."
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors, should they make the playoffs, face a very uphill climb back atop the NBA mountain, especially with vaunted conference foes like the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers standing in their way.
However, what once appeared to be a pipe dream might not be so unlikely after all.