Portland – The NBA playoffs do not start until next week, but for the Warriors and most of the West Conference, the postseason has already been arrested.
The last week of the season is traditionally a repetition festival, full of good teams that rest to the players and look towards the next playoff confrontations.
Not this year.
Golden State is one of the five teams in the West who entered the last weekend of the regular season insecure if they will join the Thunder, Rockets and Lakers in the playoffs or will be trapped in the feared game tournament.
Depending on how games develop, Warriors could climb to number 4 or fall to No. 8.
At least a Warriors veteran is enjoying the frantic end.
“Yes, it is quite crazy, but it makes it fun and exciting,” Gary Payton II told the news group of the Bay area in Shoundound on Friday morning.
Coach Steve Kerr could not remember a season that ended with a similar level of chaos.
“I don’t remember anything like this,” he said. “I saw today, there is a potential for a five -wing draw. That’s crazy after 82 games. So I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Golden State (47-33) entered Friday night’s game in Portland Seed sixth, with Memphis and Minnesota directly under the Warriors.
Nuggets and clippers are ahead of Golden State, but no team’s destination is established in stone.
Each league team played on Friday, will take the season on Saturday and end Sunday.
Does Payton, a nine -year -old veteran, has such a wild end of the regular season?
“No,” he said. “But you know, all we can do is take care of what we have to take care of. Win, and then the rest of the league develops how it develops.”
Golden State could have been in a much better position, but wasted an advantage of the fourth two -digit quarter on Wednesday. Former warrior Harrison Barnes made the winner of the game about Jimmy Butler as time expired.
It is a loss that chopped, but Wing Moses Moody said the team already moved for the reverse.
“It makes no sense to think about the past,” said Moody, then and then added: “The vibrations have been similar to the playoffs during the last two weeks.”
After playing Portland, Golden State will be the host of the sown No. 5 Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Post, Payton available
Quinten Post and Payton, listed as questionable for the penultimate game of the season, were authorized to play before progress.
Post had lost the last two games with a disease. The Rookie center provides a rare shooting capacity for the front court. Its 41% precision rate from behind the arch is the second among rookies, just following Antonio Reeves of New Orleans.
Post has made at least three triple in 12 games this season, all after January 23.
Payton, the best defensive guard of the team, lost the last two games due to the inflammation of the knee.
His presence appears to harden a perimeter defense that his teammate Drayond Green, a contender for the defensive player of the year, characterized by lack of “determination” in the defeat against San Antonio.