Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr acknowledges that his team is far from its prime even though the playoffs are just around the corner. The Warriors aren’t in top form yet, and they haven’t clinched their postseason berth either.
After the Warriors eliminated the Sacramento Kings on Friday, Kerr was asked to rate his team’s performance. The four-time champion coach said that Golden State still has room for improvement and was very critical of their turnovers.
“Carelessness was the main cause,” Kerr said. “I thought Sacramento played hard and they got on the ball. They forced a couple, but you saw the sloppy passes that we’re not going to be able to get away with in the playoffs. We’ve got to win one more to get inside. Assuming we get in, we’d have to play much better than tonight”.
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The Golden State Warriors had a whopping 24 turnovers in Friday night’s 119-97 win over the Sacramento Kings. It could have been a great win for the Warriors, but Kerr was pretty upset about how sloppy his team was.
Golden State will have to win its last game of the regular season to have a chance to make the playoffs. If the LA Clippers, LA Lakers or New Orleans Pelicans force a tie, the defending champions would drop to the starting spots.
The Clippers, Lakers and Pelicans own their tiebreakers against the Warriors. The Clippers have a better division record; the Lakers won the season series, while the Pelicans have a better conference record.
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Golden State Warriors playoff scenarios
The Golden State Warriors will need to win their final game of the regular season on Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers to clinch a playoff spot. The Warriors (43-38) are fifth, ahead of the LA Clippers (42-38), LA Lakers (42-39) and New Orleans Pelicans (42-39).
If Golden State loses on Sunday and the Clippers, Lakers and Pelicans win their remaining games, that will force a four-way tie. However, all three teams own the tiebreaker over the Warriors. That means the worst case scenario for the defending champions is the No. 8 seed.
In the meantime, the best case scenario for the Warriors is the fifth seed and a matchup against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. If the Clippers also win their last two games, they will move ahead of the Warriors. Golden State will drop to No. 6 and play the Sacramento Kings in the first round.
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