Kerr's Warriors: Heading to the Play-in Tournament, Curry Could Return

Golden State Warriors: The Play-in Reality

After the sixth loss in seven games, Warriors coach Steve Kerr has exposed the harsh reality facing the Golden State team as the end of the regular season approaches.

Can we prepare for the play-in tournament? We are going to be in the play-in. We know it.
Steve Kerr

The defeat against the Celtics, with a score of 120-99, relegated the Warriors to tenth place in the Western Conference, half a game behind the Trail Blazers. The situation is clear: there is no longer any room to fall further, but there is also not much capacity to move up. Golden State is at a 33-36 record, 8.5 games behind the Nuggets and six games behind the Suns, seeded in seventh place.

We’ve had our eyes on sixth place for a while. That’s out of the question now. We’re not going to get there. If we can string together some wins, try to get to eighth, that would be ideal. We’d have two chances to get into the playoffs. But we’re not going to get to seventh. We know that.
Steve Kerr

Despite this turbulent moment, there are signs of optimism. Stephen Curry, who has been absent for 19 games due to a knee injury, is on the trip and has intensified his work on the court. It is expected that he can participate in a scrimmage before the trip ends, which could accelerate his return before the end of March. The latest defeat, a 21-point setback at the TD Garden, highlighted the Warriors’ difficulty against the Celtics’ power. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 56 points, but Kerr pointed out that he was more concerned about his team’s subtle mistakes, fouls in the third quarter, and the tendency to be outmatched on defense.

We have to be prepared for when players return, when Steph returns, when Moses Moody and Al Horford return. If we are prepared when they return, we can do some damage and have a run. But we can’t make mistakes in the game plan, we have to build better habits, box out, take care of the ball in transition.
Steve Kerr

Steve Kerr — “Hemos tenido nuestros ojos en el sexto lugar por un tiempo. Eso está descartado ahora. No vamos a llegar allí. Si podemos encadenar algunas victorias, tratar de llegar al octavo, eso sería ideal. Tendríamos dos oportunidades de entrar en los playoffs. Pero no vamos a llegar al séptimo.” David Butler II/Imagn Images

The Warriors have set their sights on the eighth seed, as it would secure them a home game in the play-in tournament. The Clippers, currently in eighth place, have lost three consecutive games, opening a door for the Warriors, who are one game away and face the Clippers on the last day of the regular season. However, there are still almost four weeks to go. In the meantime, Kerr asks the team to build better habits before Curry’s return, although their final destination is practically sealed.