The Golden State Warriors are headed back to the Play-In Tournament. They currently sit as the 10th seed in the Western Conference, but have no fear of falling to 11th since the New Orleans Pelicans are nine games behind them in the standings. This isn’t new for the Warriors. Since the inception of the Play-In Tournament in 2020, the Warriors have played in it three times. Now they’re headed straight to their fourth Play-In Tournament berth.
Draymond Green recently spoke about the Warriors' struggles and how they can’t seem to escape the dreaded tournament.
“I’m sick of the play-in [tournament]. It seems like we’re a play-in magnet. It sucks, but it’s great when you want an opportunity to get into the playoffs. And that is the reality for us. We are not moving out of the play-in, and we won’t drop out of the play-in either. So, we’re in the play-in, and that’s what coach Kerr’s message has been to the team."
This is the new reality for the Warriors. They are no longer the dominant team they used to be. This season, even when Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry were healthy, they still couldn’t seem to get above .500 and out of the No. 8 seed position. With both of them injured, the team has fallen even deeper into Play-In positioning and this time, they won’t be able to climb their way out.
Another Play-In Tournament berth might light a fire under the Warriors' management. The team doesn’t want to waste away the last few years of Curry’s career, and losing in the Play-In or in the first round of the playoffs just isn’t good enough.
