The Golden State Warriors got back to winning ways on Wednesday night with a 137-116 statement win against their bitter rivals, the Memphis Grizzlies. This was a crucial win for the Dubs, who have now cut their deficit with the Los Angeles Lakers to just half a game as the playoff race in the West heats up.
The Warriors currently own the 10th and final Play-In spot in the West, but they will need to fend off the 11th-seeded Houston Rockets who have now racked up six straight wins.
Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr Remains Confident
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s big win, Kerr acknowledged the notion that the Warriors will likely need to go through the Play-In tournament before they are able to secure their spot in the postseason. The four-time NBA champion shot-caller remains confident in his group as he looks at recent history as a benchmark for Golden State:
“If we’re in the Play-In situation, we’ve got to win a game or two games, we will be incredibly motivated,” he said. “If we ended up in that spot, I will remind the guys Miami made the Finals from that spot a year ago. The Lakers made the conference Finals from that spot … I will believe until the season is 100% finished, I will believe in our ability to beat anybody and as long as we have that. We got a shot.”
Kerr believes pic.twitter.com/7CZyTJ1uA3
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) March 20, 2024
He’s not wrong. Last season, LeBron James and the Lakers fell short of reaching the NBA Finals after losing to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. Nobody expected LA to reach the WCF, though, after being relegated to a Play-In spot before the postseason started.
The Lakers made believers out of the doubters by forcing their way to the West Finals, which incidentally, included a second-round series win against the Warriors.
As Coach Kerr said, this is the type of success the Dubs will be aiming for this season if they are required to fight through the Play-In tournament.
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