The All-Star game has come and gone and tonight sparks the beginning of the last stretch of the season in which playoff teams separate themselves from the lottery teams and contenders separate themselves from the rest of the league. The Warriors will head into their final 25 games with a real target on their backs.
The Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder look like the two teams who have the best shot at knocking the Warriors off the Western Conference throne while the Eastern Conference has four teams who could all make a trip to the Finals to crown the first title team not led by either Steph Curry or LeBron James.
The Warriors will begin this stretch with the best record in the Western Conference and two games off the Bucks’ pace for the best record in the league. They’ve shown in the last year that they don’t need the best record in the NBA to win a title, but homecourt throughout the postseason definitely won’t hurt their chances at the first 3-peat since the 2000-2002 Lakers.
While every game on the schedule is important, some games will weigh a little heavier than others, and on the following pages we have the five most important games left on the schedule for the Warriors.
February 23: vs. Houston Rockets
This game will be the Warriors first real test following the All-Star break. The Nuggets and Thunder feel like the most complete teams in the West, but the Rockets have been dealing with a number of injury issues since December robbing all of us of knowing exactly what this team is, and what they’ll become during May and June.
The Rockets took the Warriors to a seventh game in the Western Conference Finals last year and James Harden is having a season for the ages with an ongoing streak of games with at least 30 points that reaches all the way back to mid-December.
A matchup against Houston is a test of resolve, a test of patience and a test to see if they have the ability to defend one of the best scorers in the NBA in what is likely to be a playoff atmosphere.
March 2: @ Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers were already a fringe Eastern Conference contender before the trade deadline, but they look like they could make a serious run to the Finals with the addition of Tobias Harris from the Los Angeles Clippers. Harris is a versatile player on both sides of the ball who gives the 76ers an additional ball-handler and an additional shooter to space out the floor for Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
For the Warriors, it’ll be their first look at what may be the second best starting five unit after their own. JJ Redick has been fantastic since Harris joined the team, and his ability to play multiple positions has made Simmons even more dangerous.
Much like finding ways to slow down Harden will be a challenge, finding ways to defend as good a five-man unit as Philly has will be equally as challenging. Embiid will be a good litmus test for DeMarcus Cousins while Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant will be challenged immensely on the defensive end of the floor with their assignments.
March 5: vs. Boston Celtics
At the beginning of the season, the Celtics were just about everyone’s favorite to come out of the East with LeBron James out of the conference. Milwaukee seemed to be a year away while Toronto was a huge question mark with no one knowing how well Kawhi Leonard was going to be coming back from his injured quad.
The Celtics haven’t been as good as many expected with the return of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward from their respective injuries last season. Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier have taken a step back while Jason Tatum took a while to get going. However, the Celtics are still a dangerous team when they have everything going.
If they’re able to push past some of the intrasquad turmoil that they’ve dealt with this season and play to the potential that many saw in this team, this could be an early Finals matchup.
March 16: @ Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder could be the most dangerous team in the Western Conference in regards to the Warriors run as the kings out West. Paul George is flying under the radar as an MVP candidate and the Thunder have one of the NBA’s best defenses.
Paul George and Terrance Ferguson are leading the charge on the defensive end of the floor with Russell Westbrook roaming and Steven Adams shoring up the paint. Even Nerlens Noel and Dennis Schroder have been good on that side of the ball off the bench.
Westbrook is, once again, averaging a triple-double while Paul George has been putting up Curry-esque numbers from deep over his last 20 games. For the Warriors, the task is to frustrate Westbrook on the defensive end and keep the Thunder defense moving when they have the ball.
April 2: vs. Denver Nuggets
This isn’t the same Nuggets team that missed out on the 8th seed of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, this team is a real threat to the Warriors crown and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
In each of the last two seasons, the Nuggets ranked toward the bottom of the NBA in defensive rating with one of the best offenses. This season, the Nuggets have the best offense in the league and have improved their defense to the middle of the pack. Nikola Jokic is a wizard with the ball in his hands while Gary Harris is one of the most fun scorers in the league.
Turning the ball over against the Nuggets is damn near a sin, and the Warriors have had problems holding to the ball all year. With a team as talented as Denver, not only are they going to have to take care of the ball, but they’re going to have to take — and make — good shots against an improved defense that turns rebounds into buckets like no one else.
This will be the Warriors last real test of the season and a nice way to wrap up what looks to be an insane finish to the regular season.
