OAKLAND, Calif. _ The Warriors are not just fighting complacency. They are fighting sleep deprivation and burnout.
The reason: the Warriors are not just trying to finish their last handful of regular-season games. The Warriors are also preparing for the first round of the playoffs starting next week. And with six different possible first-round opponents, the Warriors have recorded and watched a lot of games.
"Our video room is working overtime. Those guys are literally working after hours and cutting all the games," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "Normally, it's down to a couple of teams. But there are still five or six teams we can play. Those poor guys."
Therefore, the Warriors kept footage of their 126-120 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday for reasons beyond self-critiquing a second consecutive loss. The Warriors (57-23), who already locked up a No. 2 seed, could face the New Orleans Pelicans (46-34) in the first round.
"I would love it. That means we're in the playoffs," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. "I would love it. It doesn't matter who you play."
It kind of does, though.
On one hand, the Warriors are the defending champions and have three healthy All-Stars. On the other hand, the Warriors are without Stephen Curry (sprained MCL in left knee) and Patrick McCaw (spine injury) for the first round. With Houston, Golden State and Portland already locking up the top three seeds, the rest of the Western Conference playoff contending teams cannot be choosers.
Those possibilities include New Orleans, Utah, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Minnesota and Denver. The Los Angeles Clippers were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Saturday after losing to the Nuggets.
Kerr has admitted he would prefer to avoid playing New Orleans or Minnesota so his team does not have to travel two time zones for road games. There might be more reasons. The Warriors have a tough assignment in handling a bruising frontline in Anthony Davis (34 points, 12 rebounds) and Nikola Mirotic (28 points). The Pelicans scored 62 points in the paint.
His playoff aspirations aside, Gentry suggested he would prefer to avoid playing Golden State for obvious reasons after winning two NBA championships in the past three years.
"They have been there before and know what it takes to win a championship," said Gentry, who was a Warriors assistant during the team's 2015 NBA title run. "I think you'll see in the next week or so that everything changes with these guys. No one is looking forward toward playing them, contrary to what someone might say or think."
Two days after Kerr questioned the team and subsequently his own coaching in a loss to Indiana, the Warriors offered mixed results in becoming a different team
Warriors forward Kevin Durant scored 41 points while shooting efficiently from the field (16 of 26), 3-point range (4 of 8) and the free-throw line (5 of 7), eradicating a short two-game shooting slump from the perimeter. Quinn Cook continued his steady point-guard play (21 points, seven assists) in place of Curry. Klay Thompson continued to shoot well despite wearing a bandage around his right thumb (18 points on 7-of-14 shooting). Draymond Green added nearly a triple double (11 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists). Kevon Looney added 10 points and six rebounds as the team's starting center, a position Kerr said will fluctuate throughout the playoffs for matchup purposes.
Yet, the Warriors hardly played any defense. The Pelicans' Jrue Holiday (25 points), Rajon Rondo (12 points, 17 assists) and E'Twaun Moore (15 points) also had double-digits. New Orleans also shot 56.3 percent from the field and 40.7 from 3-point range on 39 assists.
"We're trying to play well and find a little rhythm too going into the playoffs," Kerr said. "We have to find ways we can play."
Therefore, Kerr said beforehand he did not plan to hold anything back in case the Warriors played New Orleans in the first round. Instead, he outlined the importance in experimenting different rotations and play calls for educational purposes. Then again, the Warriors might play someone else in the first round.
"We spend most of our time trying to predict what's going to happen," Kerr said of his coaching staff. "We're all wrong. The next day we reshuffle the deck and guess again. We've been guessing the last week and still no clarity."
The Warriors also have no clarity on their injured players.
Curry performed light stretching exercises before Saturday's game, but he will not be reevaluated until next week. Warriors veteran forward Andre Iguodala returned after missing the past four games with a sore left knee, while guard Shaun Livingston sat with a sore right knee. Kerr said Iguodala and Livingston will likely swap roles on Sunday in Phoenix.
So for now, the Warriors will spend the past two regular-season games in Phoenix (Sunday) and in Utah (Tuesday) either validating or disproving their vow to become ready for the playoffs. By that point, the Warriors will finally know their first-round opponent.
