The Golden State Warriors likely won’t struggle much in the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs, but some matchups might be tricky for the Dubs.
The Golden State Warriors are not a team anybody would expect to be a first round exit in the NBA Playoffs this postseason. Even without Kevin Durant, the Warriors are quietly killing teams lately.
Golden State was the title favorite at the beginning of the season for a reason, after all. Stephen Curry is the NBA’s reigning MVP, and Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala aren’t exactly scrubs either.
Still, the games get played for a reason. The Warriors don’t get a free pass to the NBA Finals, no matter how much they’d love to let Durant rest up until their likely matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers (although Cleveland would likely be down for a bye until the Finals as well, with how that team is playing defense.)
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To get to the Finals, the first step for any team in the playoffs is to win in the first round. For the Warriors, that hasn’t been tough in recent years. Golden State is 8-1 in first round games over the last two postseasons, with the only loss coming because of a James Harden near-triple-double on the road against the Houston Rockets.
Even if Durant isn’t fully healthy, the Dubs probably won’t lose more than a game in the first round. Right now it looks like they’ll either play the Denver Nuggets or the Portland Trail Blazers right off the bat.
To get an early idea of how those series could go wrong, but probably won’t, potential weaknesses for the Warriors can be examined, along with their biggest advantages over both potential playoff foes.