PORTLAND – The NBA playoffs do not officially start until next week, but for the Warriors and most of the Western Conference, the postseason has already arrived.
The final week of the season is traditionally a snooze fest, full of good teams resting players and looking ahead to upcoming playoff matchups.
Not this year.
Golden State is one of five teams in the West that entered the final weekend of the regular season unsure if they will join the Thunder, Rockets and Lakers in the playoffs or be stuck in the dreaded play-in tournament.
Depending on how games play out, the Warriors could climb as high as No. 4 or fall to No. 8.
At least one Warriors veteran is enjoying the frenzied finish.
“Yeah, it’s pretty crazy, but it makes it fun and exciting,” Gary Payton II told the Bay Area News Group at shootaround on Friday morning.
Coach Steve Kerr could not recall a season ending with a similar level of mayhem.
“I can’t remember anything like this,” he said. “I saw today, there’s potential for a five-way tie. That’s crazy after 82 games. So I’ve never seen anything like this. ”
Golden State (47-33) entered Friday night’s game at Portland seeded sixth, with Memphis and Minnesota directly below the Warriors.
The Nuggets and Clippers are ahead of Golden State, but no team’s fate is set in stone.
Every team in the league played Friday, will take Saturday off and finish the season Sunday.
Has Payton, a nine-year veteran, ever seen such a wild end to the regular season?
“No,” he said. “But you know, all we can do is take care of what we’ve got to take care of. Win out, and then let the rest of the league play out how it plays out.”
Golden State could have been in a much better position but squandered a double-digit fourth-quarter lead to San Antonio on Wednesday. Former Warrior Harrison Barnes made the game-winner over Jimmy Butler as time expired.
It is a loss that stung, but wing Moses Moody said the team has already moved past the setback.
“There’s no point in dwelling on the past,” Moody said, later adding, “The vibes have been similar to the playoffs for the last two weeks.”
After playing Portland, Golden State will play host to No. 5 seed Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Post, Payton available
Quinten Post and Payton, listed as questionable for the penultimate game of the season, were cleared to play before tip-off.
Post had missed the past two games with an illness. The rookie center provides rare shooting ability to the frontcourt. His 41% accuracy rate from behind the arc is second among rookies, trailing only New Orleans’ Antonio Reeves.
Post has made at least three 3-pointers in 12 games this season, all after Jan. 23.
Payton, the team’s top defensive guard, missed the past two games because of knee inflammation.
His presence figures to toughen up a perimeter defense that teammate Draymond Green, a contender for defensive player of the year, characterized as lacking “grit” in the loss to San Antonio.
