Golden State Warriors: On the Edge of the Playoff Picture

With the playoff picture coming into focus, the Golden State Warriors are in danger of missing the postseason.

The Warriors are playing their greatest basketball in nearly a decade, with 17 road wins (they had 12 last year) and a 21-10 home record.

Baron Davis is having a career season with Monta Ellis and Stephen Jackson.  He is averaging 22 points, 2.5 steals, and 7.9 assists, putting him among the elite point guards in the league.

On the other hand, Monta Ellis—one of the fastest guards in the game—is averaging 19.5 points, 1.3 steals, and 3.7 assists.

He became the ninth guard in NBA history to shoot at least 60 percent from the field in a single month after making 60.2 percent of his shots in February.

He was honored after the last game of the month by assistant coach Sidney Moncrief, one of the eight other players to achieve the feat.  The other guards with the same claim to fame are John Stockton, Rickey Pierce, Earl Monroe, Jim Paxon, Fred Brown, Brad Davis, and Steve Nash.

Another key feature of the Warriors team is Stephen Jackson; they are 2-7 without him.

The Warriors are 15 games above .500 and in previous years, they'd be guaranteed to reach the playoffs.

This year, the race could not be tighter.

At every level of the Western Conference standings, there's an ongoing war for the most advantageous seeding.  That’s especially true at the bottom, between the Golden State Warriors and the Denver Nuggets.

The Warriors are in danger of missing the playoffs after last year's electrifying playoff performance.  One reason why is because they lose to teams under .500.

The Warriors have done an outstanding job against winning teams like Phoenix, Boston, the Lakers, and San Antonio.  But when they play teams like Charlotte, Chicago, Minnesota, and Atlanta, the Warriors struggle.

Another concern for the Warriors is the durability of Baron Davis.  He’s played in every game this year after missing nearly 26 games last year.

This will definitely be a concern for the team, as any significant injury to the "Big Three" means they risk dropping out of the playoff picture.

Coach Don Nelson told the San Francisco Chronicle that it will take a record number of wins to make the postseason.  "It's looks like it's going to be 49, 50 games to get in—a high number."