Golden State Warriors Clinch No. 1 Seed in Western Conference with Win over Suns

The road to the 2017 NBA Finals in the Western Conference goes through the Golden State Warriors after the Dubs clinched the top seed Wednesday thanks to a 120-111 win over the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena.     

NBC Sports Bay Area confirmed the Warriors have officially edged out the San Antonio Spurs for the No. 1 spot in the West.

NBA.com provided some more context regarding the victory: 

The Spurs surged to the top of the conference in mid-March as Golden State went through a rough patch during the prolonged absence of Kevin Durant. But Stephen Curry and Co. responded with an extended winning streak to pull away from their closest rivals.

San Antonio's chances of fighting back to take the first seed pretty much ended in its final head-to-head of the campaign with Golden State.

The Spurs raced out to a 15-0 lead and were up by 16 after the first quarter. The Dubs roared back to win the March 29 matchup by 12 on the road.

Afterward, Raul Dominguez of the Associated Press passed along comments from veteran forward David West about the importance of that particular victory.

"This was a big win for us, a confidence-booster," he said. "Because, obviously, they are two tough teams, two playoffs teams, two teams we could see possibly late in the year. I thought the guys showed great resolve and focus."

Now the Warriors, who own the NBA's best home record and have survived the difficult postseason journey through the West each of the past two years, get home-court advantage to bolster their chances of a third straight trip to the Finals.

The Spurs remain the biggest threat, but there are numerous potential pitfalls starting in the second round, depending on how the final standings shape up. The Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder are all dangerous for a variety of reasons.

They would all need to win at least one game—and probably multiple games—in Oracle Arena to upset Golden State, though. And that's the biggest uphill battle for visiting teams in the NBA, especially if Durant returns to full strength for the playoff run.

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