Draymond Green: Warriors Eye 6th Seed; 'Play-in Is Dangerous' and Want to Avoid That
Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green said the team wants to secure at least the No. 6 seed to avoid the play-in tournament.
"Nobody wants to be in that play-in," Green said, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. "That play-in is dangerous. We'd much rather avoid that."
Golden State entered Saturday in the sixth spot after getting to 39-36 with three straight wins. They are now up 1.5 games over the cluster of squads currently battling for the remaining playoff spots.
Only 1.5 games separate six teams between seventh and 12th in the Western Conference.
Just getting into the playoffs is enough to make the Warriors a legitimate contender. They won it all from the third seed last year and have a similar roster led by Green, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole. Their playoff experience could help them in a seven-game series against less proven squads like the Memphis Grizzlies or Sacramento Kings.
There is much more risk in the play-in tournament with one or two losses enough to end a season.
Golden State was eliminated in the 2021 play-in tournament despite initially earning the eighth seed in the regular season. It's clear the squad wants to push in the final weeks of the season to avoid this fate.
