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Warriors' Steve Kerr: 'The Next 10 Games Are All Playoff Games in My Mind'
April 28, 2021
The NBA playoffs don't begin for another couple weeks, but Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said he expects his team to carry a playoff mindset for the remainder of the regular season.
"The next 10 games are all playoff games in my mind," Kerr told reporters Wednesday.
The Warriors (31-31) are currently 3.5 games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans for the No. 10 seed and final spot in the NBA's play-in tournament. They are 3.5 games behind the Dallas Mavericks for the No. 6 seed, the final seed that avoids the play-in.
Golden State suffered a major blow to its chase for the six seed in an ugly 133-103 loss to the Mavs Tuesday night.
"It just stings getting blown out," Stephen Curry told reporters. "Dropped the ball. Didn't play well. Got blown out. Didn't really have any life in the first quarter. It's a tough one. We obviously want to play better, be in a situation where you're competitive and rising to the level competition. And we didn't do it."
The Warriors' outlook for making the play-in tournament is solid, but they do have three games against New Orleans remaining in their final 10. They'll close the regular season with six straight home games after a four-game road trip set to begin Thursday night in Minnesota.
However, their outlook for giving themselves a chance to reach the actual playoffs is much more fraught. They trail the Memphis Grizzlies by two games in the loss column for the No. 8 seed, which would give them an advantage in the play-in.
The NBA's play-in format calls for games between the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds and Nos. 9 and 10 seeds. The winner of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game will receive the No. 7 seed, while the loser of that game will go on to play the winner of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game for the No. 8 seed.