Draymond Green said the No. 1 seed in the West "doesn't matter" as much as health and freshness down the stretch toward the playoffs.
The Golden State Warriors don’t care much about the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. At least Draymond Green doesn’t.
Green said during morning shoot-around Thursday:
“(The no. 1 seed) used to be really important. At this point, it doesn’t really matter anymore.”
Currently atop the Western Conference standings, the Warriors hold a one game lead over the San Antonio Spurs, who lost to the Portland Trail Blazers at home Wednesday, 110-106.
In the past two seasons, the Warriors have secured the top spot in the West over San Antonio, resulting in home court advantage throughout the playoffs.
This season, though, the Warriors lost five out of seven games between Feb. 28 and Mar. 11, bringing the potential of falling to the second seed in the Western Conference regular season.
The Spurs possess the tiebreaker over Golden State by winning two of three scheduled games between the two teams.
The potential of falling behind San Antonio is something Green says he’s not worried about:
“Just want to be healthy. You want to put yourself in the best position to be successful, you know, come playoff time. And that doesn’t always mean the No. 1 seed.”
The No. 1 seed has given Golden State home court throughout their playoff runs, including last year when they crawled out of a 3-1 hole against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.
Being the top seed allowed Golden State to host Game 7 and advance to the NBA Finals.
Green may have his eyes set on health over the top seed, Stephen Curry said playing better is the most important thing, and doing so will translate into obtaining that top spot for the third consecutive season:
“If we want to lock up the no. 1 seed over the next however many games we have left, 14 or 15 whatever it is, we have to play better. And that’s obviously possible.”
After getting back on track in the fourth quarter against Philadelphia on Tuesday, Curry said carrying that momentum is entirely possible even in the midst of a down year in regards to personal stats:
“The stat sheet may look a little different night-to-night, but there’s a balance to just all the talent that we have. … I want to obviously peak at the right time and at the end of the day, really, it’s all about what happens in the playoffs.”
The Warriors face the Orlando Magic (24-44) Thursday night, a team out of a playoff race in the Eastern Conference. The Magic provide an opportunity for the Warriors to extend their lead on the Spurs for the No. 1 seed in the West. Even if they don’t care whether they have it or not.
Last modified March 17, 2017 7:10 pm
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