The race in the Western Conference is as furious as it’s ever been, with third to eighth place battling with very little room to breathe, separated by only 2.5 games from top to bottom.
The leaders of the pack — the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors are separated by an even slimmer margin — a half game between two streaking teams.
Yet their fierce race for the top spot hasn’t taken the perspective away from what’s bound to be a very competitive six weeks until the end of the season for the entire West, according to Draymond Green.
“I love basketball, man. That’s pretty interesting,” Green said, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “One day, you got a team in third and then somebody win, they lose and they’re suddenly seventh. That’s crazy. I’m definitely following it.”
Kevin Durant has also seen his share of unnerving moments with the Oklahoma City Thunder in his younger days, also battling to crack a spot in the postseason.
“It’s been like that for the longest in the West,” Durant said. “I remember my third year in the league, we won 50 games and we were the eight seed. We were fighting to get homecourt, then we lost a game and dropped to the eight seed.”
The Portland Trail Blazers, who were the last team to beat the Warriors right before the break, have gone in a seven-game win streak since — gaining sole possession of the third spot in the West.
“Usually you can kind of zero in on two or three teams, so our scouts can get a head start,” said head coach Steve Kerr. “That might not be the case this year. It might come down to the last day and we might not have any clue who we’re playing until literally the last night.”
