Kerr: ‘No Doubt’ Warriors Can Make NBA Playoff Push; Behind Lakers in West Standings – Bleacher Report

The Golden State Warriors are sitting in 10th place in the Western Conference and have spent most of this season struggling to keep their head above water, but Steve Kerr isn’t giving up on his team.

“The season really is a marathon,” Kerr said, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic. “At any point of the season, you rattle off 10 wins in a row and that matters. Doesn’t matter if it’s at the beginning or the end. I still have no doubt that this team can get on a run and make a good push.”

If last season is any indication, Kerr would be smart to keep the faith. The conference finals featured two teams that were in the Play-In Tournament (Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers), and the Heat wound up reaching the NBA Finals before losing to the Denver Nuggets.

The separation between the haves and the have nots in the NBA has arguably never been smaller. Golden State is just 11.5 games behind top-seeded Denver and is only five games out of the No. 5 seed.

“Yeah, it feels daunting,” Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski said. “Just for the fact that you don’t want to be the 10th seed. The 11th seed is, I think, four or five games behind us. So for us to get that low I don’t think is going to happen. But you don’t want to be the 10th seed and have to play two road games before you get into an actual series.”

The Warriors have a veteran-laden group led by Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, all of whom would love to add a fifth championship to their mantle and further cement their dynasty.

If they’re able to make that happen as a play-in team, that would make for some incredible history.