Brian Windhorst believes the Warriors are ill-equipped to handle a long NBA playoff run due to their roster construction.
The ESPN analyst explained that Golden State is in a difficult position in the Western Conference playoff standings.
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WATCH HERE“I agree with you that the difference between the No. 2 and No. 8 seed in the [Western Conference] is negligible,” Windhorst said to Courtney Cronin, Monica McNutt and David Dennis Jr. on “First Take” on Thursday. “All of those teams believe they can beat each other, and all of those teams have flaws that will allow them to be beaten. Clearly, the Warriors are flawed, look what happened last night.”
"Clearly the Warriors are flawed, look what happened last night." 😬 @WindhorstESPN on how Golden State's 114-111 loss to the Spurs could affect their playoff fate in the West 👀 pic.twitter.com/AaeWXoOwzV
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 10, 2025
The Warriors blew last night’s game against the depleted San Antonio Spurs 114- 111, allowing Harrison Barnes to hit the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired. The shocking loss moved Golden State down in the standings to the No. 7 seed, dangerously close to ending up in the play-in tournament.
Windhorst then explained why the Warriors' potential postseason lineup decisions might prove to be disastrous.
“The way the Warriors are going to try to pull this off [is] they’re going to try to play with a very small lineup,” Windhorst said. “And I just think what you’re going to ask this team to do to make a long playoff run, what you’re going to ask Draymond Green to do. Guard bigger players, play with a lot of energy. I think it’s going to be energy-zapping for them. So, I think they need to be doing the opposite, they need to be taking load off instead of adding load on.”
Golden State Warriors
After trading for Jimmy Butler, Golden State has emphasized smaller lineups, with Green at center. While that approach has worked, it also strains Green to match up against larger players. Rookie center Quinten Post has looked solid coming off the bench, but it’s uncertain if he could handle more playing time in a hotly contested playoff series.
The Warriors have two regular-season games remaining against the Portland Trail Blazers (35-45) and the Los Angeles Clippers (48-32), and will need to win both contests to have a shot at a top-six seed and a guaranteed playoff berth. The separation between the No. 4 and No. 7 seeds in the conference is a minuscule one-and-a-half games, so Golden State cannot afford another misstep.
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SIGN UP If they’re unable to win out and get some help, the Warriors would have a play-in game on Tuesday, an unenviable spot to be in for a team with deep playoff aspirations.
For now, the Warriors turn their attention toward Portland on Friday, a must-win game if they want to avoid the play-in.
