NBA
What do the Warriors need to qualify for the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament?
The easiest way for the Warriors to qualify for the quarter finals is to secure first place in Group C of the Western Conference.
The group stage of the first NBA In-Season Tournament is about to end and there are still many teams yet to define their destiny. So far, only the Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers have secured their place in the second phase of the Cup and the Golden State Warriors are looking to join them. However, the situation is not easy for Steve Kerr’s team and several of the favorites have already been eliminated, such as the Denver Nuggets.
Currently, the Warriors are 2-1 with a +5 point differential. The easiest way for the Dubs to qualify for the quarter finals is to secure first place in Group C of the Western Conference and that scenario is possible in two ways. First, they must beat the Sacramento Kings and hope that the Timberwolves lose to the Oklahoma. The other scenario as leader of sector C implies that they surpass the Kings and have a better point differential than Sacramento (+29) and Minnesota (-3).
If they finish in second place, Steph Curry and Company could advance as a wild card if there is another team in Groups A or B with a 3-1 record and fewer points than them. This scenario looks quite complicated since the Phoenix Suns finished behind the Los Angeles Lakers in Group A with a 3-1 record and a point differential of +34 while the Houston Rockets, within Group B, have a record of 2 -1 with +16, but they must face Luka Doncic’s Dallas Mavericks on the last date.
The teams eliminated from the NBA In-Season Tournament
The Western Conference is the most defined in terms of teams that have already crashed out - eight teams have been eliminated: San Antonio Spurs (0-4), Memphis Grizzlies (0-4), Los Angeles Clippers (1-3), Portland Trail Blazers (1-3), Oklahoma City Thunder (1-2), Dallas Mavericks (1-2), Denver Nuggets (2-2) and Utah Jazz (2-2).
On the East side, the question is even more open because 10 teams still have a chance to advance to the quarter finals of the In-Season Tournament. So far the Washington Wizards (0-4), Detroit Pistons (0-4), Chicago Bulls (0-3) have been eliminated. and Toronto Raptors (1-2).