The expectations for the Warriors in the 2022 NBA playoffs aren't as high as they have been in years past.
That might just be a blessing in disguise.
Golden State will enter the playoffs as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, facing off against the No. 6 seed Denver Nuggets at Chase Center on Saturday night.
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The Warriors stumbled down the stretch without Steph Curry but caught fire in the final two weeks of the season. With Curry likely to return from a sprained left foot and bone bruise in time for Game 1, the Warriors receive a massive jolt at just the right time, even as they continue to fly slightly under the radar.
Curry spoke to reporters on Thursday, where he discussed the lowered expectations and what the team needs to focus on in order to advance to the next round.
"It helps to just stay in the moment," Curry said. "Nobody is picking us to come out of the West, at least I don't think ... except all our families. Which is fine, it's just a matter of literally, you have to win four games and in order to do that, we have a certain game plan we're going to try and execute on Saturday.
"You want to get off to a good start, protect home court and then we understand that every new game takes a life of its own and that it's a fun challenge. At the end of the day, if we can do that, just keep pushing, keep getting better, keep making those necessary adjustments, different guys step up and be ready when your number is called."
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors' one-day-at-a-time approach has proven to be successful in the past and it's something they will continue to adopt in the playoffs this year. If they were to advance to the next round, it's wash-rinse-repeat from there on out.
"You look up, you get to the second round, do it all over again and plot your way through it," Curry added. "We like the situation we're in and the opportunity we have. And we understand that nothing about this is going to be easy. It never is and it shouldn't be. It's why we love being in a playoff-type atmosphere and having missed it for two years, it's going to be fun."
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Led by Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, Golden State has plenty of veteran leadership to balance out a roster with multiple young players who are expected to play significant minutes under the brightest of lights.
If the Warriors can keep their heads down and maintain their day-by-day approach, they could very well be hoisting their fourth Larry O'Brien trophy in the past eight seasons.