Draymond shrugs off possible play-in tournament appearance

SAN FRANCISCO – Not once since Steve Kerr became head coach in 2014 have the Warriors failed to win at least 50 games over a full schedule, this season almost certainly will be a new experience.

With the Warriors lugging a 15-18 record into the Christmas Day game against the Grizzlies, they’d need to win 35 of the final 49 to reach 50. Impossible? No. Improbable? Highly.

What’s more likely is the Warriors landing in the play-in tournament, the NBA’s most treacherous landscape. One loss might be enough to end the season.

Draymond Green, however, expresses no fear of such circumstances.

“I feel sorry who is the one or two seed . . . if we’re in a play-in situation,” Green said after practice Friday at Chase Center. “That would suck. That would suck a lot.”

The play-in tournament features the teams that finish between seventh and 10th in each conference. The No. 9 seed plays host to the No. 10 seed, with the loser going home and the winner advancing to a road game against the loser of the 7-vs.-8 game. The winner snags the No. 8 seed. The winner of the No. 7-vs. 8 game lands the No. 7 seed.

The Warriors, as of Friday afternoon, were in 11th place in the Western Conference. Their road woes (3-16 record) have sabotaged any opportunity to rise into the top six.

But the conference is so congested, Golden State could be a three-game win streak away from seventh place, or a four-game win streak away from fifth.

This is why coach Steve Kerr chooses not to devote time to all the potential postseason scenarios.

“I don’t think about any of that right now,” Kerr said. “We still have so many games left. And everybody is sort of bunched together. “The biggest thing for us is just to start playing better, to put some consistency into our game and be able to rely on some things. As we do that, the picture will become clearer.”

There is no doubt the Warriors, who have yet to win four consecutive games, will need to gather themselves and rally over the next three-plus months. They have spent most of the past few weeks stuck in play-in position.

The caveat is that things might not get appreciably better anytime soon.

Stephen Curry has missed the last four games with a left shoulder injury and is expected to miss at least 10 more. JaMychal Green has missed the last two games and did not practice Friday, so his status remains uncertain. Andrew Wiggins has missed the last nine games an adductor strain but was able to practice Friday, so he possibly could be cleared to play against Memphis. Donte DiVincenzo missed the last two games but should be OK for Christmas Day.

As the Warriors approach the new year, there are as many questions and legitimate concerns as there are losses.

Draymond, however, looks at the roster and believes, if healthy going into the playoffs, seeding will not be an impediment to another deep run – and maybe repeating as champs.

“Is Steph Curry still on this team? Klay [Thompson]? Me? Wiggins? [Kevon Looney]? [Jordan Poole]?” Green said rhetorically. “I think we’ll be fine.

“Quite frankly, if I’m sitting at the 1 or 2 seed, and I’ve got those guys coming into my building, I don’t want to be there.”

That speaks to his belief. It’s strong.

The reality, however, is these Warriors are not the Warriors who bullied the league for the better part of the last decade. They’ve made six trips to the NBA Finals. Won four championships. Averaged 62.5 wins in the six seasons in which a full 82-game schedule was played.

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They’d have to go 47-2 over the final 49 games to reach 62 wins this season, and 38-11 to equal the 53 wins posted last season – which was good enough for the No. 3 seed.

Only three teams in the West are on a pace to win 50, with only six on target for 45 wins. Ten are on pace to win 41.

The Warriors are on pace to win 37, so getting into the mid-40s will take some doing. It will be easier than walking on water but not by much.

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