Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green wants to play the Sacramento Kings in the playoffs this season.
.@Money23Green wants Sacramento in the playoffs but not for the reason you think pic.twitter.com/cBtVFSuRWH
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 27, 2023
“I am not upset at if the standings shook out how they did today and we met Sacramento in the first round,” Green said. “Not because I think Sacramento is a weak team – because the travel is so much easier.”
Green explained that last season the Warriors had to do a lot of traveling in the playoffs when they faced off with the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference.
He reiterated that playing the Kings would strictly be his preference from a travel perspective, which makes sense in terms of the wear and tear on his body and the rest of the veterans on the Warriors.
Green and the Warriors certainly know what it takes to win the NBA Finals, as they’ve done it four times since the 2014-15 season. The Kings, on the other hand, have very little playoff experience.
The franchise itself hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2005-06 season, and several players on the team have not played in a playoff series in their NBA careers.
Green may not admit that the Warriors would have a slight edge because of that, but it certainly would help Golden State’s chances of repeating.
Still, the Kings have been impressive all season long, playing one of the top offenses in the NBA, led by All-Stars De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
The Warriors, who have a high-powered offense of their own with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, could get into some shootouts with the Kings since both teams play at a fast pace.
This season, Golden State ranks No. 1 in the league in pace. The Kings are 11th in that statistic.
There’s no doubt that the Warriors had a tough road to the NBA Finals last season, but things may be even tougher this season if the team can’t sneak into the top four in the Western Conference.
If the Warriors land in the No. 5 seed or worse, they could have to play every round of a potential playoff run with the opposing team having home-court advantage in the series.
Golden State is just 9-29 on the road this season, so the team would have to play much better away from Chase Center to have any chance at repeating.
