In a tale of two halves, the Golden State Warriors beat the New Orleans Pelicans in thrilling, come-from-behind fashion, 120 to 109. The game was desperately needed to bolster their playoff position. As a result, they have a record of 40 and 37 and sit in the sixth seed in the Western Conference standings with five games left in their season. With the playoffs quickly approaching, they must stay at the sixth seed and avoid the play-in tournament if they want to defend their title. 

The latest standings show that the Sacramento Kings are firmly locked in the 3rd seed in the West, with the Phoenix Suns at the fourth seed and Los Angeles Clippers at the fifth seed. If they can stay put in the standings, and hold the sixth seed, Golden State will get some much-needed rest before the first round of the playoffs, but they will also have the path of least resistance. 

A playoff matchup between the Kings and Warriors would be a fantastic atmosphere between two prolific offenses battling it out on the court. The matchup would feature the two highest scoring teams in the NBA this season. Sacramento leads the NBA in points per game this season with 121.0 points per game, and Golden State scores 118.2 points per game, ranking second in the NBA.

Both teams like to work fast and attempt many 3-point shots, but one aspect that would benefit the Warriors is on the defensive end of the court. Even though the Warriors have been struggling on defense this year, giving up 117.6 points per game, the Kings have been even worse on defense this season at full strength. 

Sacramento gives up 118.5 points per game, 3rd worst in the NBA, only better than the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, who have the two worst records in the Western Conference. 

The Kings have been among the few teams in the NBA that haven't had to deal with significant injuries sidelining key players, making it an interesting point that a team that has been relatively healthy all season gives up the 3rd most points per game in the West and the 5th most points per game in the association. 

If the Warriors do indeed match up with the Kings in the first round of the playoffs, one thing they will be able to exploit is their defensive inefficiency. Another aspect of clinching the sixth seed  is that they would avoid facing teams like the Suns, Clippers, Grizzlies, or Nuggets in the first round, allowing for higher levels of gameplanning.

Golden State should be salivating at the idea to face Sacramento in the first round for many reasons, including travel and rest. Still, the most important reason is that they have something Sacramento doesn't have: Championship Pedigree.

After Tuesday's victory against the Pelicans, Steph Curry stated, "We have a competitive spirit  that is unmatched, and it's been that way for a decade." 

The playoffs favor teams that are older and have experience. Sacramento is a young and  inexperienced team who has never been to the playoffs with this group of players and coaches outside of veteran head coach Mike Brown. No team in the NBA should want to play the Dubs in a seven-game series due to their championship experience and dynamic offense. 

The Warriors are as healthy as they have been all year heading into the postseason, despite not having Andrew Wiggins for more than a month due to personal reasons, but head coach Steve Kerr remains optimistic he will return to action this season. 

Kerr stated pregame there is no timetable for Wiggins, but he has been working out daily. If the Warriors can get the sixth seed, avoid the play-in tournament, and head into the playoffs fully healthy, they could be the most dangerous team out there en-route to another championship for the dynasty.

If they were to be at full strength just in time for the playoffs with Wiggins’ return, it would be huge for the team because it would bring back one of their best two-way players who was a significant part of  their championship team last year, and it would give them a boost of fresh legs in the playoffs when a lot of teams are tired and worn down from the grit and grind of the regular season.

(Photo credit: Tony Avelar / Associated Press)