Kurtenbach: Why the Warriors winning their final 24 games isn't as far fetched as you might think

The Warriors have won four straight games coming out of the All-Star break, but Klay Thompson wants more.

Many more.

Twenty more wins, in a row, to be exact.

After the Warriors’ 109-101 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, Thompson said that the Warriors want to run the table over their final 20 games of the regular season.

“We’re really want to try to win every game going into the playoffs, and while that might be unrealistic, it would be nice to do that,” Thompson said.

And while, of course, the Warriors are trying to win every game, and yes, it goes without saying that it’d be nice for the Warriors to win every game remaining on their schedule, but looking at that upcoming slate of contests, it doesn’t seem outlandish to think that Golden State could to head into the playoffs with 24 straight wins under their belt.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens) 

Barring injury (just apply that caveat to everything from here on out), the Warriors are likely to be favored in every game they play for the rest of the season — in fact, they’ll probably be favored by double digits in at least 90 percent of their remaining games, if not all of them — but when you look at the teams they’re set to play and the structure of the team’s schedule over the final five weeks of the season, well, the thought of rattling off 20 in a row (in addition to the four straight wins the Warriors already have in hand) isn’t exactly put to rest.

Now I could explain this by telling you that the Warriors will play Atlanta and Sacramento twice and Phoenix three times to end the season — and that those games should be considered seven wins in the bag, right away, as those teams are actively trying to lose as the NBA’s great tanking race continues — but that doesn’t add up to 24-straight wins.

Or I could also tell you that the Warriors have made it a priority to focus in these post-All-Star-game contests, and that when Golden State focuses against inferior opponents (which is just about everyone), they’re close to unbeatable.

Or I could tell you that the Warriors have only four back-to-backs remaining on the schedule and that three of them feature the Suns on the second leg. (Two of the back-to-backs are comprised of games against the Kings and Suns.)

Or I could tell you that the Warriors only have seven games against playoff-caliber teams with their full complement of players, and four of those games are against Utah (a home and home) and Indiana (the same).

Or I could tell you that Golden State probably needs to come close to running the table if they’re to achieve their goal of claiming the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, because Houston, who holds a slight lead on the spot, is playing exceptional basketball right now.

Or I could just run down the remaining games in the schedule and map out the Warriors’ route to 24 straight wins and a 68-victory season:

(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) 

After Friday’s game against the Hawks in Atlanta (an incredibly likely win), the Warriors will have three days off before playing the Nets next Tuesday at home. If the Warriors avoid picking up rust over their long weekend, that’s six straight wins.

That game is followed by a Thursday home contest against San Antonio, who remains without Kawhi Leonard and could be without big man LaMarcus Aldridge, who injured his ankle in the Spurs game Wednesday night. Considering how the Warriors ran the Spurs off the court the last time they played, the Warriors could be at seven straight wins by this time next week.

Then comes what is, I believe, the biggest challenge remaining on the Warriors’ schedule: The second end of a back-to-back game against the Blazers next Friday night in Oregon. While Golden State can certainly beat Portland, the prospect of a home-then-road back-to-back against two playoff teams is the most likely early pratfall in Golden State’s quest to go undefeated after the All-Star break.

But survive that and a Sunday afternoon game in Minneapolis against the Jimmy Butlerless Timberwolves, and the Warriors are at nine straight wins, with home games against the Lakers and Kings starting two days later in Oakland, with rest in between both contests.

The Kings game is the start of a back-to-back, but the second leg is against Phoenix in Arizona.

After that game in Phoenix, if the Warriors have avoided a loss, we’re at 12-straight — halfway there. (This is the point where the inevitable, absurd media attention would likely start.)

Then there’s another game against San Antonio — this time in Texas, though it’s doubtful that Leonard is full-speed by then (and who knows with Aldridge) — before three days off (the schedule makers were kind) and a home game against the Hawks. Take care of the Spurs, and the Dubs are at fourteen.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens) 

There’s a tough homestand after that: the Jazz, Pacers, and Bucks — all playoff teams — come to town, but there’s a day of rest between each game. Get through that, and the Warriors are at 17 straight wins.

After a day off comes another Kings-Suns back-to-back, this time in Sacramento and then Oakland — I know people who commute for longer than that bus ride, so we’re at 19 wins in a row — and then, two days later, comes a game in Oklahoma City against the Thunder.

That’s a game that you know the Warriors want — so I’ll venture to say it’ll look more like the teams’ most recent matchup than either of their first two. Still, it’s no guaranteed victory. That said, the streak would be at 20 if the Warriors claim that game, too.

The Warriors will then have two sneaky games — the first coming against the Pacers in Indianapolis, the second, two days later, coming against the Pelicans at Oracle Arena. Both of those teams will be fighting for their playoff lives (or at least favorable seeding) so the Warriors will need to be sharp. This is where the competition with Houston could play a major role. Golden State is at 22 straight wins if they claim both of those contests (and, you know, the 20 games before them).

Now, the Warriors will play the Suns in Phoenix the day after that Pellies game, but at that point, Phoenix might be suiting up retirees (not NBA retirees, I’m talking we-live-in-Arizona-in-the-winter, bad-hip, AARP retirees). Twenty three.

And finally, after a day off, presumably in Utah (don’t let the nightlife get you, Dubs), Golden State ends the regular season with the Jazz, at elevation, with Utah likely having a lot to play for in the final game of the year. I don’t know if I’d place a bet on the Warriors in that game, but no team wants to go into the playoffs of a loss. If the Warriors claim it, the streak would be at 24 — the same length as their incredible winning streak to start the 2015-16 season.

(Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group) Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group

Do I think the Warriors pull it off? Absolutely not — as you saw, there are at least a dozen good opportunities to drop a game and end the winning streak, and I have a hard time believing that the Warriors will maintain focus during a few stretches of games against inferior opponents. That’s simply not their MO this year.

Beyond that, I can’t forsee Kerr putting the Warriors’ full lineup on the court every night down the stretch — he’s made it clear that rest is the team’s No. 1 priority over the final month-plus of the season. For the Warriors, it’s all about getting right for the playoffs, and Kerr certainly doesn’t want his team to use up a bunch of gas just before the real season — the one they’ve been waiting for all since October — gets started.

That said, I’m not ruling anything out — not with this team — and I certainly wouldn’t call the task impossible, because man, it’s hard to imagine a more favorable schedule over the final 20 games of the season.

Stephen Curry noted after the Warriors’ win Wednesday that Golden State hasn’t gone on an extended winning streak in a while.

Now would be a good time for one, no doubt.

And I know this: it’d be one hell of a way to head into the postseason.

Is the desire to go on a roll and the threat of the Rockets enough to spark Golden State to a record-tying run to end the season?

I don’t know, but if a serious winning streak starts to develop, don’t act as if you weren’t warned.

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