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4 takeaways on Morey and Nurse's press conference following nightmare season  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Daryl Morey’s wildest nightmares never included him speaking to reporters after the Sixers’ 58th and final loss of the season.

“For me personally, it was obviously the toughest season of my career,” the Sixers’ president of basketball operations said Sunday. “’l’ll just say personally, I’ll spend every waking hour figuring out how to turn this team around going into next season.”

In his opening statement, Morey noted that himself and head coach Nick Nurse “will be back” following an injury-saturated, brutally disappointing year.

Here are four takeaways on their joint press conference: 

‘Very optimistic’ on Embiid 

According to a Sixers official, Joel Embiid wasn’t present for the team’s season finale because he had a follow-up appointment and rehab in New York City days after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Essentially every Sixer asked Sunday about Embiid said he’d be hoping and praying for the best. 

Morey said he thinks Embiid should return to “100 percent” and indicated there’s reasons for encouragement besides general faith. 

“Dr. (Jonathan L.) Glashow, who did the surgery, is very optimistic about his prognosis,” Morey said. “After a lot of work — working with over 10 doctors, six in person who examined him — and a long process to get to the right answer, we feel great that Dr. Glashow is the right answer and that the surgery went so well. 

“And we like that Dr. Glashow is going to do a lot of the early rehab with Joel in person. He has a great track record with a lot of great players in this league to have them come back strong.”

Grimes and Yabusele’s futures 

Though Morey tends to consider all possibilities, it appears unlikely the Sixers will make extreme changes to their roster this summer.

Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George are each in the early stages of long-term, big-money contracts. Morey highlighted the Sixers’ plan of being a “younger, more dynamic group” around their stars next season, and rookies Jared McCain, Adem Bona and Justin Edwards certainly align with that vision. 

However, the Sixers still have meaningful decisions to come in free agency. Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele stand out. 

Grimes averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals after being traded to the Sixers in February. The 24-year-old guard is set to become a restricted free agent.

“I think he was a real bright spot,” Morey said. “We’re excited for him to come back. We’ve positioned ourselves to bring him back. He had multiple 40-point performances. His defense we think really fits well with Tyrese. We think he’s a very good fit there. And we think with Joel, Paul and Tyrese, he’s a very good fit.”

Yabusele wound up being a bargain one-year signing for the Sixers on a minimum salary. He was second on the team with 70 games played and reliably adaptable, energetic and intelligent. 

“We love what Guerschon was able to bring,” Morey said. “I think that was a great job by our scouting department and a great job by the coaching staff getting the most out of him. Just like Paul, he got pressed into some roles that were a little different that he thought. We thought he was going to play more of the four, and he’s excelled there. He gave us a lot of minutes at the five as well. 

“With the team going forward, I think his mix of minutes will be a little different when we’re healthy. And we really like his fit going forward, so we would like to retain him. Obviously, he’s an unrestricted free agent so it’s not for sure that happens, but we would like to retain him.”

Pinpointing roster flaws 

Whatever problem you inspect with the 2024-25 Sixers, you stare right into the injury sun. 

Morey and Nurse both acknowledged other issues, though. 

“It’s hard to look into the stats too much as a whole this year, right? … I think that the game keeps getting faster and faster, and more dynamic,” Nurse said. “Just for really basic things — defensive transition and defensive rebounding. We just need to be a little bigger, longer, more athletic, just to get that basic thing under control.” 

The stats do support Nurse’s view. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Sixers ranked last in the NBA in defensive rebounding rate. They were 28th in opponents’ points added per 100 possessions through transition play.

Morey admitted he “didn’t put enough emphasis on the team getting through the regular season.” 

“I do think the playoffs are still going to be pretty veteran-heavy and sort of a war out there, where the foul calls will go down and things like that,” he said. “But the regular season has turned really high-effort. Just to call out one area, it used to be every team was just dropping back after their shot. Now teams have length and athleticism, and they’re high-effort both attacking the offensive glass and being able to get back in transition. 

“It’s just a very high-effort regular season, so that’s why we need to deliver a deeper, younger, more athletic, longer roster to Nick around our three main guys.”

Lottery on the horizon 

In the NBA draft lottery picture the Sixers’ outlook is not shabby. 

They’ll have the fifth-best odds in the May 12 lottery. The Sixers must land a top-six pick to keep their first-round selection this year (instead of sending it to the Thunder) and there’s a 63.9 percent chance they will.

Morey also mentioned the Sixers got back their own second-rounder this year as part of the Grimes-Caleb Martin trade. That pick is No. 35.

“That’s going to be a tool for us. … If you look at teams that make aggressive moves like us and then have a rough season, most of the time those teams have, like, no draft picks,” Morey said. “We have above-average draft picks going forward to improve the team for next season.”

And, if the lottery breaks as the Sixers hope, how will Morey approach the draft?

“Definitely best player available,” he said. “It has to be that in the draft for sure, but we see the pick as sort of a tool to upgrade the team. It will matter if it’s one, two, three, four, five, six, or we just have the pick in the future. … It’s just a tool to make the team better, but there’s obviously a good chance we take someone.

“In that case, it will just be the best player. I’ve never shied from that.”

4 takeaways on Morey and Nurse's press conference following nightmare season  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Daryl Morey’s wildest nightmares never included him speaking to reporters after the Sixers’ 58th and final loss of the season.

“For me personally, it was obviously the toughest season of my career,” the Sixers’ president of basketball operations said Sunday. “I’ll just say personally, I’ll spend every waking hour figuring out how to turn this team around going into next season.”

In his opening statement, Morey noted that himself and head coach Nick Nurse “will be back” following an injury-saturated, brutally disappointing year.

Here are four takeaways on their joint press conference: 

‘Very optimistic’ on Embiid 

According to a Sixers official, Joel Embiid wasn’t present for the team’s season finale because he had a follow-up appointment and rehab in New York City days after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Essentially every Sixer asked Sunday about Embiid said he’d be hoping and praying for the best. 

Morey said he thinks Embiid should return to “100 percent” and indicated there’s reasons for encouragement besides general faith. 

“Dr. (Jonathan L.) Glashow, who did the surgery, is very optimistic about his prognosis,” Morey said. “After a lot of work — working with over 10 doctors, six in person who examined him — and a long process to get to the right answer, we feel great that Dr. Glashow is the right answer and that the surgery went so well. 

“And we like that Dr. Glashow is going to do a lot of the early rehab with Joel in person. He has a great track record with a lot of great players in this league to have them come back strong.”

Grimes and Yabusele’s futures 

Though Morey tends to consider all possibilities, it appears unlikely the Sixers will make extreme changes to their roster this summer.

Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George are each in the early stages of long-term, big-money contracts. Morey highlighted the Sixers’ plan of being a “younger, more dynamic group” around their stars next season, and rookies Jared McCain, Adem Bona and Justin Edwards certainly align with that vision. 

However, the Sixers still have meaningful decisions to come in free agency. Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele stand out. 

Grimes averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals after being traded to the Sixers in February. The 24-year-old guard is set to become a restricted free agent.

“I think he was a real bright spot,” Morey said. “We’re excited for him to come back. We’ve positioned ourselves to bring him back. He had multiple 40-point performances. His defense we think really fits well with Tyrese. We think he’s a very good fit there. And we think with Joel, Paul and Tyrese, he’s a very good fit.”

Yabusele wound up being a bargain one-year signing for the Sixers on a minimum salary. He was second on the team with 70 games played and reliably adaptable, energetic and intelligent. 

“We love what Guerschon was able to bring,” Morey said. “I think that was a great job by our scouting department and a great job by the coaching staff getting the most out of him. Just like Paul, he got pressed into some roles that were a little different that he thought. We thought he was going to play more of the four, and he’s excelled there. He gave us a lot of minutes at the five as well. 

“With the team going forward, I think his mix of minutes will be a little different when we’re healthy. And we really like his fit going forward, so we would like to retain him. Obviously, he’s an unrestricted free agent so it’s not for sure that happens, but we would like to retain him.”

Pinpointing roster flaws 

Whatever problem you inspect with the 2024-25 Sixers, you stare right into the injury sun. 

Morey and Nurse both acknowledged other issues, though. 

“It’s hard to look into the stats too much as a whole this year, right? … I think that the game keeps getting faster and faster, and more dynamic,” Nurse said. “Just for really basic things — defensive transition and defensive rebounding. We just need to be a little bigger, longer, more athletic, just to get that basic thing under control.” 

The stats do support Nurse’s view. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Sixers ranked last in the NBA in defensive rebounding rate. They were 28th in opponents’ points added per 100 possessions through transition play.

Morey admitted he “didn’t put enough emphasis on the team getting through the regular season.” 

“I do think the playoffs are still going to be pretty veteran-heavy and sort of a war out there, where the foul calls will go down and things like that,” he said. “But the regular season has turned really high-effort. Just to call out one area, it used to be every team was just dropping back after their shot. Now teams have length and athleticism, and they’re high-effort both attacking the offensive glass and being able to get back in transition. 

“It’s just a very high-effort regular season, so that’s why we need to deliver a deeper, younger, more athletic, longer roster to Nick around our three main guys.”

Lottery on the horizon 

In the NBA draft lottery picture, the Sixers’ outlook is not shabby. 

They’ll have the fifth-best odds in the May 12 lottery. The Sixers must land a top-six pick to keep their first-round selection this year (instead of sending it to the Thunder) and there’s a 63.9 percent chance they will.

Morey also mentioned the Sixers got back their own second-rounder this year as part of the Grimes-Caleb Martin trade. That pick is No. 35.

“That’s going to be a tool for us. … If you look at teams that make aggressive moves like us and then have a rough season, most of the time those teams have, like, no draft picks,” Morey said. “We have above-average draft picks going forward to improve the team for next season.”

And, if the lottery breaks as the Sixers hope, how will Morey approach the draft?

“Definitely best player available,” he said. “It has to be that in the draft for sure, but we see the pick as sort of a tool to upgrade the team. It will matter if it’s one, two, three, four, five, six, or we just have the pick in the future. … It’s just a tool to make the team better, but there’s obviously a good chance we take someone.

“In that case, it will just be the best player. I’ve never shied from that.”

4 takeaways on Morey and Nurse's press conference following nightmare season  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Daryl Morey’s wildest nightmares never included him speaking to reporters after the Sixers’ 58th and final loss of the season.

“For me personally, it was obviously the toughest season of my career,” the Sixers’ president of basketball operations said Sunday.

“I’ll just say personally, I’ll spend every waking hour figuring out how to turn this team around going into next season.”

In his opening statement, Morey noted that himself and head coach Nick Nurse “will be back” following an injury-saturated, brutally disappointing year.

Here are four takeaways on their joint press conference: 

‘Very optimistic’ on Embiid 

According to a Sixers official, Joel Embiid wasn’t present for the team’s season finale because he had a follow-up appointment and rehab in New York City days after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Essentially every Sixer asked Sunday about Embiid said he’d be hoping and praying for the best. 

Morey said he thinks Embiid should return to “100 percent” and indicated there’s reasons for encouragement besides general faith. 

“Dr. (Jonathan L.) Glashow, who did the surgery, is very optimistic about his prognosis,” Morey said. “After a lot of work — working with over 10 doctors, six in person who examined him — and a long process to get to the right answer, we feel great that Dr. Glashow is the right answer and that the surgery went so well. 

“And we like that Dr. Glashow is going to do a lot of the early rehab with Joel in person. He has a great track record with a lot of great players in this league to have them come back strong.”

Grimes and Yabusele’s futures 

Though Morey tends to consider all possibilities, it appears unlikely the Sixers will make extreme changes to their roster this summer.

Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George are each in the early stages of long-term, big-money contracts. Morey highlighted the Sixers’ plan of being a “younger, more dynamic group” around their stars next season, and rookies Jared McCain, Adem Bona and Justin Edwards certainly align with that vision. 

However, the Sixers still have meaningful decisions to come in free agency. Quentin Grimes and Guerschon Yabusele stand out. 

Grimes averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals after being traded to the Sixers in February. The 24-year-old guard is set to become a restricted free agent.

“I think he was a real bright spot,” Morey said. “We’re excited for him to come back. We’ve positioned ourselves to bring him back. He had multiple 40-point performances. His defense we think really fits well with Tyrese. We think he’s a very good fit there. And we think with Joel, Paul and Tyrese, he’s a very good fit.”

Yabusele wound up being a bargain one-year signing for the Sixers on a minimum salary. He was second on the team with 70 games played and reliably adaptable, energetic and intelligent. 

“We love what Guerschon was able to bring,” Morey said. “I think that was a great job by our scouting department and a great job by the coaching staff getting the most out of him. Just like Paul, he got pressed into some roles that were a little different that he thought. We thought he was going to play more of the four, and he’s excelled there. He gave us a lot of minutes at the five as well. 

“With the team going forward, I think his mix of minutes will be a little different when we’re healthy. And we really like his fit going forward, so we would like to retain him. Obviously, he’s an unrestricted free agent so it’s not for sure that happens, but we would like to retain him.”

Pinpointing roster flaws 

Whatever problem you inspect with the 2024-25 Sixers, you stare right into the injury sun. 

Morey and Nurse both acknowledged other issues, though. 

“It’s hard to look into the stats too much as a whole this year, right? … I think that the game keeps getting faster and faster, and more dynamic,” Nurse said. “Just for really basic things — defensive transition and defensive rebounding. We just need to be a little bigger, longer, more athletic, just to get that basic thing under control.” 

The stats do support Nurse’s view. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Sixers ranked last in the NBA in defensive rebounding rate. They were 28th in opponents’ points added per 100 possessions through transition play.

Morey admitted he “didn’t put enough emphasis on the team getting through the regular season.” 

“I do think the playoffs are still going to be pretty veteran-heavy and sort of a war out there, where the foul calls will go down and things like that,” he said. “But the regular season has turned really high-effort. Just to call out one area, it used to be every team was just dropping back after their shot. Now teams have length and athleticism, and they’re high-effort both attacking the offensive glass and being able to get back in transition. 

“It’s just a very high-effort regular season, so that’s why we need to deliver a deeper, younger, more athletic, longer roster to Nick around our three main guys.”

Lottery on the horizon 

In the NBA draft lottery picture, the Sixers’ outlook is not shabby. 

They’ll have the fifth-best odds in the May 12 lottery. The Sixers must land a top-six pick to keep their first-round selection this year (instead of sending it to the Thunder) and there’s a 63.9 percent chance they will.

Morey also mentioned the Sixers got back their own second-rounder this year as part of the Grimes-Caleb Martin trade. That pick is No. 35.

“That’s going to be a tool for us. … If you look at teams that make aggressive moves like us and then have a rough season, most of the time those teams have, like, no draft picks,” Morey said. “We have above-average draft picks going forward to improve the team for next season.”

And, if the lottery breaks as the Sixers hope, how will Morey approach the draft?

“Definitely best player available,” he said. “It has to be that in the draft for sure, but we see the pick as sort of a tool to upgrade the team. It will matter if it’s one, two, three, four, five, six, or we just have the pick in the future. … It’s just a tool to make the team better, but there’s obviously a good chance we take someone.

“In that case, it will just be the best player. I’ve never shied from that.”

Celtics have these two picks in 2025 NBA Draft after 61-win season originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Not many teams in the NBA playoffs own their first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, but the defending champion Boston Celtics do.

The regular season ended Sunday, and the Celtics beat the Charlotte Hornets to complete a 61-win season. It’s the first time Boston has won 60-plus games in back-to-back years for the first time since 2007-08 and 2008-09.

The first 14 picks of the upcoming draft will be decided via the NBA Draft Lottery next month. The final 16 picks in the first round and the entire second round are determined by final regular season record, which means the C’s have the following picks:

• First round: No. 28
• Second round: No. 32 (via Washington Wizards)

Boston’s own second-round pick (No. 57 overall) is going to the Orlando Magic as part of a previous trade.

The Celtics, Magic and Indiana Pacers are the only playoff teams that currently own their 2025 first-round pick.

The C’s also have the No. 2 overall pick in the second round, via the Wizards, from a previous trade. This is actually a pretty valuable pick because the Celtics will be able to get a first-round caliber player but not have to pay a first-round salary.

The Celtics have a very expensive payroll as a team in the second apron. The best way for these kinds of teams to quickly reload and build strong depth is to draft well because rookies are on cheap contracts.

So it’s important for the Celtics to get a decent player with one or both of their picks in the 2025 draft. And to their credit, they’ve done a good job making the most of their late picks in recent years:

• 2024: Baylor Scheierman (30th overall, Round 1)
• 2022: JD Davison (53rd overall, Round 2)
• 2020: Payton Pritchard (26th overall, Round 1)
• 2019: Grant Williams (22nd overall, Round 1)
• 2018: Robert Williams (27th overall, Round 1)

The 2025 NBA Draft begins Wednesday, June 25.

‘Hungry' Celtics leaning into historic opportunity to repeat as champs originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The primary goal of the 2024-25 Boston Celtics has never been in doubt. And yet, members of the team occasionally have bristled at questions about the challenges of trying to repeat as NBA champions.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla railed against the idea of the Celtics being the hunted this season, and when asked about the pressure to repeat as champions on the eve of a new season, responded, “We’re all going to be dead soon, and it really doesn’t matter.”

Jayson Tatum repeatedly rejected the suggestion of Boston “defending” its title while pointing out that no one can ever take away what they did by winning in 2024.

For much of the 2024-25 season, the Celtics embraced the process of navigating an 82-game grind with a focus on not skipping steps despite the fact that their only true goal could not be accomplished until June.

Only in recent weeks has the team finally opened the conversation about the opportunity in front of them. Despite all the banners that hang above the parquet floor, no Celtics team has repeated as champions since the 1968-69 Celtics during Bill Russell’s final season as player/coach. No NBA team has repeated as champions in the past half decade, with the 2017-18 Warriors the last to do such.

Winning consecutive titles elevates a team’s legacy. Winning one is impressive, and as Tatum stresses, that can’t be taken away. But skeptics will nitpick the path and your place in history. Winning consecutive crowns pushes teams into a different echelon.

And the Celtics are embracing that opportunity.

“Joe had a great meeting [late in the season] and great speech — we’re going for something big, we’re going for something that hasn’t been done [for 56 years] in Celtics history [and] for a while now in the NBA,” said Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis. “And we have to take that challenge.

“We have to look at it as something bigger than what we did last year. It’s like a compound effect. If we can do it again, that will make it twice as big as last year, almost. That’s the beautiful thing about it. We have to go for it, utilize this time that we have.”

A second title eliminates so much of the “what could have been” that tends to linger with teams. The 2007-08 Celtics steamrolled to Banner 17 after Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined forces with Paul Pierce. But the 2008-09 squad might have been even better until Garnett’s knee injury derailed the quest to repeat.

That Big Three will forever be revered, but falling short in 2009 and 2010 forever leaves team members wondering if they could have won more. That the rival Lakers won consecutive titles in those two seasons doesn’t make it any easier.

The window for that last Big Three era stayed open longer than most expected, not slamming shut until Boston tripped up in the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals. The core of this current champion Celtics team knows that little is promised given the bloated cost of the roster, and that forces players to embrace the moment a little bit more.

“There is only a [small] amount of teams that have [repeated] in history and … it’s been over 50 years since the last time it’s been done [in Boston]. So that creates a desire and a hunger,” said Jaylen Brown. “A lot of times you’re going into series and they’re going to be like, ‘The other team is going to be more hungry.’ I think it’s a lot harder to win two than it is to win one, if I’m not mistaken.

“So, I think we’re chasing that. I think we’re hungry about that. And I think we’re going to go into some of these series [as] the hungrier team.”

So much of the concern entering the 2024-25 season was that the Celtics might not have the same day-to-day motivation after winning a title; that having to wait eight months to even have a chance to win another crown might conspire against them.

Instead, Boston ripped off 61 regular-season wins, produced the best road record in team history, and put up numbers only slightly less glitzy than their title season. Now, as the Celtics wait to find out their Round 1 opponent, there is a renewed hunger for what’s ahead.

“I feel like we understand [the opportunity], but more than that, I’m really hungry for it,” said 38-year-old Al Horford. “I’m really driven. I really want this for our group and for the Celtics organization. It’s one of those things that I’m just more excited, I feel like, this year than last year. So just very determined for us to get this done.”

Horford is one of the few in the Celtics’ locker room that knows what it takes to repeat on the big stage (Top assistant Sam Cassell won back-to-back NBA titles during his first two seasons in the league). Horford won consecutive national titles with the Florida Gators in 2006 and 2007, and how divine that he got to watch them win another one this past month, with Mazzulla adamantly encouraging him to make the trek to San Antonio to see the title game in person.

Horford said he’ll let pundits argue over where the Celtics slot historically, but he isn’t bashful now about reminding teammates of the opportunity to position themselves among the most revered.

“Those are things that people will have to talk about and figure out, where they want to put us and do all these things,” said Horford. “But, for us, the group that we have, and the things that we’re trying to do, this would be pretty unique. Just looking at Celtics history, the last time was late 60s for a back-to-back. So, for us, it would be pretty special.”

Mazzulla initially bristled when this reporter started a recent interview with questions about the opportunity to repeat. Up until that point, the topic had been an unstated goal in the Celtics’ locker room, with Mazzulla trying to keep the team focused on all the steps of the journey.

“I think when you compete for the Celtics, it doesn’t have to be talked about, because [winning a title is] an expectation every single year, regardless of the past result,” said Mazzulla. “Each and every single night, each and every year, we know what the standard is. And the standard is playing Celtics basketball. The standard is going after greatness with an opportunity to win.

“We haven’t been able to [repeat] in the past, but it guarantees nothing in the future. And we can’t be distracted by the result. We have to be consumed and focused on the process of what that looks like going after greatness on a nightly basis, but also as an organization. And it’s important to carry that responsibility all the time.”

Jrue Holiday won a title with the Bucks in 2021, but the team got ousted in the Eastern Conference semifinals — by the Celtics, fittingly– a year later. Like the other champions of the past half decade, those Bucks will be remembered for that title season, but few will discuss them with the reverence of the teams that won multiple crowns.

Holiday understands the opportunity in front of the Celtics.

“Nobody’s done it in damn near a decade,” said Holiday. “I think to take on that challenge and to go through that experience and go through that obstacle together as a team is something that I truly enjoy. But to be able to complete the goal or complete the task, is something that I feel like everybody on this team wants more than anything.

“It does not need to be said. I think if you know our team and if you know us personally and you know how big of competitors we are, winning is everything, and I feel like we showed that last year. Try to do it again.”

Stephen A. believes Warriors had playoff-derailing loss to Clippers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

• Programming Note: Tune into “Warriors Pregame Live” at 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday on NBC Sports Bay Area before the Warriors and Grizzlies tip-off. Immediately after the final buzzer, tune back in for “Warriors Postgame Live.”

Was the Warriors’ 124-119 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday at Chase Center the final blow to Golden State’s hopes of making a deep playoff run?

No, but ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes the regular-season-finale defeat will have a ripple effect on the remainder of the Warriors’ postseason, which begins with an NBA Play-In Tournament matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday in San Francisco.

“I believe it did, I really really do,” Smith said Monday on “First Take” when asked if the loss cost the Warriors a deep playoff run. “I think when you’re talking about the play-in, obviously that denies them the opportunity and the additional rest they were looking for … had you won yesterday’s game, it buys you the whole week of rest and the ability to potentially recover from [injuries].

“Going up against Memphis, who is a relatively physical team … let’s say, for example, Golden State wins this game. If you win this game, you’re going up against Houston. How often are we going to sleep on Houston?”

If the Warriors beat the Grizzlies on Tuesday, they will successfully escape the play-in tournament for the first time since the format’s debut four years ago and claim the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed with a matchup against the young, hungry No. 2 seed Houston Rockets waiting for them.

While some believe a first-round series against an inexperienced Houston team is more favorable to the Warriors than the three seed/six seed series they would have played against the Los Angeles Lakers had they beaten the Clippers on Sunday, Smith believes the Warriors’ latest loss does not set them up well for a deep playoff run.

“I don’t like this at all,” Smith added. “I’m still holding out hope because obviously Draymond [Green] made his guarantee and I would like to see Steph Curry for as long as we possibly can, but I do look at that loss yesterday and the extra load it’s going to put on them and I do think it’s something that could derail the Golden State Warriors sooner than later.”

Can the Warriors exorcize their play-in demons and secure a spot in the playoffs? We will find out on Tuesday night.

Coverage begins with “Warriors Pregame Live” at 6 p.m. PT on NBC Sports Bay Area

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