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Saturday is the start of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. It's time for teams to put up or shut up. The first round of the playoffs will start at home inside the Chase Center for the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors finished the regular season with a 53-29 record, which was good enough to capture the No. 3 seed.
The Dubs are facing reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. The Warriors played the Nuggets four times in the regular season and walked away with only one victory. Every game the Warriors lost, the score was close, and they were winnable games. None of the four games featured Draymond Green.
Let's now take a look at three bold predictions for the Warriors ahead of their first-round series against the Nuggets.
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Warriors bold predictions vs. Nuggets
Draymond Green will be the Warriors' most important player
Green missed a total of 36 games this season. If you've watched Warriors basketball, you understand how much this individual means to the team. He orchestrates the offense and is the anchor of the defense. The team is simply better when Green is on the court.
When Green is healthy, he's one of the most elite defenders of all time. No. 23 will help combat the team’s biggest problem, the' Nuggets MVP center. No, Green isn't going to shut Jokic down completely, and he might not even guard him single-handedly much, but he will help Warriors big man Kevon Looney make things tougher for Jokic. Slowing the big man down is going to be vital to the Warriors' success.
In this series, Green will be more than a key player. If the Warriors get out of this series alive, he will be the main reason after not playing against the Nuggets all season.
Stephen Curry will play in Game 1 and make it rain from 3
The biggest question going into this series against Denver is Curry. Will he play on Saturday? The plan is for the two-time MVP to scrimmage on Thursday. The team will pay close attention to how his foot responds and his conditioning. Curry is progressing and appears to be on schedule, but you never know with injuries.
Curry just had the worst shooting season of his career. He shot under 40 percent from 3-point land for the first time, besides when he was hurt and only played five games. He still averaged 25.5 points, 6.3 assists, and 5.2 rebounds despite an extended slump, and his presence is still a major factor because of the fear he puts in opposing defense.
Not only will Steph Curry play in Game 1, but he will also shoot the 3-ball at a high clip in his return to the lineup.
The Warriors' Fantastic Four is back and will lead the way to victory
The last time Curry, Green, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala played in a playoff series was back in the 2019 NBA Finals. Thompson suffered a season-ending injury in the Finals and Iguodala signed with a new team that summer.
The 2019-20 season started with Curry getting sidelined after breaking his hand. He played in only five games. Green appeared in 43 games, but his health stopped him from being very productive.
The Dubs missed the playoffs both seasons Thompson missed, but now they're back. Curry, Thompson, Green, and Iguodala will put on a show in the first round. Health won't be an issue and this group will lead the Warriors past the Nuggets in six games.
Golden State is on a mission in 2022. Winning the first round would be an accomplishment, but the Warriors have their sight set on winning it all. It is time to go to work.
