Draymond Green Reveals Warriors' Preferred First-Round Playoff Matchup

He has a specific opponent in mind for Golden State.

While the Warriors haven’t officially clinched a playoff berth just yet, Draymond Green is already previewing some potential matchups for the first round.

If the season ended today, Golden State’s first-round playoff opponents would be the Kings, and that's a matchup Green thinks bodes well for the Warriors. 

On a recent episode of The Draymond Green Show, Green revealed that he’s hoping the Warriors get matched up with Sacramento. He quickly clarified that it's not due to a belief that Sacramento is a bad team. Instead, Green wants to minimize Golden State's travel schedule—something a series against the in-state Kings would assist with. 

"I'm not upset at if the standings shook out how they did today and we met Sacramento in the first round. Not because I think Sacramento is a weak team, because the travel is so much easier,” explained Green. 

.@Money23Green wants Sacramento in the playoffs but not for the reason you think pic.twitter.com/cBtVFSuRWH

— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 27, 2023

Green detailed the long hours of travel the Warriors had to go through during last season's NBA Championship run, and he didn't deny he's hoping things play out more favorably in that regard this time around. 

“The reason why I said Sac. is simply just because of the travel. That's a lot on your body. If we can bus ride an hour and 10 minutes up the way, I just think that’s much better for us,” Green said. “At the end of the day, I don't really care who we play in the playoffs, I think we can win.”

While a Warriors-Kings first-round matchup could potentially be on the cards, and would be if the season ended today, Golden State still has six games left in the regular season, including a road matchup in Sacramento. 

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