Reunion Tour: Chris Paul Stands Between Warriors and Playoff Positioning
Must win game for the Dubs against their ex-teammate Chris Paul.
The basketball gods have a twisted sense of humor. Just when the Warriors find themselves clinging to the Western Conference playoff picture like it’s the edge of a cliff, who shows up as the gatekeeper? None other than Christopher Emmanuel Paul, the same floor general who spent last season in a Warriors jersey before taking his talents to the Alamo City.
At 42-31, the Dubs are currently locked in a dead heat with the Clippers for the 6th/7th seed—both squads staring up at the Thunder’s dominant 62-12 record like it’s a mythical mountain peak visible only through a telescope. With the play-in tournament looming like a dark cloud for anyone who slips below 6th, today’s matchup against the Spurs carries more weight than Zion Williamson after a holiday weekend.
What makes this particularly fascinating is Paul’s statistical renaissance in San Antonio. After starting just 18 of 58 games for Golden State last season, the 39-year-old Point God has somehow managed to start all 73 games for the Spurs this year. That’s the equivalent of finding your grandfather’s 1970 muscle car and discovering it runs better now than when it rolled off the assembly line.
The Warriors know CP3’s playbook better than anyone—they watched him dissect it daily in practice last season. The problem? He knows theirs too. And if there’s one thing more dangerous than Paul’s basketball IQ, it’s Paul’s basketball IQ with a revenge narrative attached to it.
The current Western standings aren’t just tight—they’re compressed like the final seconds of a close game where every possession matters:
- Thunder (62-12)
- Rockets (48-26)
- Nuggets (47-28)
- Lakers (45-29)
- Grizzlies (44-30)
- Clippers (42-31)
- Warriors (42-31)
- Timberwolves (42-32)
One bad week could send the Warriors spiraling from the 6th seed to the 8th faster than you can say “play-in tournament.” One good week could have them hosting a first-round series. The margins are that thin.
Steve Kerr faces an interesting dilemma today. Does he attack CP3 directly, forcing the aging maestro to defend in space? Or does he avoid Paul entirely, knowing the veteran’s propensity for baiting younger players into costly fouls?
For Steph Curry, this represents a chance to remind his former backcourt mate why Golden State’s system produces more highlights than Paul’s point guard finishing school. For Draymond Green, it’s an opportunity to deploy psychological warfare against someone who knows all his tricks—like two poker players who’ve memorized each other’s tells.
A win today doesn’t just improve the Warriors’ record—it creates separation in a conference where four teams are essentially tied for three guaranteed playoff spots. It also adds another data point to the “Warriors are peaking at the right time” narrative that seems to emerge every spring like cherry blossoms in Washington.
A loss? Well, that would be like watching your ex-roommate change the locks on the apartment you used to share. Technically they’re allowed to do it, but that doesn’t make it sting any less.
The Warriors need this win like San Francisco needs more parking spaces. The question is whether Chris Paul, the basketball equivalent of a traffic cop, will let them have it.