Curry-led Warriors are poised to pull off upset over Lakers

The 2021 NBA Playoffs are upon us, and will officially kick off with the State Farm NBA Play-In Tournament. Teams seeded seventh through 10th in each conference will battle it out beginning on Tuesday and going through the week.

Lakers face a tough test against Warriors

One of those teams is the reigning NBA champions. The Los Angeles Lakers won their last five games of the season, but will be "rewarded" by facing the Golden State Warriors, who are led by one of the favorites to win this year’s Most Valuable Player award.

Stephen Curry missed all but five games last season. He turned 33 this year, and there were legitimate questions about how he’d respond with a far different supporting cast than the ones he’d helped lead to glory several years ago.

Curry has gone supernova in 2021

All Curry’s done during the 2020-21 campaign is produce his finest NBA season. His 32 points per game are a career-high. He’s making 5.3 three-pointers a game, and that’s a career-high, too. Without him, the 39-33 Warriors are nowhere close to the playoffs, and if any one player can take over a game and will his team to achieve more, it’s him.

Golden State took care of business down the stretch

The Warriors were 31-32 late in the season, but closed with a flourish by taking eight of their last nine games. Yes, it’s fortunate they were at home for the final six, but they took care of business and have a chance to ensure a continued season with a win on Wednesday.

Don't count out Curry

That mindset, paired with a one one-game format, may work to Golden State’s advantage. Over the course of a full series, the Lakers’ talent might stand a better chance of winning out. However, the Warriors have been in must-win situations for a couple of weeks now, and their star point guard has led the organization back to familiar territory.

If that version of Stephen Curry shows up in the playoffs, the Warriors can steal games from anybody. They only need to steal one against the Lakers, and I think they’re going to be a very, very tough out.