Full Schedule for the Warriors’ first round matchup vs. Kings

It was a turbulent season full of its highs and lows, but the Golden State Warriors have finally made it to the postseason where they will attempt to repeat as NBA champions. It all begins this Saturday as the team takes a short trip up north to take on the Sacramento Kings in the first round. On Wednesday, the league released the full first round schedule:

This will be the first matchup ever between the Warriors and the Kings in playoff history. Having said that, these two Northern California teams couldn’t be any more different when it comes to postseason experience. Golden State is the defending champions and has gone through countless postseason battles over the course of this dynastic run. Meanwhile, Sacramento is making just their first playoff appearance after a 16-year drought dating back to 2006.

From the Warriors perspective, they come into this matchup after finishing the regular season on a hot streak. They were 8-2 in their last ten games and capped the season off with a dominating 56-point victory to clinch the sixth seed in the West. Although the constant flux of their lineup has been an issue throughout the year, Golden State should have all their major players available to them to start the series.

Despite their lack of experience, the Kings should still be a formidable matchup for the Warriors. As a surprise team in the West, Sacramento finished the season with the conference’s third best record. Their head coach Mike Brown is the favorite to win Coach of the Year this season and has an extensive knowledge of the Warriors due to his seven years spent as an assistant coach on the team. His leadership made the Kings one of the most fun and exciting teams in the league this year powered by an NBA best 118.6 offensive rating according to NBA.com.

Although the Warriors are the lower seed in this matchup, their vast postseason experience and championship pedigree has them as the favorites to win the series. The core of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have won 22 playoff series together – second most in NBA history – and will attempt to add another one beginning on Saturday night.