Warriors as a No. 7/No. 8 Seed
Last year, the Golden State Warriors went into the 2025 NBA Playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. In the first round of the playoffs, they played the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets. Despite the gap in seeding, the Rockets (52-30) won just four more games than the Warriors (48-34) did during the regular season. Partly because of their great play with the newly acquired Jimmy Butler, the Warriors were the odds-on favorite to win the series; they were just the second No. 7 seed in NBA playoff history to be favored to win their first-round series. The only other No. 7 seed to be expected to win their first-round series was
the '21 Los Angeles Lakers, who lost to the Phoenix Suns.
Unlike the '21 Lakers, the '25 Warriors did win their first-round series as they defeated the Rockets in seven games. It was not the first time they won in the first round as a No. 7 seed. They were the No. 7 seed two other times and each time, they won their first series! In 1989, they stunned the Utah Jazz behind star Chris Mullins (who averaged 32.7 points per game in the series). In 1991, the Warriors defeated the San Antonio Spurs in four games.
Not only have the Warriors experienced success as a No. 7 seed, they also did well as a No. 8 seed. The Warriors have been the No. 8 seed exactly once in their franchise history. It happpened in 2007 and that year, they took on the No. 1 seed Dallas Mavericks in the first round. In perhaps
the biggest upset in the NBA playoff history, the Warriors won the series in six games. Interestingly, the Warriors' last three victories as a No. 7/No. 8 seed have come against the three Texas NBA teams (Mavericks, Rockets, and Spurs).
While the Warriors have performed admirably in the first round as a No. 7 and No. 8 seed (a 4-0 record), the rest of the NBA has been terrible as one of the two bottom seeds (9-115). The other 29 NBA teams are a combined 4-57 as a No. 7 seed and 5-58 as a No. 8 seed. One reason for the Warriors' triumphs is the support of their Bay Area fans. They had a stellar 9-1 record at home in the four first-round series. Unfortunately, the great home play never carried into the second round.
Their second-round home record as a No. 7/No. 8 seed is a paltry 1-7 (including 0-6 as a No. 7 seed). The one home win (in 2007 against the Jazz) was a memorable one as it included this iconic dunk by Baron Davis over Andrei Kirilenko. In each of their four seasons as a No. 7/No. 8 seed, they have lost the second-round series in five games. In their latest defeat in 2025, the Warriors won Game 1 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Sadly, Stephen Curry injured his hamstring in that game and the Warriors lost the subsequent four games.