- Programming note: The American Century Championship will air Friday, July 11, from 1-3 p.m. PT on Peacock, and again from 5-7 p.m. PT on GOLF Channel. Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13, the tournament will air locally on NBC Bay Area (KNTV) from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. PT.
The Western Conference won’t get any easier during the 2025-25 NBA season, but Jay Bilas shared one crucial key for the Warriors to stay afloat with the best in the West.
The ESPN analyst spoke to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole at the American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe and shared how Golden State’s path to another championship comes down to one thing.
“Stay healthy and put yourself in a good position going into the playoffs,” Bilas told Poole. “It’s crazy, one or two games throughout the year can determine whether you’re fourth or eighth. Heck, last year, the last three games of the year, Denver was either going to be fourth or in the Play-In. It was that close. Every game you play, and I know there are 82 of them and you’re not going to be your best all the time, but every game matters in the Western Conference. It’s brutal.
“But because everybody’s so close, that means if you get in the playoffs, you have a chance. especially if you’re healthy. And that’s what doomed Golden State this last year, [Steph] Curry had that injury. It didn’t matter if it was Curry, [Jimmy] Butler or [Draymond] Green, you get one of those guys hurt and you’re not going to win. It’s unfortunate, but you got to keep your guys healthy.”
Seems simple enough, right?
Not always.
Injuries, of course, are unpredictable. The 2023-24 NBA champion Boston Celtics had an early playoff exit when their superstar, Jayson Tatum, went down with a torn Achilles.
The Indiana Pacers’ triumphant season came to a gutwrenching ending when Tyrese Haliburton suffered an Achilles injury and will miss the entire 2025-26 season to recover.
Golden State only can control what it can control, and the Warriors will have to take it day by day to survive another battle in the West.
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