Three years ago, I wrote a piece for RealGM about how little we could learn about the team during the final month of the season. We are in a similar boat now.
However, back then it happened because the team blatantly chose to tank to keep the draft pick that became Harrison Barnes while just three years later it comes from having a lock on home court advantage in a stacked Western Conference. While we will not learn a ton about this team in the final few weeks, they still have a major chance to help themselves.
With Golden State largely locked in to the one seed out West, they know which side of the bracket they will be on. Getting the #1 means you want your most dangerous opponents in the 2, 3, 6 and 7 slots because then they can bloody each other up and you only have to face one in the end. At present, the teams to avoid would include Memphis and San Antonio. The Grizzlies have likely earned their way into that group by getting the number two seed but everything else is pretty flexible.
As most of you know, the race for the 8th seed features OKC, New Orleans and Phoenix unless someone from the top (presumably Dallas) slides down. While the Warriors have finished their games against the Thunder, they still have one against the Pelicans and one in Dallas. The more interesting question has to be whether OKC stands as the most intimidating foe even if Serge Ibaka and/or Kevin Durant would not play in the first round. Considering how well Russell Westbrook is playing, I can still see it.
The other spots are harder but will clarify with time. In the last week and a half of the season, the Dubs face five different Western Conference teams who currently could be on either side of the bracket. Maneuvering that correctly could make the road substantially easier while also keeping the team ready to peak in mid-April. Some may argue that shaping the outcome shows some sort of cowardice but a more fair characterization would be the spoils of a team achieving their goals early.