1 of 15

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Prediction: Warriors in 4

The real intrigue here is picking the occupant for the No. 8 spot—or, at least it's intriguing relative to how little uncertainty there is about the winner of this series.

The Golden State Warriors are going to perform unholy acts against the team that winds up taking the last position in the Western Conference. Having seen the negative effects of prolonged pre-Finals playoff series last year, the Dubs should be motivated to end the proceedings quickly in the early stages of the postseason.

Also: The occupant of this spot is going to be a sub-.500 team. In light of that, predicting anything other than a sweep seems silly.

The Denver Nuggets will finish as the eighth-seeded sacrifice for a few reasons.

Their lead on the other three teams (yes, we're down to three; the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans have disqualified themselves from consideration by being terrible) isn't dwindling. And the Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves have their own issues to address down the stretch. There's a nonzero chance one of them makes a run to take this spot, but it's not like it would change the outlook.

The Warriors are 2-1 against the Nuggets this season, with the lone loss attributable to an emotional letdown following a spirited road win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. As impressive as the Denver offense has been, please don't try to tell me the league's No. 30 defense has a prayer of stopping Stephen Curry and Co.