We Believe!
Of course we believe. We’ve believed for a long time. But with Sunday night’s Game 1 win over the Mavs, it’s time for the rest of the nation to believe: the Warriors can win this series. Just like everything else in this season seems to have fallen into place, it’s hard to imagine a better way for the Warriors to return to the playoffs: knocking off the best team in the NBA, on the road, in decisive fashion.
I can’t remember having more fun watching a basketball game. There were so many different things to love about it that I’m sure it’ll fill the next three days of blogging. However, to start things off:
- Baron Davis just locked up his place in Warriors’ history. It’s unclear whether he’ll obtain legend status or whether tonight’s performance will be a Sleepy Floyd-like footnote, but he dropped a tremendous game. There wasn’t an area of the game he didn’t dominate. It started with his defense, which contrary to earlier games where he would slap and poke was physical and body-to-body. It carried over into his rebounding, which kept the Warriors alive much of the first half. The real thing that made tonight a near perfect game, however, was his ability to read what the team needed. After working the ball around in the first half, he took the team on his shoulders in the third quarter. He drove to the lane repeatedly, getting to the foul line. After the defense backed off, he drained three threes in a row. It closed in the fourth quarter with Baron returning to the role of the play-maker, working mostly from the post. Nelson created endless mismatches by initiating the offense not from the initial ball-handler, but from Davis on the left block. The Mavs looked lost and the rest is history. I’ve been critical of Davis in the past, but he’s taken his game to an entirely different level in the last month. He’s playing smart, moving the ball selflessly, and just keeps getting better. Forget the bum knee, he played the second half with blurry vision from getting poked in the eye. Simply amazing.
- Nelson won the first move of the chess match. Avery’s talk about going big was just that: talk. We’ve called it all week on this blog and Nelson saw right through it as well. By starting Harris, Avery essentially conceded that Harrington would punish Damp. Without a big man to secure rebounds, the Mavs found themselves scrambling for loose balls, lacking room to operate in the lane, and pounding against a very-pumped Warriors team. As a side note, the Warriors impressed me tonight first, by not playing too tight, and second, by playing a very physical game. They played as if they wanted to intimidate the Mavs and it seemed to work. The Warriors smalls played bigger than the Mavs smalls. Avery will probably go big in Game 2. Al Harrington needs to be ready, as does Andris. It’s actually a good sign that Al had a poor game tonight. He’ll be all the more ready to deliver when Damp’s slow feet allow him open 18 footers one after another.
- We’re in Dirk’s head. I watched tonight’s game with casual basketball fans and even they could see it. Dirk doesn’t look right. He’s moving differently, not with the swagger of an all-NBA veteran, but with the hesitancy of someone who hasn’t been here before. And in fairness, he hasn’t been here often – with Don Nelson calling the shots that are picking apart his weaknesses. The Warriors ran a four headed beast against the big German. Jackson and JRich took most of the game, with Barnes and Pietrus spelling them. Even Baron got in on a few switches. They all crowded Dirk, got a hand in his face, and made him work for daylight. By my count, he only burned them once with a pass out of a flash double team. The rest of the times he either forced shots, turned the ball over, or harmlessly lobbed it back up top to reset the offense. The Warriors’ success against Dirk shows just how much they’ve bought into Nelson’s coaching. The game plan was clear tonight and repeatedly executed by a number of different players.
- The Mavs bench had nothing. That’s not entirely true. They had more turnovers and fouls than points. For a team that’s supposed to be deep, they showed very little. Stackhouse was a wreck, looking old and feeble against the Warriors young spry legs. Damp logged two minutes, which probably cost Mark Cuban $5,000 a second or some ridiculous amount (remember, Mullin didn’t corner the market on signing bad contracts). I credit the Warriors’ rough and loose play with keeping the Mavs bench quiet. No one on the bench, with the possible exception of Stackhouse, is a self-starter. They need to enter the game with the Mavs in rhythm to get going. The Warriors blitzed the Mavs with so many different looks and such physical aggression that they had no chance to establish their game plan. With Dirk and Terry struggling, no one bothered to work the bench players into the game.
- Two moments I will remember for a long time from this game: First, the JRich block. If a single play can sum up all the good things about a player, the fast break block did it for Richardson. After turning the ball over to Harris, Richardson refused to quit on the play. He came from behind on a speeding Harris, controlled his body perfectly for a clean block, landed on Harris and pushed his crumpled body aside as he got back up to head down the court (where Barnes drained a three). If the Warriors go on to win this series, this might be the moment when it swung their way. The second memory will be Mark Cuban’s face after the play. For a team that is still disrespected by 99% of the country and a lot of their opponents, nothing is sweeter than the look on the other guy’s face when he realizes that he’s going to lose.
- One final thought: The Mavs will come back strong in Game 2, but I’m convinced the Warriors also can play a better game. They missed a lot of easy inside shots tonight, were largely cold from the arc (except for Baron), and got little from Monta, Harrington, and Andris. The Warriors have played better than this in the past month, so even if the Mavs turn it up, we still have a few tricks up our sleeves.
Is it Wednesday yet? It took 15 years for this playoff victory. I can’t wait another minute to try to get our second.
That’s some fine analysis. I’ve been reading your posts for the last month and I think you have your finger on the pulse of the Warriors.
The Dubs are a factor in the postseason. That’s a sweet sensation for the sweetness-starved.
Do it, Warriors. I want to believe.
The world is against us. Lets do this Warriors!!!
Cuban may have bought the Mavs, but the W’s OWN them. Funny thing though, I been checking different sites and listening to TV analysts and they all say the Mavs will kill the Dubs if they go big by playing Diop and Damp more. I gotta say, if the Mavs have to rely on these two to make a difference, then the Dubs still have a great shot at winning. I just don’t agree with any analysis like putting these two in and pound the ball inside = Mavs win automatic at all. I can’t see BD playing out of his mind like this all series but it’s been different guys stepping up so I hope it continues. Monta looked like he was having stage fright. In the beginning of 2nd half, Nellie put Biedris in and he had some nice plays to get the team going which I think we could/should see more off later. Happy with Al, he battled out there despite lack of stats, but he was fighting for rebounds out there. He is what he is, I don’t expect double double from him although he is capable. Jax had nice stats, but what he did beyond guarding Dirk was to make Dirk have to work to guard him as well unless they switch someone like Howard over but that would leave JR to do his thing too. That sequence with JR blocking DH and landing on him could turn out to be a defining moment. Barnes and Pietrus also added great minutes on D. People talked about this as BD’s best game, but these two had a game that would be right up there in their respective careers too. I won’t jinx this team though, I will stick to Nellie’s lines. The pimple won tonight.
The world thinks that the big Mavs are like Goliath, while the small ball W’s are like David … well, the world is right … and we all know what happened between David and Goliath … the small ball W’s are substantially quicker and more athletic than the bigger and slower Mavs, and history should repeat. Tonight BD led the way … next game, when they double BD, it’ll be JRich, Jax, Monta, Al, Biedrins, or Barnes … the W’s are a more balanced team than the Mavs … and teams win championships, not individuals … The W’s have to keep their focus, get through this series, then past Houston, Phoenix, and Detroit. 1 down, 15 to go … history is waiting …
On TNT, Magic Johnson paid Baron Davis the ULTIMATE COMPLIMENT. He said that “Baron is his boy” and he was so happy that Baron Davis had a chance to show the world what a GREAT player he is, and that the only thing holding him back from acclaim were his injuries. Kenny Smith then joined in the praise and repeated that the only reason Baron Davis is not a first, second or third team all-star were his injuries. Barkley, of course, was cotton-mouthed and had nothing intelligent to add. All, however, including the MC, Johnson, seemed STUNNED by the Mavs being so dispatched!
Dick Stockton is a tool. You’d think leading up to a game a professional tv play by play announcer would at least get to know the players names he would be responsible for talking about all night, but no we get numb nutz making up names as he goes along it seems. God TNT came we please get an upgrade over this guy for rest of series. Dont know if anyone else noticed maybe I’m just over reacting but it felt like the usual lack of respect for the Warriors. That shit better change quick
I have two a/v sources in my family room so at halftime I switched to the audio on the amaller TV which had FSN (Fitz and Barnett) and watched video on TNT-HD to get rid of Stockton and Fratello. The coverage on FSN was better (shorter commercials and more insight from announcers who actually knew who the players were.)
I believe Damp is still moving his feet. Yeah, Avery is forced to bo big now in game 2 which mean the W’s will run them into the ground. Stop Dirk and Stackhouse and the W’s will win this series. Let Howard/Terry/Harris score. JRich showed why the Ws have been rolling by attempting to block Harris’s layup. The Ws’ hustled and played hard. Dirkster, we got your attention.
That wasn’t the Warriors best game.
The Warriors didn’t play over their heads. Everybody didn’t have a career game. Sure Baron Davis played like Superman but he’s been on the cusp of this level of play for a long time. I expect at least two more games from him at this level during the series. Jackson, the “uncontrollable hot head” played his now “usual” solid game and provided plenty of stability. On the other hand, Monta wasn’t quite ready for the playoff stage and Richardson was ice cold from outside. Harrington didn’t go off either. Barnes was wonderful off the bench and Biedrins and Pietrus contributed to the effort but neither got it going at the offensive end.
In other words, we beat the Mavs and that wasn’t even our best shot. Richardson’s icy shooting is going to thaw. Pietrus will start hitting the corner three and driving the lane. Biedrins will start finishing a the rim and Harrington will get it going. I can’t wait to read the analysis coming from Dallas. If it’s “We took their best shot and now we know everything they can bring to the table”, then that’s fantastic. This is the team that everybody underestimates, even the home town fans. Frankly, respect is over rated I’ll take wins any day.
Shot of the day: Mark Cuban sitting back mouthing “Game Over” after the Richardson block and Barnes corner three. The “astute” analysis from Barkley, “That was a bad shot”. I can’t wait to see the blowout when we take “Good” shots, Friday night in Oakland perhaps?
Don’t expect the rest of the nation to catch up right away. The TNT “experts” were still all picking the Mavericks to win 4 games to 1.
It takes time to gain respect from a nation that isn’t paying attention. Now is our time!
Like JP who cares about respect? I’d rather be disrespected, but win.
And it’s true, the Mavs didn’t play their best game, but neither did the Warriors. Scarily the dubs actually have a decent chance of going 2-0 ON THE ROAD in this series.
Especially if Avery goes big y’know? Diop’s pretty solid actually, but no better than Andris. And Pampers, the Big Buffet Plate? All I can say is PLEASE GIVE HIM LOTS AND LOTS OF PLAYING TIME! PLEASE!!!
The problem for Avery is the Mavs can’t really go big - it hasn’t worked for them against the Warriors, and probably won’t either. It doesn’t really address the Warriors weak spot if the big can’t score effectively in the low post (and Dampier couldn’t effectively score on a video game). If the Mavs want to win they’ll have to figure out how to exploit the dubs weaknesses (which there are more than a few). Outside of Josh Howard though I don’t think they have the kind of personnel that can do that though, as “deep” as they are (and 0 pts off the bench, how deep is that).
DUBS BABY!!!
How fun was that? I really don’t care what Barkley or anyone else says about this team. The Warriors are a force to be reckoned with and I’m not sure Dallas will be able to. Play Diop (5 fouls) and Damp if you want to. Sure, the W’s are a run and gun team, but they also played some great defense last night. The Mav’s will not throw in the towel by any means, but the Warriors will have the ability to respond to anything thrown at them. We’ve got a lot of confidence right now which could carry us through the rest of this series and possibly more. I still can’t get the smile off my face.
Great report. Some additional thoughts:
*Howard still scares me. He had an off game for him, but still showed he can cut to the basket, almost at will. I don’t think JRich can keep up with him, and expect to see Jack or Al switch over. (MP could probably stay with him, but he’s got too many weaknesses, and Nellie has to save him for spot use.)
*As great as he was throughout the game, the best thing I saw was that BD can post up or drive on anybody but Harris. (And why didn’t Avery use Harris on BD much more?) He’ll absolutely kill George if they keep him on BD.
*Andris continues to look lost out there. I suspect the Mavs will go big on Wednesday — and was happily shocked they tried to play small last night — so we’ll likely see a lot more of AB from this point on. I sure hope Nellie can figure out a way to make the kid comfortable again, because we need AB to play like he was playing a month ago. He’s been the biggest — and only — casualty of the move to the small five.
*Our smalls are better than their smalls. Why? They’re faster — and last night they simply ran Dallas into the ground. Who’d a thunk it?
*Al didn’t score, but he played a great game otherwise. His defense was first rate, and his 10 RBs were crucial (and came at crucial times). This guy had NO D when he first came here; 10 pounds and much practice later and he’s become a terrific defender.
*This team now plays terrific defense. (And we haven’t seen that on a Warrior team for a generation.) They flip between man and zone effortlessly, they switch as well as anyone, their hands are supremely active, there are NO huge mismatches (and did anyone see BD bodying up Dirk for substantial stretches of time?). The result: NO big runs by the Mavs. I don’t know that they can keep it up, but this was a great defensive — and TEAM — effort.
*Monta and JRich showed their inexperience, but each will get better — and pretty quickly.
*Watch out for Harris. He’s really improved this year, and was much faster than any Warrior guarding him, even leaving Monta in the dust repeatedly. When the Mavs bring their bigs back in, watch out for him on PNRs. (And despite what some say, he’s developing the ability to go to his left on a drive now.)
*Was that really Jerry Stackhouse out there? He looked so old. Granted, great shooters never lose their touch, and he can still torch a team, but if the Warriors keep running, he seems to tire pretty easily.
*After last night I’m increasingly convinced this starting five is the fastest I’ve ever seen — including the Suns, ol’ Run TMC, Showtime Lakers, etc. Can anyone name a comparably fast five? And if the Warriors keep running, can anyone stay with them?
Thanks, Adam.
How many NBA championships has Barkley won?……
0, nada, zilch. What does that tell you? He hasn’t a clue when it comes to coaching and x’s and o’s. So anything he says you take with a grain of salt. Magic?
The best TEAM player in NBA history. He knows if Baron plays like a Magic Jr., this series is over. Warriors can win in 6. Their biggest test would be the spurs and I am not sure they will make it.
This is our year. Here in Brasil, we already know that Warriors will be the champion. Don Nelson rules. Bye bye Dallas.
I also think that the only team we probably can’t beat is San Antonio. The good thing is that Denver may take care of that.
It will be interesting if Denver and GSW meets int he Western Final.
I think if GSW does beat Dallas in round 1, GSW has a good chance beating either Houston or Utah.
As far as Sir Fatboy Chuck goes, it was obvious that he must have lost a rather large wager on the Mavs -10 pts. Looking at body language, it was hard to determine who was slumping more, him or Cuban. You gotta love it.
It will be interesting to see if Avery succumbs to Chucky’s, and a large percentage of the population’s, belief that all the Mavs need to do is to go big and they will dominate those “midgets”. The thing is, Avery knows better and that they will get run off the court against the more athletic and faster Warriors. They are perplexed and are going back to the drawing board as we speak. Nellie has them right where he wants them. You gotta believe.
As long as they remain unselfish, where the only “numbers” that matter is the final score, the magic will continue.
The “JUICE” is back, gone since ‘75.
You Gotta Believe! And You Gotta Love It!
GO WARRIORS!
This 2007 W’s team is fun to watch … and it needs an identity so the national media will actually know who’s playing … something like “Run JAMBS”, or “BJAMS and thank you MAM” (that’s Baron, Jason, Al, Monta, Stephen, and Matt, Andris, Mikael) …
Check out this site :
http://popcornmachine.net/cgi-bin/gameflow.cgi?date=20070422&game=GSWDAL
It measures the momentum factor, so you can tell what the team did as a result of player substitutions during the game. Now notice, each time Barnes came into the game there was major shift upward in the graph. All three major upward shifts came exactly as Barnes entered the game.
And also as Monte Ellis left the game.
Also notice the high numbers for Harrington.
Even though Barne’s game stats were just above average, the team responded with major momentum shifts upward while he played.
Notice the total + 23 for Barnes, which is better than any other player. The team momentum shifted upward more for when he played than anyone else. Of course, Baron Davis played almost the whole game and as a result also played through the down turns in the graph.
Shouldn’t Barnes be starting instead of Monta Ellis ?
David McLaughlin
San Rafael
Novel idea: How about we let Nellie do the coaching since he seems to be doing a pretty good job, to say the least. And we sit back and enjoy the ride. Over-analyzing the games and statistics is for coaches, players, and fans who just lost the game.
As long as they play unselfish, winning basketball, who cares who starts? There are many combinations of players still to come, it’s a long series.
You Gotta Believe and You Gotta Love It!
GO WARRIORS!
Plus Barnes is doing exactly what he needs to do off the bench; you want someone who comes in and provides that kind of spark.
Just a point about the Dampier contract: our response to that signing was the Foyle signing. Which brings us to the biggest looming question: the cap. Will Cohan shell out the dough to buy-out Foyle? If we don’t and have to trade him, what valuable piece do we have to give up with his contract (arguably the worst in league history)?
How about they offer him to retire as a player and hire him in the front office?
He could do P.R. work for the team and then maybe for the NBA.
Or else we could make him an offer he can’t refuse.
P.S.- Dunleavy’s contract was worse.
PSS - Dampier’s contract makes Foyle’s look genius, actually.
The SOB Ref who tossed out Baron tonight for his sarcastic clapping needs to be put in a pit with a rabid pit bull. Are you with me?