His name is: ALL DAY - W’s 105, Kings 102
He’s official, it’s official, notify the authorities. Monta’s jumper? All day. Monta’s name? Pronounced Mon-tay. You know what rhymes with Monta? All day. Baron’s old nickname? Too Easy. Too Easy, All Day. I’ve sent Fitz an email already, mark it.
The Warriors had a lot to answer for after hosting a stinker against the Bulls on Thursday.
They came out with great defensive intensity in the first quarter, creating steals, forcing bad passes and running out on the Kings. In his second start, Chris Webber played a solid, if quiet quarter and the team seemed to flow well. With Webber at the top of the key during a Warriors’ possession, the ball moved well. The team looks more under control in the half-court offense with Webber up top, which is what Nellie has been aiming for. Baron was especially active on defense and personally picked up 3 steals in the quarter.
The Warriors were up by 9 at the end of the first.
Second & third quarters went as follows: Ugggh!
Whistle, screams and curses, booo, free-throws, turnover, brick, rebound! Brick, brick, screams, Artest chest thumps, brick, whistle, free-throws, etc…
The middle of the game was a complete meat grinder. Both teams were banging hard and watching Artest and Jackson play off of each other gave me bruises. The Warriors couldn’t hit a jumper and Bibby started running circles around the defense. The Kings played with focus and energy. Lead by Artest, Bibby and Udrih, they outscored the Dubs both quarters and took their first lead of the game late in the third. Monta converted a silky drive with time running out to tie the game at 78 going into the fourth.
Everyone came out to play in the fourth. Both teams were fighting for every possession and the superstars all answered the call. Jack and Monta played beautifully off of each other and each executed tough, clutch shots. Andris proved once again that he won’t be pushed around. He towed the line against Artest, Mikki Moore and Brad Miller in the paint, pulling down big rebounds and making some key tip-ins. The Kings made their run when Baron fouled out of the game with 2:11 left, but Monta and Jack answered. Monta hit an absolutely clutch jumper to put the Warriors up by four with 12 seconds (All Day!), and Jackson was able to make his free throws at the end to seal it.
The Kings are bruising and just as emotional as the Warriors. Watching Artest on the court makes Jackson and Baron seem cool headed. Ron-Ron is a powerful asset, but really does seem out of control emotionally. After watching this battle, complete with three technical fouls (Artest for taunting, Biedrins and Nellie for protesting), I hope these teams never meet during a full moon. The NorCal rivalry is here and neither squad is going to roll over.
Seeing Monta step up once again really drives home the idea that he and Andris are the future of this franchise. I have a co-worker who is a San Francisco native and a rabid Bay Area sports fan. He hasn’t been to see the Warriors play in person for over a decade, but he can’t stop talking about Monta’s game. He’s hustling to scrape up enough money to get to a game this season because he wants to make sure that his kids get to see number 8 playing in a Dubs uniform. Every time he talks about Monta he just starts shaking his head and saying, “They better find a way to sign him man, otherwise it’s going to be just like Gil, just like Gil.”
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Tags: All Day, Artest, Jackson, Kings, monta ellis
One Response
Warriorscast · Make sure you hydrate - Warriors 120, Suns 118 February 14th at 10:01 am
[...] All Day is the toast of the town. The ESPN guys couldn’t get enough of him. His jumper is so clean and automatic that I’m genuinely surprised when he misses. Every drive seems to involve a highlight finish, and his rebounding is off the charts for a guard. His defense and foul shooting needs cleaning up but there’s no way to not love this kid. Last year people were hoping that Monta could evolve into a Barbosa like player, at this point Barbosa should aspire to be more like Monta. [...]