Archive for the ‘Audio’ Category

Word from practice today is that Brandan Wright strained his groin against the Kings last night and may not be available in tomorrow’s pivotal matchup against Denver. Wright has come on strong in recent weeks and was expected to play a role in defending the Nuggets’ Marcus Camby, one of the NBA’s top rebounders and defenders.

The W’s were otherwise very loose and in great spirits. Their practice was more like a shootaround, with players getting treatment in preparation for tomorrow’s clash.

Listen to Don Nelson breaking the news to us below, as well as thoughts from Baron Davis and Monta Ellis.

exclusive audio

Don Nelson

Baron Davis

Monta Ellis

Your Warriors still got game.

Box Score

Highest scoring game of the season, nice.

The Warriors took a 6-0 lead early, and never got behind for the rest of the game. The Kings stuck within striking distance behind inspired offensive efforts by John Salmons (22 points, 6 rebounds), Francisco Garcia (31 points), and the ruthlessly efficient Kevin Martin (29 points, 7 rebounds). Ron Artest was in a suit, providing nothing but uncomfortable gesticulations from the bench.

Monta, Baron, and Beans led the Dubs in this fast paced win.

Boom had his best night in months, putting up 33 points and dishing 9 dimes. He played a team high 42 minutes and was focused on the win.

Monta played a brilliant 34 minutes, putting up 16 points and dishing 7 assists.

Andris was incredibly active, picking up a game high 17 rebounds and converting quick thinking plays down low.

Al continued to look strong, focusing on power plays in the paint and putting in good work on the boards.

Watching the development of Kevin Martin and Monta Ellis is a gift from the NBA gods. Martin is more refined, and is already a team leader, but Monta’s explosiveness and creativity is unparalleled.

The obvious down side of the game for the Warriors was the lack of defensive focus. With the exception of the first minute-and-a-half of the game, during which Al and Baron stole the ball 4 times, the Kings’ main challenge was deciding whether to drive, or shoot the jumper. Mikki Moore (who dropped 19 and 10 on us in March) was mercifully silenced early on, picking up quick fouls and a tech in the first. I think we’re all better off seeing less of those ridiculous predator dreads on the court.

CJ Watson got a good run in the second half when Nellie sat Monta. Watson wasn’t nearly as explosive as All Day, but he fought hard for a couple of offensive rebounds and was the only Dub able to slow Kevin Martin down all night.

Pietrus returned to the squad in a fairly triumphant fashion. He brought a much needed spark to the building during a second half lull with two emphatic blocks and a gorgeous put back slam. He also reminded us that he’s still the same Peety with one of his patented traveling calls from the corner.

The stage is set for the 8th seed showdown against the Nuggets on Thursday. I’m too nervous and scattered to make any predictions beyond some random Barkley hateration. Make sure to set your DVRs/TIVOs/Alarm Clocks up ahead of time because tip-off is at 5:00 on TNT.

GO WARRIORS!

exclusive postgame audio

Baron Davis

Stephen Jackson

Al Harrington

Check out our special edition of Warriorscast taped live during the Warriors/Kings game.

Adam and I analyze the action as it happens, get halftime and postgame insight from AP Radio correspondent Ryan Leong and otherwise have a grand ol’ time. Let us know what you think about the live pod at mailbag@warriorscast.com.

The biggest game of the year awaits us all on Thursday. Let’s hope the W’s show their true colors.

“It’s just like last year — it’s just that we have a better record this year, but we’re still fighting to get in the playoffs like last year,” said Stephen Jackson.

Jack knows it, as do Nellie, Baron and the whole crew. The Warriors are in for a fight to the end and losses like this one will not help their cause. The Spurs played as they typically do against the Dubs, and thus for 20th straight time in San Antonio, the Warriors walked out with a loss.

Baron had 19 to pace the Warriors, but Jack and Monta were off and that spelled doom for GSW’s hope for a sweep of the Texas two-step. With eight games to play in what has been a terrific season, the Warriors are still on the outside looking in - ninth place in the Western Conference.

While the Warriors’ big three were held in check, the same could not be said of the Spurs’ big dogs. Tony Parker dropped home 26 points, Timmmmy added 17 & 12 rebounds, while Manu the Flopper scored 16.

Adding insult to injury, the Spurs stifled GSW’s streak of having scored 100 or more points in 37 straight games. A stinging loss at a crucial time. We’ll see if the boys can fight back against Dallas in what could be labeled as the biggest game of the year.

Adam Lauridsen of the San Jose Mercury News and I break down the recent stretch of games, including this one, and look to the final eight regular season contests in our latest podcast.

Also, we have some breaking news regarding Marco Belinelli, as you’ll read here.

Or maybe not.

Your Warriors took care of the baby Blazers.

Box Score

You know you’re a Warriors fan when you get nervous if a fourth quarter lead dips below twenty points.

Baron looked like he was ready to hurl from the flu, but Nellie still put him in for 27 minutes. Boom and the team had a horrendous 22 point first quarter. They got down by as much as 14 and were dominated by Portland’s active young big man LaMarcus Aldridge. The Dubs woke up in the second with Al hitting his threes, Monta and Kaz scoring inside, and Jack running the show. Warriors down by 1 at the half.

The warm Warriors fuzzies started kicking in in the third quarter. The defensive intensity picked up, Monta, Baron, and Jack started getting hot, and our old friend Matt Barnes finally came home to the fans that love him.

I was at the horrible loss against the Hawks in February and something stuck in my mind from that game. Matt Barnes had a miserable outing, one of many from this season. The guys sitting behind me were moaning about him the entire game, busting out “brain-dead Barnes”, and just plain hating. I’m not adverse to calling out struggling players (ahem…pre-trade deadline Peety), but to submarine Matt after his from out of nowhere contribution last year, and his devastating personal loss this year was low. Matt Barnes pulled himself up from NBA obscurity last season and has come to really embody the general Warriors identity. He’s grimy, not a little bit dirty now and again, unpredictable, and straight up hungry.

Welcome back Matt.

Barnsey had what I hope was his comeback game. He put up 8 points and grabbed 8 boards to the delight of the proud Oracle crowd. It was awesome to hear the fans scream in unison for him when he hit his first three. The standing ovation he got as he went to the bench more than made up for the hateration I suffered through at that Hawks game.

The steamroller was gassed up and ready to roll for the fourth. The Warriors were up 19 and Nellie felt confident enough to completely empty the bench. Barnes led CJ, Kaz, Brandan, Uncle Austin, Marco, and Kosta to the easy win.

Denver came back to beat Dallas earlier, cutting our cushion to a 1/2 game ahead of them. The back to back against both of them on Saturday and Sunday is going to be massive. Go Warriors!

PS: Fascinating, fairly cathartic insight on the Delaney call from Monday’s Laker game from Marcus Thompson’s blog. Not that we’re bitter or anything:

The league does, however, share its findings on controversial calls when a member of the media asks. So I asked. And Stu Jackson answered.
“We did review,” he said Tuesday. “The call was incorrect.”

exclusive postgame audio

Baron Davis

Stephen Jackson

Nate McMillan

LaMarcus Aldridge

Well, at least Kobe got his grill piece busted open.

Box Score

Regulation was insane. The Warriors again came out strong and swarming in the first half. They attacked on offense and defense, leaving the Lakers scattered and turning the ball over. Jack and Baron lit it up, going for 17 and 20 respectively.

Al’s three-point shot woke up; he added 12 points and pounded the boards hard - snaring 8. Warriors up by 11 into the half.

It was another gut check third quarter for the Dubs. They looked tired and were unable to get any kind of consistent scoring runs going. Kobe got his head into the game and he teamed up with Fisher and Odom to outscore the dubs 35-23 in the third, putting the Lakers up by one going into the fourth.

The Warriors looked dead in the water halfway through the fourth. Their legs looked gone and Kobe started doing that annoying superstar thing, hitting step back jumpers, threes, and grabbing rebounds. He had possible the lamest sidekick ever in the form of the floppy haired, flop prone Yugoslavian, Sasha Vujacic.

Vujacic was deadly from three point range and he hit two big ones, helping the Lakers stretch their lead to nine points with a little under 4 minutes to play. Things looked bleak, but Monta and Kaz saved the day by converting drives off of steals to bring them back within one with 33 seconds left. Odom missed one of his free throws and Baron made two huge ones of his own and the game went into OT, much to the delight of the raucous crowd.

OT was a battle. The Dubs got up but Fisher and Sasha “Vermin” Vujacic nailed killer threes to keep the Lakers on top. Kaz made a tough, tough tip-in off of a Monta miss to tie it up with 30 seconds left, but the Lakers went up once again as Odom found himself deliciously open right under the basket.

Final play: Warriors inbounding the ball down two with nine seconds left. The Dubs run a congested rotation of screens and Monta goes down in a heap on top of Fisher. It looks like they got tangled up and Fisher may have stumbled while pulling Monta down on top of him.

Referee Bob Delaney called an offensive foul on Monta giving the Lakers two free throws and ending an incredibly exciting and hard fought game with a huge let down. The call was a bad one. Fisher either fell back and grabbed Monta as he fell, or he intentionally pulled Monta down on top of him for a call.

Talk about anti-climactic. The Dubs and Lakers battled for 52 minutes straight only to have the game be decided by an official. No one wanted to see that. Horrible.

exclusive postgame audio

Don Nelson

Phil Jackson

Kobe Bryant

Derek Fisher

Lamar Odom

The Warriors redeemed themselves in grand fashion to cap off their road trip.

After suffering a brutal loss at the hands of J-Rich and the Bobcats, GSW ended their roadie with back to back wins over flameless Heat and a solid Magic squad. The Warriors have won every road trip longer than three games this season, ending this trip 3-1, while keeping pace in the absurdly competitive Western Conference.

The Dubs’ defense, non-existent for stretches of the road trip, magically appeared in time to stifle Orlando’s stud center Dwight Howard. He torched the Warriors for 19 points in the first half, but Superman was “held” to 26 and 12.

Credit Nellie and the staff for sending double-teams to attack the big man in the second half before he got in too close for easy buckets.

Baron poured in his standard 33 and 9, MP nearly had a double-double again and Jack hit three treys, on the way to 20 points.

After a win like this, against a team that beat them on their home court, it’s hard to find much to complain about.  As you’ll hear in our latest effort, Adam Lauridsen of the San Jose Mercury News and I gush over the successful road trip, the stellar contribution from the bench and whether the Dubs are officially an elite squad.

Some interesting games against the Raptors and the Suns await.

After another lazy start, your Warriors put on their second half hard hats, listened to their Uncle Austin, and went to work.

Box Score

The Warriors gave another first half away to another sub-par team. They came out looking stiff and scattered, allowing the Sonics to get up 13-4 before getting their heads into the game after back to back steals from Baron, and Brandan Wright. The Sonics feasted on dunks and lay ups, and Kevin Durant was a highlight reel. The Sonics’ lead shrank and grew but was never erased. Baron and Monta did all of the work on offense for the Dubs. Both guards were aggressively driving the ball and they kept the Warriors in the game while Al and Jack struggled.

Uncle Austin Croshere was in the starting line-up for the second half, and was the difference for the Warriors in this game. He’s a smart, grizzled veteran and does all of the basic things that the rest of the squad can’t seem to. Mainly, he boxes out, rebounds, and consistently is in the right place at the right time.

With Cro leading the charge, the Warriors steamed back into the game in the third. Earl Watson was out for Seattle due to a respiratory infection, so the Sonics’ only real point guard was Luke Ridnour. Whenever PJ rested Ridnour, the 6-7 forward Mickael Gelabale handled the point…poorly. The Warriors robbed the Sonics blind in the second half. Everyone harrassed their assignments and slapped the ball loose whenever it came near them. Steals for the Warriors is like blood in the water for sharks, it gets them very excited. The fast breaks started flowing and the lead changed hands for good with a little over 3 minutes left in the third. Jack, Al, and Peety got into the spirit of things in the fourth, poured on a few threes and sealed the win.

Defense drove this Warriors’ win. When they got into their opponents’ faces and start challenging every possession the game opened up and they were able to get running on offense. The young, undermanned Sonics were low hanging fruit for this type of game plan.

Austin Croshere: Plays hard and smart. His back is beyond wonky and we won’t be able to depend on him, but just like he did in Minnesota earlier in the season, he was able to infuse the team with confidence after making some good, tough plays against an inexperienced team.

Monta Ellis: Was back after a rough (for him) game against the Hawks. Before the Cro show started he and Baron were the only Warriors scoring consistently. His nutty FG line is back too, 14-22.

Baron Davis: Went for the throat on steals, picking up 7 against the clumsy Sonics. He also scored 20 and dished 10.

Brandan Wright: Appeared to have some rookie jitters early in the first but played within himself and contributed a bit in his short minutes. His face-to-face block on Durant in the second was possibly the lankiest thing I’ve ever witnessed. Nellie rewarded his good play from the Hawks game with minutes, hopefully he earned some more this time around. I like how he looks in the line up.

Chris Webber: Is doing what all the coaches said he wouldn’t, slowing the Dubs down. He kills the team’s energy when he’s on the floor. His lack of movement completely negates the scramble that fires up the Warriors D and he gets burned consistently. He might be able to help here and there as a sub, but he’s only hurting at this point.

Stephen Jackson: Had a pretty off night offensively, and his ankle doesn’t look good, but he’s still an anchor for the team and they need him on the court to bring a bit of order and execution.

Al & Peety: Al had a bad shooting night. Pietrus was bouncing off the walls as usual. He got some points and steals, he got a lot of fouls, and he almost took some poor woman’s head off with his crotch while diving out of bounds for a ball that had just slipped out of his hands (after making a clean steal!). I think that pretty much sums up his game: occasionally-thrilling-and-useful-dumb-out-of-controlness.

We’re right on the inside of the bubble, sitting at 8th, 1 game up on Denver. See you on Friday for some Philly Soul staring Iggy and the Sixers.

exclusive postgame audio

Don Nelson

Monta Ellis

Austin Croshere

Baron Davis

Brandan Wright’s ’send it in’ moment was the only highlight from what was an otherwise miserable night at the Oracle.

The Warriors once again looked flat in the 1st half, allowing Atlanta to get off to a 68-50 lead, which proved to be insurmountable.This pattern of lousy first half play is something both Nellie and Baron couldn’t explain after the game, but it’s clear that if the Warriors want to make the playoffs, they have figure out a way to just stay relatively competitive early on.

Their poor starts are hampering what has been a fantastic, exciting season.The Warriors expend far too much energy in their comebacks, and as we saw once again in this game, they couldn’t muster up enough of it to thwart the young, nimble and very underrated Hawks.

Baron was terrific, pouring in 35 points to go with seven assists, but he concedes he “didn’t think that we [GSW] came with a sense of urgency early.”

Monta scored 26 points and Wright’s eight points and eight boards opened up Nellie’s eyes, as you will hear in the postgame audio, but they are mere footnotes in what was a truly disappointing effort.

In addition to the lackluster start, the Dubs once again allowed an average NBA guard to get off. On this night, it was Salim Stoudamire’s turn to make the W’s perimeter defense look bad. Like Chris Duhon and Roger Mason Jr. before him, Stoudamire recorded a season-high 18 points and looked as if he was reliving his days as a stud guard at Arizona.

Joe Johnson is truly a beast. He ripped the Warriors for 27, 8 & 8, and was the point man in the low post that facilitated wide open shots from downtown for any Hawk so inclined.

I may be going over the deep end on this post, considering how thrilling the Warriors win versus Boston was, but if the boys don’t get it together during this very winnable stretch of games - Seattle is next - then it really would be difficult to expect them to sneak into the playoffs. Somehow, they’ll have to pull together while Webber continues to get into shape and Andris recovers from surgery.

If there’s any good news to report, I overheard Stephen Jackson in the tunnel say he will be back for the game Tuesday versus the Sonics. His emotion and firepower is just what the doctor ordered.

exclusive postgame audio

Don Nelson

Monta Ellis

Brendan Wright

Baron Davis

On the heels of an outstanding victory, the Warriors’ thin front-court takes a huge hit. Janny Hu explains why we’ll be without Andris for a bit:

“Golden State’s top center is out indefinitely after having his appendix removed late Thursday. Biedrins was scheduled for an overnight hospital stay and is expected to be sidelined for at least a week.”

Despite my enthusiastic declarations in the Celtics recap, Nellie is actually still the boss. Lowell Cohn was a witness:

“He approached Davis, and Davis immediately stood up, attentive, alert — no more tired stuff. Reporters wonder if Davis, the Warriors’ only legitimate star, runs the team, if maybe Nelson is overly careful with him or afraid of him. Check this out. Nelson said, “One thing still bothers me.”

Finally, Mully talked with the morning guys at KNBR about how the trade deadline wasn’t really that big of a deal for him and the Warriors, and how he sees the team right now. Here’s the audio.