Archive for the ‘Recaps’ Category

Your Warriors won their last regular season battle against the East in typically dramatic fashion.

Box Score

The Dubs ran circles around the Raps in the first quarter. Monta and Peety took turns scoring on a stiff looking Toronto squad while Baron was content to lay in the cut and look for open teammates. The Raptors were without their superstar, Chris Bosh, and it exposed their soft middle. The basket was wide open for drives and the Warriors took advantage, going up by 18 points at the end of one.

Toronto bounced back nicely behind endless made jump shots from the entire roster. Both members of their interchangeable point guard pod - Jose Calderon and TJ Ford - took turns making probing forays into the paint before passing out to a shooter or scoring on their own. Ford in particular looked like he was out for his and ended the game with 23 points and 8 assists. The Warriors got caught up hefting unsuccessful threes and the Raptors kept chipping away until they actually took a 1-point lead (96-95) with 6 minutes left in the game.

With a very important game in danger of slipping away in the final minutes Baron finally took over. After getting down by 1 the Warriors went on a 22-10 tear against the Raps, with Baron having a hand in all but 5 of those points.

Final 6 minutes of offfense from the Dubs:

• Monta layup - assist Baron
• Andris layup - assist Baron
• Pietrus layup - assist Baron
• Monta layup - assist Pietrus
• Jack step back jumper
• Andris layup - assist Baron
• Jack three - assist Baron
• Baron step back jumper
• Baron layup
• Baron three

That’s some captivatin’ Captainatin’ I tell you what. The first quarter was a bit of a youth movement, with Monta stealing the show. With the game on the line in the fourth it was all Boom.

Despite losing the large lead I liked the energy from the Dubs. The defense was active, forcing 16 turnovers (TOR averages 11), and all of the starters contributed double digit scoring. Monta put up yet another sick line - 33 points (14-19!), 6 boards, and 4 assists. Baron dished 15. Pietrus had another excellent showing despite some foul trouble - 14 points, 8 boards. Matt Barnes came in to do some dirty work and ended up with 7 boards (3 offensive).

40 wins and it’s all West from here on out. It’s the new look Suns tonight on TNT, Go Warriors!

exclusive postgame audio

Monta Ellis

Baron Davis

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.

Your Warriors dispatched the despondent Heat.

Box Score

With no Dwayne Wade, no real chance of sniffing the playoffs, no hopes, no dreams, and no motivation, the Heat quickly lost their heart.

The first quarter was fairly competitive. Miami ran the ball well while the Warriors seemed a bit lazy and jumper happy. Jack and Al held their own private shooting contest, going for 6 combined threes - 10 total for the game. Beans started and he came on strong, scoring the Dubs’ first bucket on a pick-and-roll with Baron. He looks fully recovered from his surgery but Nellie was careful about keeping him out there for too long, limiting his time to 6 minutes stretches - 18 total. The Warriors got more aggressive in the second quarter, scoring inside and out while harassing the Heat ball handlers. The lead widened and the piling on began.

The Dubs kept their foot on the Heat’s chest for the entire second half. Monta came alive, scoring 14 of his 16 total points in the third. Peety got hot after throwing up a brick fest for the first half and added 9. The Heat were rolling over and showing their bellies by the time the buzzer went off and Nellie was able to rest his starters for almost the entire fourth.

CJ and Kaz both played over 20 minutes and did well. CJ looked especially aggressive and ended the game with 4 steals.

The Warriors fielded their biggest line up in recent history during garbage time. We got to see 6-10 Uncle Austin, the 7 foot Patsquatch, and 6-9 (is that all? his arms really are ridiculously long) Jughead packing the lane together and generally looking funny.

This was the perfect outcome against a severely wounded team like the Heat. The Dubs didn’t let up for three straight quarters and were able to cruise with the subs in for the fourth - saving the big guns’ legs for what will be a much tougher game against the Magic.

J-Rich and his Cats stole your Warriors’ cheese.

Box Score

With Gerald Wallace sitting due to a concussion, Jason is the Cats’ offense. He absolutely punished his former team tonight to the tune of 42 points.

The Warriors seemed to lose sight of the game after going up by as much as 16 in an effortless 38 point first quarter.

It took the Dubs almost 6 minutes to score their first field goal in the second quarter, but they did manage to turn the ball over well - coughing up 8. Meanwhile, Jason and Co. were running all those turnovers back down the Warriors’ throats and nailing open threes. Another former Warrior, Earl Boykins, had his best quarter since signing with the Bobcats, putting up 11 points including a big three with time running out.

The second half saw Raymond Felton get hot. When he and Jason took a break from nailing threes they were on the line making their freebies.

The Warriors were able to fight back and take a 1 point lead with 5:33 to go in the game, but they couldn’t stop the Bobcats from getting to the basket and couldn’t come up with enough magic of their own.

Two stats jump out at me as indicative of the night: steals (Cats 9, Dubs 5), and turnovers (Cats 10, Dubs 14). When a steal and fast break driven team like the Warriors puts up those kind of upside down numbers it’ll usually add up to a loss.

Monta, Baron, and Jack did their part, scoring 83 of the Warriors’ 109 points, but the bench was absent after a couple of strong games. Monta had an especially solid night, cutting through traffic in a flash and finishing beautifully. Brandan Wright played 23 minutes, but had a relatively quiet 6 points and 5 rebounds. There was a brief POB sighting in the second. Watching seldom seen shaggy Pat lope down the court was a rare treat, a bit like catching a glimpse of the mysterious Sasquatch.

Tomorrow’s a travel and rest day. Time for the Dubs to shake off the loss and get ready to face Dwyane, Shawn and Miami’s….finest?

Your Warriors got it cooking in Hotlanta, bagging another win and gorging themselves on points.

Box Score

The Dubs won another shootout in decisive fashion. The first half was a gluttonous offensive orgy with both teams shooting lights out and no trace of D on either end. Joe Johnson led the way for Atlanta, scoring 29 points in the half on 11-16 shooting and looked unstoppable going to the basket as well as from downtown. Baron was automatic, putting up 18 in the first quarter and 24 in the half. The Hawks were not shy about playing at the Warriors’ reckless pace and pushed the ball as well if not better than the Dubs, ending the second with a slight lead.

In the second half the Warriors turned up the heat and the Hawks wilted. After only turning the ball over 4 times in the first, Atlanta completely fell apart when the Dubs got up on them, coughing it up 14 times in the second half. Pile on absolutely merciless shooting from Captain Jack (22 points in the half/29 total), and Peety, as well as more excellent work from Monta (20 points, 7 boards total) and you’ve got a blow out win.

Things are clicking for the Warriors at just the right time. They seem to have been able to shed their lacadaisical attitude when playing lower level competition and the role players are chipping in big time. Peety looked fantastic again, hitting his threes and snatching 12 boards. There hasn’t been much work for CJ Watson, as Monta and Jack have been handling the point well when Nellie rests the Boss.

Tonight was the fourth win in a row for the suddenly dependable Dubs and they’re sneaking up on the Mavs for the 7th spot in the West. Let’s see if they can keep the energy high against J-Rich and the Cats tomorrow.

Your Warriors held it down at home against the upstart Blazers - keeping themselves relevant before heading out on a busy road trip.

Box Score

It was a good weekend for the Dubs. They calmly dispatched the Sixers on Friday , and earned an excellent win against the Blazers tonight.

Portland has been problematic for the Warriors this season, dominating their first two match ups. This game was different. The Dubs ran wave after wave of different looks at the Blazers, consistently out hustling them and keeping one step ahead all four quarters.

Brandan Wright started his second game in a row and he made an immediate impact. He was a jolt of energy for a team that has looked sluggish at the beginning of games for most of the season. Jughead was everywhere on the court, grabbing 6 rebounds (3 offensive) and pouring in 8 points before being subbed out. He didn’t look jittery at all and did everything we need him to with Andris recovering. Captain Jack also started off in fine style, hitting 3 threes and adding 11 points total in the first.

The Blazers kept it close for entire game and even got up by 2 early in the fourth, but the Warriors were able to impose their chaotic style and pull back ahead each time their lead was threatened. They kept the energy high on defense and challenged almost every possession, racking up fast break points and keeping Portland back on their heels.

Monta had yet another gloriously efficient night, going 9-16 for 22 points, dishing 6 and grabbing 10 big boards. Captain Jack was on fire, ending the game with 29 points (6 threes) and 9 rebounds. Baron struggled for his second game in a row, but his teammates made sure he didn’t have to try and play the hero.

The Dubs started and ended the game strong. They got big plays from everyone and look hot heading into an important week of road games. It’s a back-to-back with Atlanta and Charlotte on Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday off, and then Miami and Orlando on Friday and Saturday.

Denver lost to the streaking Rockets tonight, giving us a small bit of breathing room in the standings, but things are still tighter than gnat booty in the West.

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

Monta may be the current employee of the month, but Baron is still the boss at the Oracle.

Box Score

The big three were in the building and there were ugly patches of green scattered amongst the Warriors faithful. The mighty Celtics had come to town.

The Warriors opened with a brand new starting five, made necessary by Jack’s severe ankle sprain. Nellie threw out a squad of Baron, Monta, Pietrus, Biedrins and C-Webb to face the green monsters.

The first quarter started out rough. The Celtics charged ahead to a nine point lead. The Warriors picked up the pace and got back into the game behind some nice passing from Monta to Beans, a rare made three by Pietrus and some strong finishes from Baron and Monta. The intimidation factor wasn’t present and the Warriors were up three going into the second.

32-29 Warriors.

The loss of Jack really started to kick in during the second quarter. When Nellie rested Monta, the Dubs’ game faltered. Barnes was off and the turnovers started piling up. The Celtics had no such problems and were able to go on a couple of runs with Garnett and Ray-Ray resting behind some great shooting by their other Allen - Tony.

Celtics up 57-50 going into the half.

Play got very physical in the second half. The players started bumping, banging, and shoving, slowing the game down considerably. Ray Allen’s shooting was so pretty it made me sick. The Warriors got down by 12 before stepping up the D.

They started slapping the ball away and the refs were letting both teams play after a lot of contact. Pietrus stepped up big time and looked better than he has all season. Late in the third quarter, he soared in for a giant putback dunk after a missed three from Baron and then stole the ball from Pierce for an uncontested dunk on the very next play. The Warriors were back in the game and the stage was set for a huge fourth quarter.

84-82 Celtics.

The Celtics did not play much defense on this night. They had successfully shut Monta down in the third with tremendous pressure whenever he handled the ball, keeping him from scoring a single point. Ellis started the fourth determined to breakout and he got hot. He and Al stepped up, hitting their jumpers and drawing fouls while attacking the rim. Ray and Tony Allen went on a tear of scoring for the C’s and matched every Warriors run.

Baron had played his heart out all game and looked tired. He passed the ball to Monta early for most of the possessions, leaning on the young man to make the right decisions. The lead swung back and forth all quarter with both teams battling for every rebound and loose ball. Pietrus and Baron put the Warriors up 112-107 with made free-throws, but Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo shot the C’s back into the game.

114-113 Warriors with 1:28 left to play.

Once again it’s up to All Day Monta in crunch time. Al found Ellis open off of a low screen by Beans and the kid drilled a mid-range, baseline jumper to put the Dubs up by 3 with under a minute to play. Baron added a free throw after Rondo fouled him and the Warriors were up four with 38 seconds left.

Pierce sank two sets of free throws (one after Matt Barnes completely blows a play and airballs a floater - which Nellie harps on in the postgame below), and the game is tied with six seconds left.

After a time out, the Warriors inbounded the ball into Baron. He lowered his shoulder and started to drive, putting Tony Allen back on his heels. At the last moment, BD pulled up, stepped back and nailed a 20 foot jumper with .3 left on the clock. The massive crowd goes berserk, the bench goes berserk, I go berserk, you go berserk, the Celtics go home.

It was a wonderful showing by almost every player.

Baron is the boss, don’t mess with the man in his house.

Monta fought through some intense pressure and had yet another huge night. With Jackson out, he dished out a career high nine assists, many of them to Biedrins on pick-and-rolls and picked up 12 of his 26 points in the hard fought fourth quarter.

Al added 22 points and 12 rebounds coming off of the bench, and played stellar D against Perkins, Pierce and at times Garnett. His drives were under control and he didn’t try and hit every three–pointer he saw.

Pietrus had what was by far his best game of the season. He was all over the court as usual and came up big on several possessions offensively and defensively. Life would be a lot better for everyone if he could do that kind of thing more often.

Andris threw in a fat double-double with 21 and 13, a steal, and a monster block.

C-Webb watch: 20 minutes, 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks. He’s looking better each game. He got severely scorched on D by the smaller guys and Garnett but those three blocks are a good sign.

Some mellower games coming up with the Hawks on Friday, and the Sonics on Tuesday. But if you know the Warriors, you know something nuts is going to happen.

exclusive postgame audio

Baron Davis

Al Harrington

Stephen Jackson

Don Nelson

Celtics audio:

Ray Allen

Kevin Garnett

Paul Pierce

Doc Rivers

The giant Jazz monkey is still firmly attached to your Warriors.

Box Score

This Jazz team is a cold, calculated killing machine, and they’re also built like hockey players - that moonlight as underground bare-knuckle fighters.

The game was competitive for the first quarter with both teams pouring in 36 points. As the game wore on it became apparent that, at least on this night, the Warriors defensive liabilities far outweighed their offensive assets, and they were down by double digits going into the half. If it wasn’t Kirilenko lighting the Dubs up from outside, it was Boozer or Okur ripping them up on the inside, or Harpring pounding them midrange. Williams ran his defenders ragged, bouncing them off of endless screens and breaking them down with ease. By the end of the third, he was already at 24 points and 10 assists. The Warriors were incredibly overmatched on the glass and the huge Jazz players ran an offensive clinic. When they weren’t scoring inside, they were driving and dishing to a wide open Kirilenko or Korver.

Nellie pulled both Baron and Jack near the end of the third and both headed to the locker room for treatment. Something was up with Baron’s knee and Jack’s toe was bothering him.

The fourth quarter was pure garbage time. BWright, C.J. Watson and Azubuike got an extended run to end the game. C.J. was aggressive on offense and his shot was falling, but he got his lunch money swiped by Williams.

Kaz struggled for most of the quarter, missing layups and turning the ball over. He woke up and poured in a few points in the last three minutes, but generally had a poor outing.

Brandan was on the court for nine straight minutes, but didn’t impact the game much. He did make a few nice passes, which you can put on the giant ’hope we can see more of that’ list.

Baron, Monta and Al all looked like they were going to go for big offensive games, but nobody could save the Warriors from their own anemic defense.

The only silver lining I can come up with is that the Webber experiment finally got interesting. C-Webb was actually a positive contributor on offense. His much tauted passing prowess was on display in the first quarter and he hit Baron on a gorgeous back door cut early on. He hit several jumpers, and even completed a drive with a pretty reverse lay-up. Can’t write the big man off yet. Final line for Webber: 9 points, 3 assists, 1 steal and a block in 16 minutes.

The key to the Warriors’ D is intensity. They are successful when they can get their hands on the ball and shake up their opponents. Forcing the disciplined Jazz into 19 turnovers is no small accomplishment, but the bullies from Utah don’t rattle. That’s the last time we’ll face them in the regular season. A meeting in the playoffs would be a serious buzz kill.

Another tough game with Boston tonight.