Posts tagged ‘Baron Davis’

Your Warriors embarrassed themselves.

Box Score

Even I, the most silver-lining Warriors apologist to be found, have no spin for tonight’s collapse. The Dubs lost their identity. It was the Mavs making the hustle plays, the Mavs creating the turnovers and running the break, the Mavs hitting the back breaking shots, and the Mavs raising their fists in victory.

Outscored and outplayed each quarter, the Warriors never held the lead. Monta and Baron were the only discern-able offense, combining for 47 of the anemic 86 point total. Monta resurrected his jumper, and added a couple of rare threes on his way to a team high 27 points. No such dedication to defense could be found from either of our guards. Monta was conspicuously absent in transition, and Baron was thoroughly picked apart by Josh Howard or whomever he found himself guarding on a switch.

The Dubs’ combined assist total from the last two games is 18, 17 less than the Mavs put up tonight. The dribble, pass, dribble, chuck offensive set was occasionally supplemented by the dribble….dribble……chuck tactic.    

Jason Kidd has his way with the absent defense, dishing 17 dimes. Josh Howard was once again unstoppable against a team that didn’t bother to try and stop him. Jason Terry was feeling himself like he was checking for frostbite, he bombed away for 31 points. 

It was gut check time and the Warriors had nothing. Where was our ice cold killer, Stephen Jackson? Jack and Al combined for an epically hideous 2-20 shooting night. Al was sloppy and off, but Stephen Jackson was bizarrely absent. The Dubs couldn’t win games without Jack at the beginning of the season, and they can’t seem to win games with this checked out version during the final push. The ESPN play-by-play team had this observation after watching him get the ball cleanly picked by Eddie Jones, “Stephen Jackson is looking around the court like he doesn’t know where he is”, I had no idea where he was either.

It may be all the huge minutes on Baron and Stephen adding up. Their bodies may be collapsing due to the style of play and grind they’ve been through so far this season and simply too out of gas for the home stretch.

Seeing a team that is all heart show such a lack of resolve was a bit heartbreaking. I’m thinking about blowing the lid off of the Santa conspiracy to my 3 year old nephew, just to have someone to share my disillusionment with.

“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.

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.

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.

Baron looked beat, the refs were gunning for them and the Wizards were going off, but SJax refused to lose.

Box Score

In what has become the norm, your Warriors fought an uphill battle and obtained a thrilling last minute victory.

The Bad:

• Baron’s gone missing. He was dead on his feet for what may have been the worst first half of the season, and it didn’t look like he cared. He wasn’t praising or encouraging his teammates, and he was a fouling and turnover machine. He picked it up big time in the second half and looked a bit like the BD we know and love, but something is up with our Bearded captain. Is it bad Webber Karma? Is it the All-Star snub? Is he injured?
• Monta’s got no kinda D. He got stomped by Roger Mason for 32 points, Roger Mason averages 8 points.

• The rotation is set. There will be no rookie love if the Dubs can’t pull ahead early and often.

• The Refs hate us. It was another night of ridiculous calls.

The Better:

• Everyone hit the glass. Baron and Barnes pulled down 7 boards while Andris and Al each snatched 8. Nice teamwork fellas.

• No one got thrown out! Between the brutal physical play by the hungry Wizards and the horrible officiating we were lucky no one got strangled. The Warriors made it out without a single technical foul, even Nellie!

• Al’s playing well. In addition to rebounding he was aggressive going to the basket and hit some big threes.

• Jack’s back. Stephen Jackson took over the fourth quarter and forced the Warriors into a win. He scored 10 of the last 12 Warriors’ points and ended the game with 41. The team trailed by double digits for most of the game but in the fourth Jacked carried the whole team (on a bum ankle!). That’s clutch leadership.

It was another tense, ugly game against a battered Eastern Conference team, but it still counts. Baron’s funk is a cause for concern, but other players are stepping up to fill the void.

Everyone is going to have to rise up against the Suns on Wednesday because this kind of first half ineptitude won’t fly against the league’s elite.

After this performance, Stephen Jackson may never have to pay for a drink or a meal in the Bay again.

Webber’s back, TNT was in the house and the hype machine was in full swing at the Oracle, but the end product was too ugly for TV.

Box Score

The young Bulls upended your Warriors on a night full of anticipation and expectations. The Dubs’ defense was pudding soft and all the energy and hustle came from the players in red. Chris Duhon dropped a career-high 34 points, Josh Smith and Tyrus Thomas gorged themselves on easy buckets in the paint, and even offensively stunted Ben Wallace got his licks in.

You can’t blame this kind of flat defeat simply on rust from the time off. There was some severe lack of execution at fault. Baron and Stephen had horrible shooting nights and no one seemed able to deny a pass into the post. Biedrins worked very hard on the boards, but got destroyed down low on defense.

The Bulls were without three of their main players in Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon, and they came into Oakland after a hard loss in Portland the night before. They are an extremely young, raw and physical team. They caught the Warriors sleeping and basking in their own hype, never let up, and took one on the road.

Chris Webber:

Number 4’s debut was definitely more of a fizzle than a bang, but it wasn’t a complete bust. His conditioning is nowhere near what it needs to be to hang with this team for any extended playing time, but he clicked a bit with everyone in the second quarter. He hit a couple of jumpers and dished out two assists in his 12 minutes. Webber absolutely slowed the team down when he was on the floor, but I think he’ll be able to sync up with practice and contribute down the road.

Andris Biedrins:

The big Latvian seems to be getting stronger and stronger. He more than held his own on the boards against the flailing power of the Bulls’ young big men and came up with 18 rebounds, nine of which were offensive. His offensive execution leaves a lot to be desired, but no one else can provide that kind of rebounding.

Monta Ellis:

Is a superstar. Once again, the Mississippi Bullet was the only consistent offense for most of the game. His jumper was spot on and he was finishing with ease. Monta went a mind-boggling 11-12 from the field. That kind of consistency is sorely needed on this sketchy, unpredictable team. He finished the second quarter with an absolutely monstrous dunk that brought the entire arena out of their seats.

The whole game was a sloppy mess and a huge let down after the spectacular, gutsy wins against the Hornets and Bobcats.

Time for the Dubs to lick their wounds and get their heads back on straight for a NorCal grudge match against the Kings on Saturday.

exclusive Postgame Audio

Stephen Jackson

Don Nelson

Chris Webber

JRich was welcomed home with cheers, but his Bobcats were sent packing in a brutal blowout.

Box Score

The Warriors shook off the flu and came down with an unfamiliar strain of the consistents. It’s been noted that this team seems to play up to higher level opponents and down to lesser ones. If that pattern held true then the Warriors should have come out slow and lazy against the stumbling Bobcats. That pattern didn’t hold true.

This game was what Dubs fans have been craving - an entertaining smack down of a lesser team complete with big minutes for the rookies.

Look at this even spread of playing time:

Every single player on the squad got to hit the court and have fun. Even Patrick O’Bryant, who has been completely excluded from Nellie’s game plan, got in there and did some damage in the last six minutes.

Baron and the Dubs got passed over once again for the All-Star team (more on this later) and responded by playing like a team of All-Stars. Baron, Jack, and Monta stamped their mark on the game early with intense drives, dead-eye shooting and pretty assists. Jackson in particular played the part of the distributor, finding Andris multiple times after driving and drawing defenders.

Jack continued to look for teammates in the third quarter with a substantial lead, demonstrating a previously absent attention to aggression. Rather than start heaving lazy jumpers, Jack kept up the play that got them their lead in the first place, helping earn himself and the rest of the starters an unheard of rest for the entire fourth quarter. The aggression wasn’t limited to offense. The steals and deflections that are key to the Warriors’ game were numerous. Baron played JRich close and strong, Andris defended the rim and the Dubs quickly set up camp in the Cats’ heads. It was a wonderful team effort, highlighted by individual execution. It was a joy to watch.

In a brief attempt to remove my rose-colored glasses, I’ll mention that Al was destroyed by Okafor in the first quarter. His attempts to front Emeka down low were met with endless lob passes followed by emphatic dunks. The defense in the low block was improved vastly by Andris. The only other gripe I can force myself to utter is that the free throw shooting is still spotty. It seems that the norm is to split the gimmes.

End of the game notes: Welcome to the Puppy Bowl.

Getting to watch Brandan Wright, Marco Belinelli and the rest of the second stringers run the show for an entire quarter was a gift. The crowd was fired up to see the rookies. The Oracle urged the Italian sharpshooter to let it fly as soon as he touched the ball. BWright threw down a massive left-handed jam that brought everyone to their feet and caused Baron to attempt to cool him off via towel waving from the other end of the court. These guys might be pretty good. Brandan’s play was pure hustle, ears, elbows, hands - that highlight dunk gave me chills. Marco nailed a three, converted a nice drive and racked up couple of assists. He looked fairly relaxed on offense, but perhaps a tad slow for the scrambling Warriors defense.

The JRich show was conspicuously absent. Baron played him tight and he hit the bench for good late in the third quarter. I have to admit that it made me rather sad to see him playing against the Dubs at home and for his new team to be embarrassed. For those of you wishing to wallow in sentimentality, watch this epic video of the glorious BoomRich Backcourt from back in the day.

The Backcourt: YouTube mix by 510 entertainment.

It’s a long break for the Dubs followed by three winnable games at in home in the form of Chicago, Sacto, and Washington. Some old dude you may have heard of is expected to make his return against the Bulls on Thursday.

Boom Dizzle has once again been passed up as an All-Star, but Ann Killion of the Mercury News has him starting on her All-Snub team.

Last bit of news: The West just got a whole lot tougher (and quite a bit uglier). The Lakers shipped out big disappointment Kwame Brown for the big Spaniard, Pau Gasol. This is kind of a big deal.

Warriors basketball at its best.

Box Score

It seems that the addition of Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson and the return of Don Nelson has added an unseen element to the Warriors that too many lineups from the recent past have lacked — some freaking pride. Over and over again, this team bounces back from a disappointing loss with a gritty, all-out performance. For the most part Baron and the boys refuse to lose back-to-back games and this game was no exception.

This may have been the best win of the season to date. The Hornets were well rested, while the Warriors had participated in a bruising loss the night before. The Hornets were red hot and sitting on top of the Western Conference, while the Warriors were recently bounced down to ninth place. The Hornets had won nine straight in dominating fashion against some of the elite teams in the league, while the Warriors had been scrambling like crazy to beat teams like the Knicks and the Nets. All signs pointed towards a blowout loss for the Dubs, but the signs were pointing in the wrong direction.

Baron and Chris Paul pulled out all the stops and battled back and forth all game. Paul looked unstoppable in the first half. He was Nash-like in his control of the ball and was shooting lights out. Chris Paul is no longer on the rise, he’s here. Baron played his guts out after battling the flu and heavy minutes the night before. He responded to the ire of his old home crowd with multiple cold blooded 3-pointers, bowling ball drives and smooth step back jumpers.

Monta Ellis was an absolute highlight reel. His lightning fast drives, sky high rebounds and newly discovered passing prowess (including a no look, behind the head dish to Beans) had the hostile NO fans oohing and ahhing.

Al kept whatever shooting mojo he found late against the Rockets and hit one three after another early on.

Beans seems to be getting stronger and stronger on the boards and on D. After watching David West feast on Pietrus and Harrington all game, Nellie finally put the one big man he trusts in and Andris was able to (comparatively) shut him down in the fourth.

BWright got two minutes of playing time to end the first half and got himself a rebound, a tip-in and two made free throws.

Jack is back, big time. The man played a beautiful game. He did hard work on Tyson Chandler and anyone else he was stuck with on D and couldn’t miss, going 10-16 from the field and 3-6 from deep.

The list goes on and on, it was a magical night for the Warriors. I think the most impressive thing to take from this exhilarating game is the consistent effort. There were no lulls, no sustained offensive apathy or defensive disintegration. They kept their foot on the gas until the finish line.

There’s no way the Dubs can shoot this well every game, but they couldn’t have picked a better time to get unconscious.

Go Warriors.

JRich is coming home wearing some strange colors, Bobcats on Friday.