Posts tagged ‘monta ellis’

Your Warriors ain’t dead yet.

Box Score

With some smart early play by Jack and Baron, and not a little bit of help from a dismal looking Griz squad, the Dubs’ youth movement got its most extended run of the season.

It’s all about perspective. If you were as down as I was on the team after the turrable Texas trouncings, this game should help. If we end up just outside of the playoffs this season at least we’ll have Monta, Brandan, Andris, and some combination of Marco, CJ, and Kaz to look forward to in the future. Grizzlies fans will have Rudy Gay, Mike Miller, draft picks and…..fantasizing about getting Darko off of their team. Pecking order you see, it’s all about finding someone worse off than you and making yourself feel better about your lot at their expense.

All Warriors all game.

Andris had 14 points and 12 rebounds by the end of the second quarter and BoomJack had already combined for 11 assists. The greybeards were obviously focused on moving the ball and Beans was the focal point on offense early on, running tight pick-and-rolls and boarding like mad. Andris finished the game with 21 points & 17 rebounds.

Kaz got another start, and his 40 minutes was the longest stretch on the team. He quietly went about his business, grabbing 10 boards and draining 3-5 threes. With Matt Barnes’ game on life support, Kelenna has really done well to fill the dirty work gap.

Marco Belinelli unexpectedly entered the game for Monta with a minute and a half left in the first, and stayed in for another 21 exciting minutes. In his post game interview he mentioned that Nellie told him to be ready to guard Juan Carlos Navarro, meaning that coach planned this whole circus out. It’s a bit frustrating to see Nelson start gambling with young player development this late in the season, but the results were hard to second guess. After floundering into two turnovers on his first two possessions, Marco shook off the jitters and got his summer league on. He was darting to open spots on the floor off of screens and blasting away with off balance jumpers from all over the court. 13 points on 6-11 shooting with 1 three.

CJ Watson also got a chance to get some licks in, running the point for the last six and a half minutes of the game. He racked up his 9 points in four minutes, going 4-4 with one three.

Brandan Wright’s go-go-gadget arms got 20 minutes of action and excelled against the unmotivated, soft Grizzlies front court. He looked smooth and silly skinny, getting two blocks.

Al looked like junk. He repeatedly tried to force his own shot in the paint, only to get rejected or brick it off the front of the rim. His thumb is wrapped and it seems to be completely throwing him off of his game.

Barnes once again made his presence felt via pain. He blatently shoved Kyle Lowry off of him during an out-of-bounds play in the fourth, earning yet another flagrant - and a suspension for the NO game on Sunday due to cumulative flagrant foul points. Frustration and pain are ruining Matt’s game, it’s a really sad turn of events for a player most of us want to see stick around and do well with the Warriors.

Oh yeah, Monta. The kid cruised through the game, looking like he was playing in high school again. He was a bit sloppy with the ball, picking up 4 turnovers, but was also opportunistic against the sloppy Grizzlies, picking up 4 steals. Mellow 19 points for All Day.

Conventional wisdom tells us that the extended rest for Baron and Jack is a positive sign for the Dubs’ chances against the Hornets on Sunday. The problem is that the Warriors repeatedly tell conventional wisdom to shove it. It’s an early one, 10 am local time on ABC so turn on, tune in and hold on.

PS: Dallas lost to the Lakers…damn I hate being happy about a Lakers’ win.

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.

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.

The Warriors are facing off against the Jazz tonight in Salt Lake City. Hopefully everyone is well rested and hungry for some revenge against the derailers of last year’s We Believe train.

The dreamcrushers in powder blue have been on a quiet tear of wins ever since they picked up the sharp shooting forward Kyle Korver from Philly. They’re 22-3 at home this season and always give the Warriors a headache. Put in your mouthpiece, it’s going to be a tough fight.

In other Warriors news, Janny Hu from the Chronicle called into KNBR from Utah this morning and gave a quick interview (audio link). She had some insight into the locker room feel with Monta on the rise and spoke about her piece on the kid from today’s edition.

Geoff Lepper has a wide array of NBA head coaches talking about the Warriors’ defensive techniques:

“Slap and hold” is how Theus described Golden State’s defensive plan after his team was forced into 19 turnovers in a 105-102 loss Feb.9.

“Their game, in a nutshell, is they’re betting the referees won’t call them all,” Theus said.

Adonal Foyle made the media rounds last week and was his usual benevolent, well-spoken self while speaking with “The Razor & Mr. T” about contract buy-outs and the Van Gundy & Dwight “Superman” Howard situation (audio link).

Adonal also wrote a guest spot at the Huffington Post news blog, imploring young folks to get involved and change the political machine from the inside:

“For the fact is that registering and voting — even working for a candidate — isn’t enough. Not nearly. The problems that the last eight years have left us with are huge. Everything from the economy to the environment to foreign policy to health care and education need serious fixing. That will happen only if we stay engaged in the political process.”

• Pietrus is telling everyone who will listen that he wants out - now. Geoff Lepper of the SJ Merc tells the world of Peety’s woes:

“I want to be moved,” said Pietrus, who will be an unrestricted free agent after this season and has no plans of returning to Oakland. “I want to be traded.”

The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Pietrus said he was frustrated at having to play out of position at power forward and even occasionally at center since Stephen Jackson took over as the starter at small forward in January 2007.

• The Warriors’ hype staff has a very active YouTube account. They added this Monta Ellis feature yesterday. Being interviewed by FSN Bay Area’s Matt Steinmetz, Monta answers questions about his ascension, his preseason injury and refers to himself in the third person like a real pro.

• Jerry Brown of Phoenix’s East Valley Tribune ponders on why the Warriors are a bad match up for the Suns tonight, as well as letting us know about Shaq’s status (no debut until Thursday):

“They are really the small-ball team in the league right now,” Nash said. “We’re not the same anymore, if we ever were. They’ve taken it to another extreme. If we were way liberal, they’re even more liberal. They’re getting red.”

• Speaking of Shaq, here’s a video of him and Bill Walton putting each other on blast about injuries, hypocrisy, and being “an insult to people who think” as found by Ball Don’t Lie/The Basketball Jones’ JE Skeets.

• Finally, in a mortal enemy may be getting stronger news, Marc Stein of ESPN reports that Jason Kidd is most likely headed to the Mavs:

“Although sources say that the teams are still sorting out final details, this deal was described as “imminent” by multiple sources close to the process after negotiations moved to an advanced stage Tuesday night. The deal — salvaged from talks on a three-way trade with Portland that developed and fizzled quickly two weeks ago — has Dallas sending 24-year-old point guard Devin Harris, veteran swingman Jerry Stackhouse, the expiring contracts of center DeSagana Diopand swingman Devean George and guard Maurice Ager to New Jersey for Kidd and forward Malik Allen.

Sources say Dallas will also add the league-maximum $3 million in cash and send its first-round draft pick this June as well as a first-rounder in 2010.”

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.

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.

Box Score

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.”

exclusive Postgame Audio

Don Nelson

Andris Biedrins

Monta Ellis

Al Harrington

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

The Warriors faced another limping squad on a losing streak and kept it way too close for comfort.

Box Score

Postgame Audio Clips:

Baron Davis

Monta Ellis

Al Harrington

Don Nelson

I’m going to need a big ol’ bottle of Valium if the Dubs are going to keep this tightrope act up.

Monta Ellis scored a career-high 39 points, Baron Davis got a big triple-double and Al Harrington went crazy stupid dumb hot in the fourth quarter. But the Warriors are lucky they won this game. They played no inside defense, gave up 23 offensive rebounds and completely phoned in the third quarter.

Only the steady hand of Monta Ellis and some absolutely horseshoe-up-the-rear-end good shooting by Al kept the Warriors from serving up their second steaming pile of last minute defeat in a row.
Highlights: Baron dancing on Kidd with a behind-the-back fake to a between-the-legs dribble into a step-back jumper. Monta Ellis getting compared to Dwyane Wade on TNT. Al Harrington hitting 4 threes and the Warriors reeling off 22 unanswered points to start the fourth quarter.

Lowlights: Listening to Reggie Miller drain all the joy and mojo from Marvelous Marv Albert’s announcing. Nets players waltzing to the rim on almost every offensive position. The unveiling of the ridiculous Hack-A-Boone strategy. The Hack-A-Boone strategy failing miserably. Squandering a 13 point lead and massive momentum in the fourth quarter to eek out a win at home against a struggling team.
The Nets ran a lay-up line through the Warriors’ fluffy bunny defense all game long. Only their own inability to consistently finish at the rim or shoot the ball kept them from winning this thing.
Jason Kidd had an off night and he and Al Jefferson missed wide open fourth quarter threes that would have put them up late. Vince Carter (understandably) dismantled Baron for most of the game and Josh Boone of the unfortunate braids and facial hair dropped 21 points and seventeen rebounds on the Dubs.
Monta Ellis ruled the school in the first and fourth quarters. He scored 12 of the Warriors’ 33 points in the first and allowed them to hold on to the win with his perfect free-throw shooting in the fourth. Not only has Monta become the most consistent player on offense for this team, he was all the offense for portions of this game.

Such is the curse of expectations. Rather than be happy that our Dubs pulled out an exciting win on national television, I’m ranting and raving about how they almost lost.

Thank you Monta, thank you Al, thank you Baron and most importantly thank you Nets for being slightly worse than the Warriors tonight.

A couple of days rest and then the Knicks come a knockin’ on Sunday.