Posts tagged ‘Pietrus’

Here are some Youtube finds from last night’s game.

Peety’s block on Kevin Martin: From Odenized

Crowd angle of the block. “OHHHHH DAMN!”

Monta’s sick dish for the Boom dunk: “Play of the night!”

Bonus: Belinelli highlights from the Grizzlies game.

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

Your Warriors got slightly rocked.

Box Score

Two teams on a mission met with a resounding crash on Friday night at the Oracle. The Warriors were desperately trying to pad their lead on Denver for the 8th spot in the West, and the Rockets were trying to avoid their 3rd straight loss after an amazing 22 game win streak.

This is what the playoffs in the West will look like this year. The intensity is way up, as evidenced by the techs on Baron and Pietrus, and teams are either coming together or falling apart under the pressure. While the Rockets are most certainly coming together after the devastating loss of Yao, I don’t think this is really a case of the Warriors falling apart - just falling a bit short.

T-Mac. was unstoppable at times despite Jack’s best in-your-face defense, but Houston’s bench both kept them in the game - and won it for them. The Rockets got 33 points from their non-starters, compared to the Warriors’ 6 points from Andris. Bobby Jackson may have won Houston the game with an insane, double clutch three in the fourth, and Carl Landry killed the Dubs with multiple hard drives and rebounds.

Despite what we may tell ourselves about Wright’s potential, Barnes’ toughness, Kaz’s rise, and CJ’s cool-head - this is not a deep team. The main 6 are going to have to get us the win in tough games like this.

The Warriors’ starting five all had great games, but the lack of teamwork made the outcome less than great. Monta put up his usual highlight reel finishes, Peety and Al combined for an outstanding 27 boards - 11 offensive, and Jack was focused on trying to defend McGrady but still managed to put up 15 and dish 5. Baron was able to get his points up (27) but only contributed 4 assists to the team. When Baron is only dishing 4 in 43 minutes something is up. The Boss is banged up physically, and or mentally. The fire is burning low when it needs to be its hottest.

This was a tough way to go into a back-to-back against the evil Lakers on Sunday. To top off the bad news, Denver won as well.

The playoff deck will be re-shuffled come Tuesday, let’s hope we can deal ourselves a good hand.

exclusive postgame audio

Don Nelson

Baron Davis

Stephen Jackson

Your Warriors have finally won in the Staples Center.

Box Score

The Dubs gunned the Clippers down in the first half and absorbed a few blows in the second to earn a win. This is the first win in Staples for the Warriors since March 2004.

Captain Jack bounced back from his horrible shooting night in Sacto with a vengeance. He hit 5-10 of his threes, 3 coming in the first quarter alone. Monta came alive after his own troubled Tuesday performance, awing the Clippers’ crowd and the ESPN announcers with his speed and finishing ability. Baron was able to cruise for once, logging a mere 27 minutes. Pietrus had an outstanding 15 points and 12 rebounds.

It wouldn’t be a Warriors game without a little bit of heart trouble. The Dubs were up by as much as 26 points in the third quarter but the Clippers were able to come back to within 11 in the fourth. Corey Maggette, Al Thorton, and Tim Thomas were able to muscle their way inside at will. If the Clips weren’t converting their drives they were shooting free throws. The small Warriors’ front-court is painfully unable to stop large, quick players like those three. Nelson was forced to insert Monta after watching a Barnes led bench squad fail to score on at least 4 possessions with time running down. All Day responded by going for a perfect 6-6 in the fourth quarter and that kept the game out of reach for L.A.

Wright had a trying 13 minutes playing against Al Thorton. Brandan failed to make a field goal while Horford positively went off. The Clippers’ big rookie finished the game with a team high 24 points, and 13 rebounds in his 44 minutes.

There was a brief, uneventful run for Kosta Perovic and Marco Belinelli at the very end of the game. Marco made a nutty off balance turn around jumper and Kosta looked really tall.

All hail the Sixers - they beat the Nuggets tonight, extending the Warriors’ 8th seed cushion to 2.5 games over Denver.

Pietrus has been outstanding since the trade deadline. He’s stuck to what he’s good at and has contributed valuable energy on defense and rebounding. After being completely written off as incompetent by many fans and pundits, the goof went and redeemed himself. Here comes the sympathetic press - Scott Ostler wrote a nice piece about Peety’s history:

Pietrus grew up on the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. His mother, who worked for the governor, died of cancer when Pietrus was 9, leaving nine kids (her own seven and two cousins) parentless. They were taken in by Mickael’s grandmother.

Mickael’s oldest brother, Ronnie Coco, went to France and became a basketball star. Mickael didn’t play basketball until he was about 14, and then only as a casual pastime, along with tennis and swimming. But when Mickael was 16, Ronnie brought Mickael and his brother Florent to France to go to school and play ball.

Mickael learned fast, signed a pro contract at 17, and by 21, he was in the NBA, with the Warriors.

Coming into the current season the Warriors were considered the Suns lite - a less refined version of the thrilling Phoenix squad. With the big Shaq trade, and the Warriors’ team identity solidifying, the most-entertaining torch appears to have been passed to Oakland. Marcel Mutoni from SLAM online digs the scene:  

There was a time, not too long ago, when a Warriors/Suns matchup was one of the most highly anticipated events in all of sports. A crazy mix of dunks, conscious-less three pointers, fast breaks, scintillating one-on-one plays, and total disregard for defense.

Basically, it was a sugar rush for the basketball viewing public, and we couldn’t get enough.

Today, you could say that things are slightly different.

The Warriors are the same team from last season (loose, care-free, and winning); Phoenix, though, has made one big significant change: With varying success, the Suns are experimenting with a strange combo of slow-it-down halfcourt execution and reckless fastbreak action (when Shaq takes a breather).

Tonight, in Phoenix, the Suns host the team that snatched their crown as the League’s funnest squad to watch. It’s safe to say that, should the Warriors have their way, things will get hectic out there. Try and keep up, Diesel.

The questions regarding the wisdom of the Shaq trade still linger for Phoenix. The question of what to do in the situation below requires no deliberation.

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

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