Four in a Row!!!

Well, right now the Warriors are the number one team in Northern California, as evidenced by the 113-106 win tonight over the Sacramento Kings. It was a quality win for the Warriors over a team that has been solid in years past, but is on its way down currently. Jason Richardson started off on fire scoring 19 points by halftime and finishing the game with a season high for the Warriors with 33 points. Baron Davis was also great combining with J-Rich for 58 points, or 25 points for Baron. He did this by finally shooting well, making 6 three pointers. He also had 16 assists to go with the 25 points. Mike Dunleavey Jr. once again had a good game scoring 19 points and Adonal Foyle had a surprising double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds and he did that by shooting 100% on the night. This concludes the Warriors packed schedule for November with the Warriors winning 11 games, tying a team record for wins in the month of November. The only time they did that before was in 1974-75 when they won the NBA championship. Let’s hope that is the omen of things to come. So as seen from the title, the Warriors are on a four game winning streak and they take that up against the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday. The Warriors have also continued their streak of being undefeated when they shoot better then 40%, a statistic that I would like to see carry through the year because 40% isn’t that hard to get.

Baron's Hurricane Relief

The Warriors won there third game in a row tonight beating the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets 99-83. Jason Richardson didn’t shoot well tonight but he still finished tied with the game high score of 17 by himself, Baron Davis and Derek Fisher. Troy Murphy also chipped in 16 points and 10 rebounds. Unfortunately Ike Diogu didn’t get into double digit scoring again tonight, but they didn’t need it because other people were scoring inside. Baron Davis’ hamstring definitely looks 100% now. He had two excellent dunks, one was while being fouled and he also converted a lay-up while being fouled. So things are looking up for the Warriors. The story of the game though is regarding Baron Davis. Baron Davis played is first 5 and a half seasons for the New Orleans Hornets before being traded to the Golden State Warriors last year at the trade deadline and so he has ties to New Orleans. Due to that Baron Davis decided before this game that he would donate $500 for every point he scored in the game, all going for Hurricane Katrina Relief. So Baron finished this game 17 points for a total of $8,500 on the night. If you add that to the $50,000 he already donated plus the $22,000 he made on wheel of fortune for Katrina relief, his grand total becomes over $80,000. I just want to commend Baron Davis, not only does he dish out assists to teammates, but also assists the community. Congratulations Baron.

Two Game Update

Tonight an last night the Warriors played, and won two completely different games. Last night versus the Utah Jazz, the Warriors avenged there loss from game two of the season. After falling behind by 18 points the Warriors snatched an clawed there way back into the game and hit big shots late to win 94-90. Jason Richardson was the leading scorer with 29 points. Diogu had another good game once again scoring 11 points in limited minutes.

Tonight versus the Toronto Raptors the Warriors ran and scored and took the Raptors out of the game quickly. The Warriors won 117 to 91. Toronto is having a bad season only winning one game so far, but they never had a chance this game. Jason Richardson scored 25 points and most of the starters so little to no playing time in the fourth quarter. Ike Diogu played even better tonight coming up with 15 points and seven rebounds. It was a very satisfying win which allowed the starters to rest. Baron Davis only played about half way through the third quarter. He didn't shoot much, only 7 shots and finished with 7 points, 6 rebounds and 14 assists. Now the Warriors are 9-6 and looking to extend that playing against the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, then 4 more games at home before they have another road game.

Extreme Drubbing

I am going to make this a quick post because I don't really want to relive the beating the Warriors sustained the other day. There is nothing like meeting up with the Spurs to make you think twice about how much progress your team has mad. The Warriors ended up losing the game by 24 points, but that was only because the 4th quarter was essentially played by the end of both teams benches. At one point the Warriors were down by 35 points. The Warriors didn't have much of an answer for Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. It is important to note that Parker scored most of his points on lay-ups. The Warriors didn't force him to shoot a jump shot (which they should have) and they didn't hit him hard when he got to the basket (which would have made him think twice about driving). I really wished the knocked down that little french guy (not just because he is french) because he needed to land on his rear a couple of times, would have made him a little less cocky. Anyway, the only bright spots for the Warriors were Troy Murphy and the NBA debut of Ike Diogu. Murphy actually held his own against Tim Duncan (Offensively) on his way to scoring 27 points. He looked as though he was the only person who could knock down a shot consistently. Ike Diogu was a breath of fresh air scoring 11 points in his debut. Once he works himself into game shape the Warriors will be better off. Well I guess that is it for now. I hope everyone ha a fantastic Thanksgiving Day.

Another Eastern Conference Team Beaten

The Warriors beat the New Jersey Nets last night 100-97. It was a well played game and the Warriors control much of the game. Jason Richardson once again had a great game scoring 25 points. There was still too much 3 point shooting, but the Warriors survived, so I won't complain too much. Unfortunately this game saw Vince Carter and, unfortunately for the Warriors, Mickael Pietrus succumb to injury. I don't know the extent of Pietrus' injury, but at the post game press conference Coach Montgomery said Pietrus won't be available "for a while." That isn't a good statement to my ears. I am thinking this means at the least two weeks, but we will see what happens. Well I am cutting this short, but keep an eye on Wednesday's game, this will be the first true test for the Warriors when they take on the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.

The Zone Defense

In a high octane affair in Los Angeles the Clippers beat the Warriors 113-101. The Warriors got down by 17 points in the third quarter and had it chipped down to 6 point in the fourth quarter. Then the Clippers implemented the zone defense and the Warriors lack of outside shooting on the day made sure the Warriors finished the game with the loss. Once again this loss is not due to a lack of effort it was just a lack of made shots in the game. By that I mean the Warriors need to increase their shooting percentage in games. The Warriors have been holding their opponents to one of the lowest FG % in the league going into this game, but they are also one of the worst shooting teams in the league. This is an interesting statistic for the Warriors, when the Warriors shoot better then 40% they are 4-0. SO they need to get themselves some easier shots. The Warriors could actually learn something from a player in this game. Corey Maggette scored 24 points, but he got 11 of those from the free throw line. The Warriors need to get more points inside. That is where the need for Diogu to come back soon and to give them some inside scoring to help the shooting percentage. The other alarming concern for the Warriors and another way to increase their shooting percentage is to SHOOT LESS 3 POINTERS!!! The Warriors shot 35 3 pointers today and made only 7. At the most the Warriors should only shoot about 20 3's a game, unless they are making a high percentage, but even when they are struggling to make 3's they keep shooting them. Next up for the Warriors is the New Jersey Nets tomorrow night.

Strong Start, Bad Middle, Still Win

The Warriors beat the Portland Trailblazers 90-81 in Portland tonight. The Warriors started off strong finishing the first quarter with 34 points. The rest of the game was slow but the Warriors were dictating the game the whole time. The blazers never got closer then 6 points I believe, and the Warriors did it through good defense. Darius Miles and Zach Randolph on the season average a combined 41 points. The Warriors held them to 28 combined. Jason Richardson finished with a game high 28 points and Baron Davis bounced back from his bad game against Milwaukee with 16 points, 11 assists and 6 rebounds. He still didn't shoot well, but he did what he needed to to make sure the Warriors won this game. Hamstring update for Baron. He was looking pretty spry even connecting on an alley-oop from J-Rich to Baron.

Three Good Quarters

Well, last night the Warriors fell to 5-4 on the season with a thrilling 90-87 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The warriors had to opportunities with seconds remaining to tie the game up and send it to overtime, but they weren't successful. The Warriors played 3 solid quarters, but the problem for the Warriors was the 3rd quarter. The Warriors weren't going to the basket and their jump shots weren't dropping. This allowed the Bucks to build up to an 18 point lead and a 15 point lead heading into the quarter. Strong defense and determination brought the Warriors close at the end, but not close enough. The Warriors were led by Jason Richardson's 21 points. The loss quite possibly can be put on the shoulders of Baron Davis, although he led the Warriors to the comeback that just wasn't enough. Baron made his first shot of the game then proceeded to miss his next 14 shots. He finished the night shooting 4-21. There was good effort, but it wasn't enough. The Warriors can now look ahead to their game Friday night against the Portland Trailblazers. This is definitely a game that the Warriors should win.

Goodbye Eddie Guerrero

On Sunday morning WWE Wrestler Eddie Guerrero was found dead in his hotel room. I am not ashamed to say that I am a fan of wrestling and a big fan of Eddie Guerrero. There were many times that the only reason I was watching Smackdown was to watch Eddie Guerrero perform. This is a huge loss for the wrestling community and I just want to wish my condolences to Eddie's family. I never met the guy, but myself and other like me feel a connection to him because unlike other TV stars these guys are on every week of the year and you get used to them. I think it would have been really awesome to meet the man and shake his hand. To the Guerrero family I say Eddie was an amazing entertainer and wrestler and I am sorry for your loss. I will always cherish watching him do what he did best. He was one of the greatest wrestlers that I have ever seen perform and I wish this hadn't happened. Eddie died at the young age of 38 and he leaves behind his wife and 3 daughters. May God watch over you and your family Eddie. You will be missed.

Running With the Bulls

The Warriors played a complete game tonight and got a 100-82 victory over the Chicago Bulls. The Warriors played solid defense making Kirk Hinrich and Chris Duhon non-existent in this game and that made sure the Bulls were never really in this game after halftime. Jason Richardson became the first Warrior this season to break over the 30 point mark for a game. Mike Dunleavey Jr. finally had an effective game with 15 points and 6 rebounds. The Warriors also had solid contributions from Murphy and Pietrus who had 15 and 12 respectively. Foyle made use of his minutes tonight pulling down 12 rebounds, grabbing 3 steals and 2 blocks. Most importantly of all though, the Warriors got their offense on track. Davis and Richardson connected for a couple of nice alley-oops and the Warriors didn't have many times where it looked like they were working hard to score. They let the game come to them and played very well. The Warriors were able to avenge the 1 point lost they suffered in Chicago and should feel good about themselves for that. That finishes off the Warriors season series with the Bulls and they have already completed the season series with the Knicks. Wednesday the Warriors will play the Milwaukee Bucks and finish the season series with them.

Updating the Previous Two Games

Sorry about the delay on posting these games. I fell a little bit behind. But I am making amends right now. In another sludgefest (no not slugfest) the Warriors beat the New York Knicks (again) by 2 points (again). This is a sludgefest because it appeared like the Warriors were running in mud. There was nothing easy about the game, but they still game out with the win, even with falling behind to the Knicks by 13 points. Jason Richardson had another solid game leading all scorers with 24 points, and Davis was a good distributor by dishing out 12 assists. On a side note to this game, the Knicks are a complete mess and I know people want to use this as an excuse to knock Larry Brown's coaching ability, but I disagree. I am a little Bias on this because I think that Larry Brown is one of the best coaches that Basketball has ever seen. I will also admit that he clearly cannot stay in one place too long either, but if that is knock on someone's ability then that isn't so bad. Oh yeah, back to my point. The problem with the Knicks is... The Knicks. That Roster sucks no matter who is coaching them. Isiah Thomas was a good player for the Pistons and a good coach for the Pacers, but he should not be a General Manager, or at least not a General Manager with an unlimited budget. In the time he has been GM he has gotten rid of every player that was there while he took over and made the team much worse. This is a team with a salary like the Yankees, but they play like an expansion team. If the Knicks want to win they need to fire Thomas and let Larry Brown take over. Plus they need to give him a couple of years just to fix the roster. The over priced garbage on this team will be hard to move. I will grant you that Larry Brown has a tendency to want to give up on players quickly (Darko Milicic) but you can't argue his ability to manage extremely talented players (Allen Iverson) or solid players (2003-2004 Detroit Pistons) and make them better. Give Larry a shot.

Now on to the Warriors game o Sunday night versus the Phoenix Suns. This was a tough game for the Warriors as there 4th game in 5 days. With Baron still hampered by the hamstring, the Warriors couldn't quite run like they would have liked with the Phoenix Suns. Last year with Baron Davis on the squad the Warriors beat the Suns at home and away. The Warriors battled back the whole game trying to make up for the 17 point deficit that they accrued during the first quarter, but they couldn't get closer then 6 points. A valiant effort, but still a loss, bring the Warriors record to 4-3.

Here are some quick Warriors notes. The success of the Warriors leans heavily on the health of Baron Davis. The Warriors need a healthy Baron Davis to be a playoff team. We will see when they can get him back to 100%. Clearly the Warriors are better with him then without him, as was clear in the Utah game, but should the Warriors try giving him a couple of days off to heal so they have a 100% Baron and try to just will themselves to victory while he gets better? That is the million dollar question. If they rest him, then Mike Dunleavey better finally remember how to play basketball. His play this year has been horrendous and considering that he just came off signing a 5 year $45 million dollar contract right before the start of the season, that is unforgivable. The Warriors might be better served to start Pietrus (my opinion even before the season started) and let Dunleavey try to regain his confidence coming off the bench. The last note is also injury related. The Warriors will be a stronger team with the return from injury of Ike Diogu, Andris Biedrins and Chris Taft. Although Taft is playing through his wrist injury, it has limited his effectiveness. Diogu and Biedrins will give the Warriors some added inside players to at least improve the defensive rebounding, but Diogu should help the offense on the inside as well. This of course cannot be substantiated by me though because he hasn't played an NBA game yet, other then summer league against other 2 year or less experienced players or people trying to make a team.

The Refs Finally Do It

I am not going to blame the refs entirely for the Warriors losing there game tonight to the Chicago Bulls. The Warriors didn't help themselves by shooting extremely poorly in the second half. This is a game that the Warriors should have won. They relied on the jump shot way too much, but in the last half of the fourth quarter the refs missed some important calls that cost the Warriors the game. Derek Fisher got called for a foul on Ben Gordon that resulted in 3 free throws (all made) but Fisher got fouled by Chandler on a pick on his way to play defense which caused him to foul Gordon. There was also a hand-off from Chandler to Hinrich in which Chandler turned into Fisher (also a foul) which resulted in a lay-up. Lastly, the Troy Murphy was called for a foul on Michael Sweetney with 6.4 seconds left which resulted in 2 made free throws. I don't entirely disagree with the call, but on the ensuing possession for the Warriors I believe the very same thing happened to Jason Richardson, but this time without a foul. I would like to see consistency with the calls, that is all I ask. On a good note though, the game was fun to watch. Teams both played some decent defense and everyone was diving for loose balls. It is always good to see that kind of desire from the players. That is it for now. Next Warriors game at home versus the New York Knicks.

Now a side note on my fantasy teams. I dropped Antonio Daniels from my original team and replaced him with Jose Calderon of the Toronto Raptors. On my secondary team I dropped Mike Miller and replaced him with Deshawn Stevenson.

The First REAL Win

Well the warriors won their first real test of the season tonight. With a 110-103 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Warriors proved that they can be a contender with a healthy team. The Warriors were carried by Baron Davis who had 20 points and 15 assists, Jason Richardson 23 points and 14 rebounds and Troy Murphy who led all scorers with 25 points. The Warriors offense was good, but their defense wasn't too bad either. It is easy to see that they are better defensively then they were last year. With some better defensive rebounding this team could become pretty good. Things are looking very bright for the Warriors this season as long as they can keep Baron on the floor. Keep your fingers crossed.

Major Fantasy Update

I made some changes to my original fantasy team today. I dropped Juan Dixon and Tim Thomas (who I added previously) and added Melvin Ely and Boris Diaw. Now let me look at the more important information. I got my auto selected team for the other league I am in. The Players I got were:

Jason Kidd, Andre Iguadala, Samuel Dalembert, Ray Allen, Chris Paul, Mike Miller, Rashard McCants, Jarvis Hayes, Theo Ratliff, and Tim Thomas (Yeah him again).

So then I proceeded to drop McCants, Ratliff and Thomas and replace them with John Salmons, and the two I added in the other league, Ely and Diaw. SO we will see how this turns out.

The Curse of the Free Throw

Well the Warriors survived at Madison Square Garden this morning against the New York Knicks. It wasn't pretty and the Warriors did just enough to pull off the win. With a little under a minute and a half the Warriors took an 8 point lead. Then the Knicks started to get some offense going while missing 4 free throws to allow the Knicks to end up losing by only 2 point. The final score was 83-81. The Warriors finished the game making 15 out of 32 free throws. Now if this was a good team then the Warriors would have lost this game. Luckily the Warriors played some excellent defense the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter, only allowing 10 points during that time. This morning also saw the return of Baron Davis to the lineup and his presence was huge with 16 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds. But most important of all, the Warriors won and a win is a win, so the Warriors are now 2-1 on the season.

Updating the Warriors

I have been busy the last few days and I wasn't able to update to blog following the Warriors games, but that is what I am doing now. The first game of the season against the Atlanta Hawks saw the Warriors play horribly in the first half and dominate the second half to walk away with a 25 point victory. The Warriors got great contributions from Jason Richardson, Troy Murphy, Mickael Pietrus and Baron Davis before he got injured. The game was sloppy, but the Warriors are far superior to the Hawks and that is how the score line ended up at the finish of the game. Unfortunately the loss of Baron Davis is substantial, although it isn't supposed to be for a significant amount of time. Then yesterday the Warriors got their first real test of the season playing against a pretty good Utah Jazz team. To make the test harder they were without the services of Baron Davis and throughout the game it was evident that his services were dearly missed. The Warriors shot horribly and couldn't find ways to get themselves easy shots like Baron sets up for them. The Warriors ended up losing the game by 6 points I believe, but the effort level was there. Unfortunately the execution was not. Bright spots so far for the Warriors through the two games have been Richardson, Pietrus and Murphy. Surprises have been Chris Taft and Aaron Miles, and they have done it in limited minutes. These two rookies could help the Warriors this season, especially Miles who I believe is a better point guard option for the Warriors then Derek Fisher is.

Now let me address some fantasy basketball news. I sadly report that injuries have already hit me hard. Baron Davis as reported before will miss time, but is a game to game decision. Nene on the other hand wrecked his knee and he will miss the entire season. Since there was no reason to keep him on my team since he is getting me no production he has been replaced with Tim Thomas. Not my favorite player, but hopefully he can get me something. Well I guess that is it for now. The Warriors play tomorrow morning against the New York Knicks, so I should have an update tomorrow night as it pertains to that game.

Random Thought: Sports for Americans vs Europeans

This is just something that came through my mind while I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep. I was thinking about how in the US football is the #1 sport, but in the rest of the world it is predominantly soccer. On top of that I am also going to through basketball and baseball into the list for US tops sports. The idea that popped into my head is that maybe Americans prefer sports that have lots of stats attached to them. In basketball, football and baseball there are so many stats that are attributed to the game, in soccer it is just goals, sometimes assists, and yellow and red cards, plus with goalie saves and shots. This is just a thought and I am happy to hear feedback so feel free to leave some comments.