Basketball and Random Thoughts From "The Godfather"

Good thing I don't really believe that all dreams can mean something...

2009-12-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

I am going to enlighten you too a couple of things that I happen to recall from some dreams I have lately.

This one counts as just an awesome line. I don't remember what the discussion was about, but this was the line that came out of my mouth. “We were under fire and Mousasi wouldn't stop the tow truck.” Yeah your guess is as good as mine, then funny thing... Mousasi is Gegard Mousasi an MMA fighter who I don't ever recall watching but for some reason his name managed to to pop into my head. Must have been watching some UFC the night before.

This one counts as just an amazingly awesome and insane dream.

Ok this was a dream, I was watching the news on TV. (This is how you can tell that it's a dream as I am not a fan of watching the news.) The story was about a female college basketball player who was set to be the #1 draft pick into the WNBA. She doesn't really want to do this and she decides that she will swap brains with another girl who wants to be a professional basketball player so that she can have a life of eating at....wait for it....Wing-stop. Ha ha yes I do believe that I could be insane, but this dream kept me laughing the whole day. Ha ha

Best Brand Loyalty...

2008-09-27T11:52:00.001-07:00

Who has the best brand loyalty? ... Religion. Think about it. This is something that tends to get past on from generation to generation without someone changing because of preference. Also once people have their desired brand they don't tend to EVER try another one out and the animosity between some is so great that people won't just stay away from it, they choose to hate it enough to want to kill. Coke and Pepsi don't have that kind of backing. One other thing to think about usually if someone stops supporting their brand do they switch to a different brand? Occasionally, but more often than not they give up on all the brands.

Back for a Quick Update!!!

2007-05-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't written in a while, but a lot has happened since the big Warrior trade. The trade brought the Warriors new life and with the healthy return of Baron Davis and Jason Richardson, the new look Warriors made a major run to clinch the final playoff spot on the last day of the season. Not only did the Warriors finally break their 13 season playoff drought, but they also won their first round series with the top ranked Dallas Mavericks 4 games to 2. This was only trumped by the fact that the Warriors became the first 8th seed to win a best of 7 series with a #1 seed. The Warriors arte marching their way through the playoffs and they could be giving a lot of teams fits as they try to go even deeper into the playoffs.

Baron Davis was clearly the Warriors MVP throughout the series with Dallas but Stephen Jackson also was fantastic in the Warriors beating of Mark Cuban's boys. On to the second round against the Utah Jazz. GO WARRIORS!!!!

Pictures courtesy of Yahoo.

Warriors Trade

2007-01-17T22:29:00.000-08:00

According to Warriors.com "The Golden State Warriors have acquired forward Al Harrington, guard/forward Stephen Jackson, guard Sarunas Jasikevicius and forward Josh Powell from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for forwards Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu and guard Keith McLeod, it was announced today by Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin."

I think this could be a good trade for the Warriors since they some more versatile players that fit into Don Nelson's system, and their contracts aren't as big either which is good for the Warrior's long term plans. I will explain more on this in the future when I have more time.

This blogger is now employed

2006-12-08T14:59:00.000-08:00

This is just a quick update to let all of you fans of this blog know that I now have a job at Aeronet Worldwide and that I will be starting there on December 18th. I am not sure how that will affect my limited number of updates here, but we shall see.

The Warriors 2006-2007 Season

2006-11-20T18:09:00.000-08:00

Sorry for not updating sooner. I am going to try to update somewhat regularly, but not every game like last year. I am just going to go with short updates to let you know how the team is playing, their record and noticeable things that I would like to point out.

The Warriors have started the season with a 7-3 record. They started the first 5 games going 2-3, but now they are in the process of a 5 game winning streak that is on the line tonight against the Phoenix Suns. Most impressive so far has been the play of Baron Davis, Andris Biedrins and Monta Ellis.

Baron Davis has taken the chance to lead this team and he is doing a phenomenal job 20.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game.

Andris Biedrins has secured the spot as the Warriors starting center since Adonal Foyle has been relegated to not playing and the Mike Dunleavy at PF and Troy Murphy at center experiment didn’t work well. Biedrins is averaging 8.5 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.2 blocks a game.

Monta Ellis in his second season has relished the opportunity to play that he has been given. With Jason Richardson still working his way back from knee surgery in the off-season, Ellis has averaged 17.5 points per game while he has been in the process of learning to play the point guard position instead of his customary spot at shooting guard.

Overall, so far the Warriors have been quite successful, but so far with 7 of those first 10 games being at home, there are still some concerns about their ability to play on the road. With only 1 win out of the 3 road games, the Warriors will need to do much better if they want to break their NBA leading 12 seasons with no playoff appearances.

R.I.P. Steve "the Crocodile Hunter" Irwin

2006-09-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a quick post. The other day Steve Irwin, better known as the Crocodile Hunter, past away due to a strike to the chest from a sting ray while filming a documentary. He was a very eccentric person, but entertaining as well. He will be missed and my heart goes out to his wife and two kids in this difficult time they will be facing.

Joy and Sorrow!!!

2006-08-29T23:33:00.000-07:00

Today the Warriors did something that made me a very happy fan, but are also in the process of making all that happiness go away. Today the Warriors bought out Mike Montgomery, one of the worst coaches I have had the displeasure of watching run this team. But my hopes were soon dashed as I learned the Warriors were in the process of hiring back Don Nelson. Yes Don Nelson the same guy who is responsible for creating the 12 year hell that has been the Warriors playoff drought. He was the man that dismantled the team by trading Webber and Tim Hardaway on his way out the door. Nelson has a penchant for a running offense, which suits the Warriors well, but he doesn’t care about defense and this team needs to learn to play some. I would have like them to hire Larry Brown, but at least Monty is gone. I can be thankful for that at least.

Dinner with Thao and Family

2006-08-20T22:42:00.000-07:00

Well here is a short blog since I don't blog anymore. Tonight we went to Denny's to celebrate my parents 34th wedding anniversary (which was actually yesterday). This was my parents, David and Talli, Myself and Thao. This was the first time that Thao had dinner with my family and it was nice. Everyone had fun and that is what is important.

Day One Without the Parents

2006-07-11T22:50:00.000-07:00

Ok folks here is an update finally. This morning I took my parents to the airport so they could go on their trip to the Bahamas. Then later in the day Thao came over and we hung out together, ran a bunch of errands (including my grocery shopping) and for dinner we made sushi together. I think it came out ok tasting, but Thao was a harsher critic and she wasn’t a fan of it. The main problem is that the rice had too much of a vinegar flavor from the rice vinegar. So we have learned and next time it will be better.

I think our sushi LOOKED pretty damn good though. The main ingredients of the sushi was rice (of course), nori (seaweed), carrots (maybe a little too crunchy for sushi but still good), cucumbers, imitation crab meat and on one batch of sushi baked salmon on top, on the other batch panko bread crumbs.

I hope you enjoy the pictures, I definitely enjoyed making the sushi and I expect to make it again some time in the near future.

Dragonlance THE MOVIE!!!!!

2006-07-11T22:32:00.000-07:00

The other day I heard great news. I am signed up for the SciFi email newsletter from SciFi.com and I came across an article announcing the creation of my favorite books being turned into full length animated motion pictures. Yes the Dragonlance Chronicles are coming to a theater near you (well in fall of 2007 at least). I was ecstatic, I never thought they would make these into movies, but happy to hear they will. I am still a little hesitant about them though because there are some relatively graphic parts to the story and they are creating it as a cartoon. I hope they do well with it or I could be really pissed. Anyway, there isn’t too much out about it yet, but they have announced a few of the voices. To find out more check out http://www.dragonlance-movie.com/

The 2006 NBA Draft

2006-06-29T23:58:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday the NBA draft took place and the Warriors drafted themselves a pair of centers. With the ninth pick they chose Patrick O’ Bryant out of Bradley University. He is listed as 7’0” and 260 lbs. He was an interesting contrast to the midget commissioner David Stern when he went up to shake his hand. With the 38th pick the Warriors drafted Kosta Perovic out of Croatia. He is listed at 7’2” and 240 lbs.

I think I am happy with the picks. O’Bryant has a lot of potential and I think he will get a decent amount of playing time this year. The Warriors need help at Center more then anything and that is what they addressed. With Perovic I imagine he will be left over seas for another year or brought to the Development League. I don’t see him being ready to produce yet, but with a second round pick it was worth the gamble. He could turn out to be good in the long run.

A Brief Mention

2006-06-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

This is a quick update. On the NBA show podcast, following the one I was on, they made a reference to something I said in the previous show regarding the Kings coaching position. Take a listen if you are interested. The show can be found in the same place as last time. Show number 31.

Greatest Game of the World Cup!!!

2006-06-26T22:58:00.000-07:00

I haven’t written a blog in a while, mainly because I don’t have anything to talk about, but now I have something. I watched the greatest game of the World Cup so far the other day and I just had to mention it. Why was it so great? Was it because of great goals, or great plays or a determination by both teams not to lose? No!!! It was because I watched two teams with no discipline build up an animosity for each other that ended in a final score of 9-7. Ha ha ha, no that wasn’t the goals scored that was the yellow cards issued to each team, with Portugal winning that edge over the Netherlands. In case you were wondering the final score of the game was 1-0 in favor of Portugal, but that was the boring part. I enjoyed watching the players hit, kick and do everything they shouldn’t have done in order to see who could end up with the least players on the field. Two players from each team also accumulated two yellow cards in the match prompting the referee to issue them red cards. Yes folks this game ended 9 on 9.

Some people may say that this was the fault of the official or that he may have been card happy as many officials have been in this tournament, but that wasn’t the case. The official was giving out the cards to warn the players that their actions wouldn’t be tolerated, but they didn’t seem to care. In my opinion, all the cards issued were warranted. In fact, I believe there were a few cards that weren’t issued that should have been. Anyway, the game entertained me as I watched chaos on my TV screen. My only hope is that the World cup has more games like this so I can laugh my way through the entire 90 minutes.

No More Suns

2006-06-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

Well unfortunately the Suns just didn’t have enough in them to win game 6 against the Mavericks. They lost by the score of 102-93. The Suns run has ended unfortunately, but I had a lot of fun watching it. Nash gave it his all finishing with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists. Dirk, on the other side, finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists.

Now I will show how my predictions went in comparison to actual events. Of course Keep in mind that I was incorrect in the pick that San Antonio would be in the Western Finals, instead it was Dallas, so not sure that the prediction makes any sense. As usual my predictions will be on the left and the actual record will be on the right.

Conference Finals
(3-4) [1] San Antonio Spurs (Reality Dallas Mavericks) vs. [2] Phoenix Suns (4-2)

Eastern Conference

Conference Finals
(4-1) [1] Detroit Pistons vs. [2] Miami Heat (2-4)

Clearly I wanted the Suns to be in the finals, but it wasn’t to be. I am not sure how interested in this series I am. It should still be fun to watch though. Both teams are making their finals debut as neither team has gotten this far before. I give the edge to Miami in this one, but I like Dirk and he can carry the team. There are reasons why I don’t want either team to win though. For Miami, I don’t want Gary Payton or Antoine Walker to ever win a championship. Walker just because he is an idiot, but Payton I used to like, but his flocking to Shaq to try to win him a championship bugs me and I hope he doesn’t. With Dallas I hate Mark Cuban the owner and hope that he never lifts the finals trophy because he is a jackass and Erick Dampier doesn’t deserve it either because he was good in a contract year with the Warriors and got a huge payday with Dallas where he does…absolutely nothing. He doesn’t even start anymore. He hasn’t even been playing for them much this playoffs. I do expect him to be playing in this series though since Dallas will need the big bodies to bang around with Shaq. So I guess we just have to see which evil prevails now.

Not sure that I will be posting updates on every game of the finals because I just don't care as much with the Suns being gone. So if you don't see posts don't b surprised.

What? Not Basketball?

2006-06-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

Now for my award-winning in depth blog to be revealed and it is about…Soccer? Yes folks your favorite basketball godfather is taking a look at a different sport. Why do you ask? That is because the 2006 World Cup in Germany is going to take place beginning on June 9th, only a week from today. But the World Cup is not the topic of my in depth piece. I referenced an article from the Washington Post by Sarah Delaney for my info. The topic is the controversy that has been disclosed taking place in Italy. Trust me you will understand how I tie this all in to me by the end. Now let me explain what’s happening.

The Italian league the past couple of years has seen a couple of teams fall on hard times where they are unable to make the payments on the money they owe their players, this doesn’t ultimately tie to what I am going to explain, but it just shows that some of these Italian teams are already questionable to begin with. At the forefront of the Italian league is the team Juventus of Turin. This team can be considered the New York Yankees of Italian Soccer. They buy expensive players and so they tend to be favorites to win championships year after year. The General Director of that team is Luciano Moggi, who is also known as “Lucky Luciano.” The fact that was also the nickname of Charles Luciano a former Mob Boss and at one point in time the Chairman of “the Commission” that organized the crime families during the Mafia’s heyday doesn’t go beyond my notice. Mr. Moggi has been accused of being the mastermind behind corruption that includes; having favorable referees working specific games as well as influencing the transfers and sale of players. Juventus won their 29th Championship this year, but Moggi resigned a couple of weeks back due to the controversy and Juventus will be stripped of its two most recent titles.

There are also three other teams in the Italian league that are under investigation at this point, those teams being Lazio of Rome, Fiorentina of Florence and AC Milan from Milan. They are under investigation for game-fixing during the season of 2004-05 as well as betting on games, coercion, threats and even kidnapping. Now does this sound like Soccer or more like the Mafia connection I made earlier. This doesn’t stop at the teams though. The top two people in the Italian Soccer Federation also stepped down, as well as two of the officials (referees). Gianluigi Buffon is the starting goalkeeper for the Italian National team and he is accused of wagering over 2 million Euros on sports, but reportedly not soccer, but still a violation of the player agreements under the league. Here is a World Cup tie-in.

Now back to Moggi. He has a son by the name of Alessandro who is the runs the player agency GEA. Supposedly this is where the coercion and threats come in as they used these tactics to bring in and retain many of the Italian soccer players. Juventus is in for some potentially some harsh retribution for the alleged actions. Should they be found guilty will be sent down from the first division to the second division which is usually for the last place teams in the division. Of course criminal action will also be applied to the individuals should they be found of any wrong doing. There are 41 people in total that have been asked to come in for questioning in this matter, so there is a long investigation that will be taking place in the days to come.

So how does this tie into me now? That is easy. I am an American and therefore I am going to be supporting the United States of America in their quest for their first World Cup Championship. In their group is none other then… Italy. Yes Italy, the same country that is under investigation. Why does this matter to the USA? It will either be beneficial to the United States or detrimental. Italy is a soccer power and with this controversy they could get so wrapped up in it that the team underperforms and the U.S. could steal some very valuable points that allow them to move to the next round. On the other hand, the Italians could become very angry with the situation and come out with something to prove to the world and be more focused then ever. So this is a very important idea going into the Cup. The U.S. already has it hard as I believe they have the toughest group of the 8 groups with Ghana and the Czech Republic also being a part of the group. This should be an interesting subplot to watch going into the cup. Consider yourself informed.

Suns at brink of Elimination

2006-06-01T23:02:00.000-07:00

Tonight the Phoenix Suns could not get themselves the series lead, but instead place themselves one loss away from elimination. The Phoenix Suns fell to the Dallas Mavericks by the score of 101-117. Once again the Suns had three 20 or more point scorers with Tim Thomas (26), Shawn Marion (20 points and 10 rebounds) and Steve Nash (20 points and 11 assists), but they were trumped by Josh Howard (23 points) and Dirk Nowitzki who busted out for 50 points and 12 rebounds. This puts the Suns in the position of having to win two games and therefore going to a third game 7 of the playoffs if they are to advance to the NBA Finals. The fight begins on Saturday in Phoenix. Good luck Suns.

Updating the Playoffs

2006-05-31T22:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the Suns met up once again with the Dallas Mavericks and were victorious by the score of 106-86. That tied the Series back up at 2-2. This game marked the return of Raja Bell from a thigh strain and he was back to being a pest on defense. The Suns had three players who scored 20 or more points. They were Leandro Barbosa (24), Boris Diaw (20) and Steve Nash (21 points and 7 assists). Dallas on the other hand had no players at 20 or above and so Nash clearly one the best friend Match-up as Dirk Nowitzki only scored 11 points and had 7 rebounds. As you can see from the picture Nash was putting up quite the fight in this game.

Tonight the Detroit Pistons, the defending Eastern Conference champions for the last two seasons, were facing elimination at the hands of the Miami Heat who led the series 3-1. The Pistons will live to play another day though as they won 91-78.

Sports Update

2006-05-29T00:05:00.000-07:00

First off I would like to congratulate Barry Lamar Bonds for hitting his 715th career homerun. That homerun put him in sole possession of second place on the all-time homerun record. It is an amazing feat and I applaud him for it. I don’t believe the controversy surrounding him whether he took steroids or not, because you can go through any time period of baseball and find some other reason to knock the records of his time. Whether it is Babe Ruth’s time when he didn’t have to play against African American opponents or whether it was during the time period of the juiced ball or dead ball, or if it was when pitchers were getting away with altering the baseball through sandpaper, spit, Vaseline or sweat. There are plenty of opportunities throughout the history to challenge records, so there is no reason to start now. Congratulations Barry and I hope you pass Hank Aaron before your career is over.

On Sunday night the Phoenix Suns once again fell to the Dallas Mavericks by the score of 95-88. As you can see from the declining scores, the Mavericks are imposing their style of basketball on the series and preventing the Suns run-and-gun style from coming through. Half court games are not best suited for the Suns and it has shown in the two consecutive losses they have received. In the Battle of the Best Friends Dirk Nowitzki won the battle with his 28 points, 17 rebounds and 5 assists to Steve Nash’s 21 points, 1 rebound and 7 assists. I hope that things get better for the Suns in game 4.

Da Vinci Code and More Zoo Pictures

2006-05-28T23:56:00.000-07:00

The other day I went with Thao to view the movie version of the best-selling novel the Da Vinci Code starring Tom Hanks. It was two and a half hours, but it was compelling all the way through. There are good twists and turns and interesting twists regarding the plot. I do recommend it to people that are looking for an interesting movie where you are looking forward to what happens next. Of course most of the historic stuff mentioned in the movie is either, theory, inaccurate or can’t be proven, but it has been written and presented in a way where you won’t really criticize it until possibly after the movie is over, unless you go into the movie trying to rip it apart. Anyway, I did enjoy it and I think some of you will as well so check it out.

Now to appease my girlfriend I am posting the requested “monkey pictures.” Ha ha ha, actually I am happy to post the pictures for people to see and requests are still welcome. I am posting the pictures of the non-caged monkeys because unfortunately the pictures of the caged monkeys are focused on the cage and didn’t come out to well. The pictures are of the Gorilla, the Mandril and a Lemur. So enjoy these.

Fun at the Warriors' Expense

2006-05-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

Here are a few funny pictures to help you all relive the disaster that was the Golden State Warriors 2005-2006 Season. Following the Pictures I will leave you with a top 10 that I took from the Realgm.com Warriors Message Boards, which explains the top 11, yes I said 11, reasons that the Warriors are better then sex. Enjoy.

TOP 10 REASONS WHY BASKETBALL IS BETTER THAN SEX (with added 11th)

11. YOU CAN WATCH IT ON TV WITHOUT FEELING GUILTY

10. BALL MOVEMENT IS KEY

9. YOU CAN SET IT UP OR GO FOR THE FASTBREAK

8. IF YOU NEED A BREAK, YOU CAN CALL A 20 SECOND TIMEOUT

7. THERE IS A COACH TELLING YOU WHEN TO "TAKE IT TO THE HOLE"

6. BEING DOUBLE-TEAMED IS COMMON

5. YOU CAN PASS IT OFF, SO YOUR BUDDY CAN SCORE

4. IF SCOUTS LIKE YOUR PERFORMANCE, YOU TURN PRO

3. YOU KNOW YOU ARE DONE WHEN THE HORN SOUNDS

2. YOU ALWAYS TRY TO SCORE WITHIN 24 SECONDS

1. THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEONE WITH A TOWEL TO CLEAN UP ANY WET SPOTS

Suns Defeated in Game 2

2006-05-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

Well tonight the Suns couldn’t win game two against the Mavericks as they fell 105-98. The Mavericks didn’t fall into the Suns’ plans and slowed the game down more. Nowitzki had a spectacular game scoring 30 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and distributing 6 assists. Josh Howard was the other key contributor for the Mavericks scoring 29 points and grabbing 7 rebounds. The Suns were lead by Boris Diaw’s 25 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists and Nash’s 16 points and 11 assists. The Suns were hurt by the absence of Raja Bell due to a calf injury which could continue on longer. This is a tough blow as he is their top perimeter defender.

Request Denied

2006-05-25T23:14:00.000-07:00

There was a request for a picture of a capybara from the trip to the zoo. Unfortunately the Capybaras were nowhere to be seen at the time in which I was viewing their habitat. I don’t think I just missed them because they are quite large, but unfortunately they may have been hiding in the back where we could not see them. Please feel free to leave further animal requests and I will do my best to fulfill them. I admit right away, most of the caged monkey pictures didn’t come out great, but if you are interested in seeing those I will still post them.

Trip to the Zoo

2006-05-25T18:37:00.000-07:00

Well folks I went out to the San Francisco Zoo today with my girlfriend and we saw some amazing animals. I am just going to post two pictures, but if you are interested in seeing some more animals leave me some comments and I will post an animal of your chosing if it is available or I can post some others if you are interested.

The previous picture is the resident Bald Eagle that they have on exhibit, but the most impressive was watching the big cats during their feeding time. Amazing creatures and quite imposing. This is one of the tigers making its dead rabbit lunch look like a snack. What a sight.

Suns Take Game 1

2006-05-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

So the Suns won the first game of the Western Conference finals today beating the Dallas Mavericks 121-118. This was a battle of stars who just happen to be best friends. Steve Nash had 27 points, 5 rebounds and 16 assists, while Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points, 19 rebounds and 2 assists. The difference in the game was Boris Diaw and Steve Nash hitting clutch shots while trailing with 2 minutes left to give them the lead in the end. It was great to watch.

Second Round Update

2006-05-22T23:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight the Phoenix Suns beat the Los Angeles Clippers 127-107 in game 7. It was a fantastic game to watch and L.A. just couldn’t keep up with the Suns. Steve Nash ran wild again with 29 points and 11 assists. The Suns win the series 4-3.

Now I will update the rest of the second round of the playoffs. The second round of the playoffs actually saw 3 out of the 4 series go to 7 games, including the Phoenix series. In the other series that concluded tonight the Dallas Mavericks beat the defending Champion San Antonio Spurs in their game 7. So that sets up a Western Conference Finals series of the Phoenix Suns versus the Dallas Mavericks. So it should be a fun series to watch.

In the Eastern Conference the Miami Heat closes out the New Jersey Nets early winning the series 4-1. In the other series that completed yesterday the Detroit Pistons won their game 7 match-up against the surprising Cleveland Cavaliers.

Now I will analyze my predictions. I will have my prediction on the left of the match-up and the actual result on the right of the match-up.

Western Conference

(4-2) [1] San Antonio Spurs vs. [4] Dallas Mavericks (3-4)
(4-1) [2] Phoenix Suns vs. [6] Los Angeles Clippers (4-3)

Eastern Conference

(4-0)* [1] Detroit Pistons vs. [4] Cleveland Cavaliers (4-3)
(4-2) [2] Miami Heat vs. [3] New Jersey Nets (4-1)

* I picked the Washington Wizards to advance and not the Cavaliers so the prediction was for a different match-up.

So I picked 3 out of the 4 winners for this round of the playoffs. As we get closer to the Finals I am expecting perfection, ha ha.

Hear Me NOW!!!!

2006-05-19T22:18:00.000-07:00

I would just like to inform everyone that the NBA Show Podcast that I was a guest on this past weekend is now available to download and listen too. It can be obtained by clicking on the link for “The NBA Show Podcast” on the right of this page. I hope you all enjoy the show and please leave me your feedback if you enjoyed it.

I also want to make a quick update on the Suns from yesterday. The Suns lost to the Clippers last night 106-118 in Los Angeles. This is forcing the Suns into their second game 7 of the playoffs. Hopefully their results are similar in that they win. They have two things going in their favor potentially. One is that they will be playing the deciding game once again in Phoenix and also, once again, they will be playing a team from Los Angeles. Granted this is a team that is much better then the previous L.A. team, but I believe they can still win it. Go Suns!!!

Opening the Rumor Mill

2006-05-16T23:30:00.000-07:00

Ok you guys have been dying for a Warriors update and here is one… sort of. It has been rumored that Larry Brown, the head coach of the New York Knicks, may be getting bought out of his enormous contract after one disappointing year in New York. Why is this important? It is important because Larry Brown lives close to Warriors owner Chris Cohan in the Hamptons and they are friendly with each other. This could be the Warriors chance to finally have a REAL head coach. We wouldn’t have to deal with our ignorant schmuck of a coach Mike Montgomery. This is still far from happening, but if the Knicks really do buyout his contract the chances become a lot better.

Suns take 3-2 Series Lead

2006-05-16T23:24:00.000-07:00

The Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers played a dog fight tonight with the final result being a Suns 125-118 Double OT victory. At the end of the first OT it looked over with the Suns down 3 and less then 4 seconds left, but they hit a 3 to tie the game and send to 2OT. This gives the Suns a 3-2 series lead going into game 6 at Los Angeles. This has been a great series to watch and I am still expecting this to go to 7 games, but hopefully Suns win in 6 because they can’t be going through too many game 7’s in one playoffs.

Quick Suns Update

2006-05-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

This is going to be real quick because I have some other things to take care. The Suns won game 3 a couple days back 94-91, but in game 4 today they lost 107-114. I may update this later with more detail, but maybe I won't either. Just keeping you updated with the goings on of the Suns.

The Godfather joins the Podcast Revolution... Sort of

2006-05-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

Earlier tonight I was a guest on the NBA Show podcast on the Podcast Network. The link to their web page is on the right side of this page so feel free to click on that and download the show to listen too. According to Adam (one of the hosts as well as Steve and James), the show should be available to download on Monday night. I hope you take a listen and hear my brilliance. Ha ha ha ha. It was a fun experience and the guys were very easy going and great to talk with, and on top of that it involved basketball which is something I never seem to get enough of talking about. The reason that I was a guest on the show, for those who don’t know, is that I was a part of a fantasy basketball league that they started at the beginning of the season and at the end of the season I came out on top. But I would just like to say for those of you who enjoy basketball this is a very good podcast to listen too. The guys are very knowledgeable and they give their honest opinions unlike all the bias you get from the media. I recommend you take a listen and give them a chance, even if it is only the show that I am on that you listen too. I think you will like it. The episode I will be on is the NBA Show #30. Hopefully they will have me on again some time. It was a fun experience. Please feel free to leave me your comments about how I did and if you enjoyed it. ENJOY!!!

Suns Update

2006-05-10T23:07:00.000-07:00

This the first time I am updating the Suns with a loss I believe. The Suns fell to the Clippers 122-97 tonight. This seams like it is going to be a series of high scoring games. It has been a fun series to watch so far though, so please check it out.

Playoff Predictions Update

2006-05-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, with the first round of the playoffs completed and the second round underway, it is time to evaluate how my picks ended up. Let’s see how I did shall we. I will have my prediction on the left of the match-up and the actual result on the right of the match-up.

Western Conference

First Round
(4-1) [1] San Antonio Spurs vs. [8] Sacramento Kings (4-2)
(4-1) [2] Phoenix Suns vs. [7] Los Angeles Lakers (4-3)
(0-4) [3] Denver Nuggets vs. [6] Los Angeles Clippers (1-4)
(4-1) [4] Dallas Mavericks vs. [5] Memphis Grizzlies (4-0)

Eastern Conference

First Round
(4-0) [1] Detroit Pistons vs. [8] Milwaukee Bucks (4-1)
(4-0) [2] Miami Heat vs. [7] Chicago Bulls (4-2)
(4-3) [3] New Jersey Nets vs. [6] Indiana Pacers (4-2)
(3-4) [4] Cleveland Cavaliers vs. [5] Washington Wizards (4-2)

So, overall my predictions were solid. I picked 7 of the 8 winners and 5 of 8 of the series were correct or within one game. Hopefully, I am better in te second round.

I would also like to congratulate the Suns for coming from down 3-1 in the series to beat the Lakers and congratulate them on winning game one of the second round against the Clippers by a score of 130-121. Go Suns!!!

Suns destroy Lakers

2006-05-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Hallelujah!!!! The Suns beat the Los Angles Lakers last night in devastating fashion 121-90. The Lakers proved the kind of team they really were and the Suns proved who they were. Then it was almost poetic that today when they announced the league MVP it was Steve Nash and NOT Kobe Bryant like so many stupid Laker fans have been hoping for. This was Nash’s second MVP in as many years and he won by a considerable margin as he had 924 points and the runner up, LeBron James had 688. Kobe Bryant finished fourth. The Suns now move on to play the Los Angeles Clippers tomorrow.

Suns Update

2006-05-04T23:30:00.000-07:00

The Phoenix Suns once again kept themselves from being eliminated from the playoffs as they beat the Lakers 126-118 in overtime tonight. It was a great battle once again and Steve Nash's 32 points and 13 assists won out over Kobe Bryant's 50 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Game 7 is shaping up to be a very good game and the Suns seem to have everything going their way with momentum from winning the past two games, Raja Bell returning from suspension and the home court. Make sure to tune in on Saturday to see what happens.

Playoff Update

2006-05-02T22:48:00.000-07:00

I just finished watching the Suns versus Lakers game a few minutes ago. This was a must win for the Suns as they had found themselves down 3-1 in the series. Luckily they won convincingly and they will need to still win the last two games if they want to move on to the next round. This has been a battle of the two front runners for MVP (Nash and Bryant) and they have played well. I am still hoping that the Suns pull through because everyone knows how much I detest the Lakers. Go Suns!!!

NBA Playoff Predictions

2006-04-26T23:23:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is a little late, but I figure I should set it up now and just update where the playoffs are at this point. I was going to post this tomorrow, but I figure I should post this before anymore games take place. I am just going to put my predictions after the match up and then say where the series is currently.

Western Conference

First Round
[1] San Antonio Spurs vs. [8] Sacramento Kings – 4-1 currently 2-0
[2] Phoenix Suns vs. [7] Los Angeles Lakers – 4-1 currently 1-1
[3] Denver Nuggets vs. [6] Los Angeles Clippers 0-4 currently 0-2
[4] Dallas Mavericks vs. [5] Memphis Grizzlies 4-1 currently 2-0

Second Round
[1] San Antonio Spurs vs. [4] Dallas Mavericks 4-2
[2] Phoenix Suns vs. [6] Los Angeles Clippers 4-1

Conference Finals
[1] San Antonio Spurs vs. [2] Phoenix Suns 3-4 (Hopefully, but I am thinking 4-2)

Eastern Conference

First Round
[1] Detroit Pistons vs. [8] Milwaukee Bucks – 4-0 currently 2-0
[2] Miami Heat vs. [7] Chicago Bulls – 4-0 currently 2-0
[3] New Jersey Nets vs. [6] Indiana Pacers 4-3 currently 1-1
[4] Cleveland Cavaliers vs. [5] Washington Wizards 3-4 currently 1-1

Second Round
[1] Detroit Pistons vs. [5] Washington Wizards 4-0
[2] Miami Heat vs. [3] New Jersey Nets 4-2

Conference Finals
[1] Detroit Pistons vs. [2] Miami Heat 4-1

NBA Finals (I am putting what I am hoping. I am expecting Spurs vs. Pistons. Pistons win 4-2)
[2] Phoenix Suns vs. [1] Detroit Pistons 4-3

I am hoping for a Suns Championship to go along with the Steve Nash MVP that should be announced soon.

Please feel free to post your comments and tell me I am a hack or that I have no idea what I am talking about. You would be wrong of course, but your feedback is always welcome.

The Life Aquatic

2006-04-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I was at the closing of Suncoast at Newpark Mall and I picked up a couple of movies. I watched one of those the other day and that DVD was the Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. This isn’t your typical Bill Murray movie. It is more obscure, but I still found it to be quite entertaining and I recommend it to people looking for a more artistic comedy. One of the interesting parts of the movie was a Brazilian guy named Seu Jorge. He had scenes in the movie where he played David Bowie songs on his acoustic guitar. The cool part you ask? He sung the songs in Portuguese. That was pretty cool, maybe me have to think hard to recognize the songs. All in all, it was a fun movie to watch and I think some of you out there could enjoy it as well. Considering that mostly just family reads this, I will let you borrow it if you are thinking about watching it.

Quick Thoughts

2006-04-21T23:47:00.000-07:00

Here was an interesting picture I came across the other day as the Washington Wizards took on the Milwaukee Bucks. Apparently a ray of sunlight got on the court from some area of the arena and the game was put on hold until the problem was rectified. The picture looks interesting like the two players were being put in a spotlight, but they were probably just trying to tan while they could.

Goodbye and Good Riddance! That is directed toward Utah Jazz center Greg Ostertag who decided to finally call it a career finishing against the Warriors on Wednesday night. Why is my post so mean spirited in this case? Because Ostertag was a bit of a dirty player, never missed an opportunity to “lay the lumber” and cause a very hard foul. A lot of times, in my opinion, there was unnecessary contact and more often then not I think he should be thrown out of games for flagrant fouls that weren’t called. Oh well, I am glad he is gone, but I respect that he lasted this long. Goodbye to Jerry Sloan’s favorite whipping boy!

Sharks Congratulated

2006-04-20T23:33:00.000-07:00

This is a quick post just to send out some congratulations. Although I do not watch hockey I do still check the paper in the mornings and check on the San Jose Sharks. I wan to congratulate them on their trip to the playoffs which begin on Friday. They are the fifth seed and will take on the fourth seed the Nashville Predators. Most importantly I want to congratulate two players in particular on the San Jose Sharks, Joe Thornton and Jonathan Cheechoo.

Thornton finished the season at the top of the league in points (125) and assists (96). The assists part he won by a massive 25 over the next closest player and won the points race narrowly by 2 points. Cheechoo won the Goal scoring race with 56 goals, which was two better then the next closest opponent. I just hope that the people voting for MVP look at what Thornton did for this team and give him the MVP trophy. I think he earned it because he turned the Sharks from a bottom of the league team when he arrived to a threat for the Stanley Cup Champions in less then a season. Go SHARKS!!!

Updating to the end of the Regular Season

2006-04-19T22:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I have had some problems updating in blogger the last few games, so I am updating the final three games of the season right now. There are two games against the Portland Trailblazers and one against the Utah Jazz.

On Saturday the Golden State Warriors defeated the Portland Trailblazers, in Portland, by the score of 86-81. This game began the final stretch of games for the Warriors were the younger players got prolonged minutes so that the Warrior Organization could evaluate the talent they have. There was no Jason Richardson or Troy Murphy available for this game as well as Mickael Pietrus. This allowed Monta Ellis and Ike Diogu to be added to the starting lineup. This was a good game for the young guys. Monta Ellis had 11 points 5 rebounds and 4 assists, Ike Diogu had 15 points and 8 rebounds, Andris Biedrins had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Will Bynum had 14 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

On Monday, in Oakland, the Warriors took on the Trailblazers again with a similar result, but with a better gap as the Warriors won 94-79. This game saw the return of Jason Richardson and Troy Murphy, but in limited minutes. Mike Dunleavy was the high scorer for the team with 20 points. Ike Diogu had another solid game with 16 points and 5 rebounds, Monta Ellis had 8 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals and Andris Biedrins had 9 points to go with his 11 rebounds. This game was preceded by the Warriors fan appreciation night conference where Mullin expressed that he was not satisfied with the team and that the fans could expect him to make a “big deal” this off-season to try to get this team on track. I am not sure what that means or how he can guarantee a big deal to happen because he needs someone to trade with him for that to happen. Unfortunately Mullin blew it by also stating that Coach Mike Montgomery would be back next season. I really didn’t want to hear that and I think he is the reason that this team didn’t make the playoffs for the 12th consecutive year. This team lost 28 of their 48 games when they were within 5 points with 5 minutes or less left in the game. That is a clear cut sign that the coach does not know how to get the team to execute and have a killer instinct. That, along with bad player rotations makes me say that Mullin needs to dump Monty.

In the final game of the season the Warriors took on the Utah Jazz, in Utah, and lost 102-105. Thus ending the Warrior's four game win streak. It was the conclusion of a disappointing season for the Warriors, and of course they finished the last game like much of their season, with silly mistakes and poor execution in the final minutes of the game. Hopefully this team learns from all this and next season is better prepared to close out the final minutes of the games. Jason Richardson, Mickael Pietrus and Troy Murphy all found themselves in street clothes the final game to rest injuries since there was nothing to play for in this game. The Warriors once again were led by their young core with the leading scorer being Monta Ellis as he topped the 20 point plateau with 27 points, he also added in 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Ike Diogu added 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Andris Biedrins added 7 points and 11 rebounds.

So, that concludes the season for the Golden State Warriors. So you may be asking yourself “what can I expect from the Godfather’s blog now that the Warriors are done?” Well, I will tell you. I expect to post some thoughts about the post-season stuff including the awards, some of my thoughts about the Warriors so that this doesn’t happen again next season, some rumors I hear the Warriors to be a part of as well as some miscellaneous thoughts from my head. Well that is it for now. Oh yeah and one last picture to sum up the season.

What? Another win?

2006-04-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

The Warriors came away with a somewhat surprising win last night against the powerhouse Phoenix Suns 110-102. The only reason it wasn’t as surprising was that the Suns were playing without, in my opinion, the soon to be back-to-back MVP Steve Nash. The Warriors also brought out a different starting squad as it looks like they are trying to see what the young guys have to offer. The Warriors switched from their recent lineup of Fisher, Richardson, Dunleavy, Murphy and Foyle to Fisher, Ellis, Richardson, Dunleavy and Biedrins. Murphy was out because of injury and Pietrus missed the game as well due to injury. There was no report about Foyle being hurt, but he still didn’t see any playing time. The Warriors played this game up-tempo, which should be their game plan every game in my opinion. They were lead by Jason Richardson with his 27 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals.

On the other side of the court Boris Diaw (the human Swiss army knife) started in place of Steve Nash at point guard meaning that he has played significant minutes at every position this year from center to point guard. He had a fantastic game with his third triple double of the year with 11 point, 11 rebounds, 16 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals. That is a very admirable line for someone backing up the MVP.

So this extends the Warriors to a 2 game winning streak that could possibly go to 4 with their next two games against Portland, the leagues bottom-feeder. They play the Trailblazers tonight in Portland and again on Monday night in Oakland. Hopefully the Warriors play some good games and actually find a way to get this team ready to contend for the playoffs next year. I say it every year, but I will be saying it until they finally make it again. The streak is now at 12 straight years with no playoffs.

Infuriating win

2006-04-12T22:52:00.000-07:00

The Warriors once again find a way to infuriate me and this time they do it with a win. The Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks 114-102 tonight. The Infuriating part is that this game makes the Warriors 3-1 against Dallas this year. A team that is at the top of the standings as far as their record goes. The Warriors played well and that is the problem. They should have played more like this the rest of the season. The Warriors ran and that is their strength, but for some reason they hardly do it. Makes no sense to me and hopefully next season they have a coach that will force them too and that will limit a lot of their weaknesses. Jason Richardson was the Warriors leading scorer with 25 points, but it was the play of the young guys that won the game for the Warriors. Ike Diogu scored 19 points and grabbed 9 rebounds for the Warriors, and Monta Ellis had 17 points and 4 assists, but it was their energy and hustle that was the difference. That added with a solid performance by Andris Biedrins, who had 7 points and 5 rebounds, are the reasons the Warriors won this game. An important thing that came out of this game was a win that ended the losing streak and prevents the Warriors from having a double digit losing streak to end the season.

Next up for the Warriors on Friday night is the Phoenix Suns, who are lead by last season’s MVP and possibly this season’s as well, Steve Nash. He just so happens to be a Santa Clara University Alum like myself. This is a team that is just gearing up for the playoffs right now, and we can expect them to be at the top of their game. Counting this game, the Warriors only have 4 more games left in the season, the Suns, twice against the Portland Trailblazers and against Utah. The Portland games should be wins, the other two are up in the air. Here’s hoping that if we lose on Friday, it is at least entertaining and Suns games usually are.

Some more losing

2006-04-12T17:14:00.000-07:00

I am going to update two games in this blog update, the game against the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers.

On Saturday the Warriors lost to the Denver Nuggets 92-95. The Warriors fell behind by 18 points in this game, rallied back to take the lead and still ended up losing in the end, to continue the losing streak. The Warriors were lead by Derek Fisher and Ike Diogu who scored 19 points. The games are just getting uglier as the season comes to an end. The Warriors are definitely looking forward to this season being over. The Warriors really need to be looking at the young guys primarily the rest of this season and see who they should be keeping and who they should be trading during the off-season. Jason Richardson missed this game as he injured his knee in the previous game.

Last night the Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, for the fourth time this season, by the score of 100-111. The Warriors have now lost 9 straight games. The Warriors were lead by Jason Richardson’s 20 points in his return from the one game injury break. Warriors weren’t in this game after the second quarter and a lot of that was also thanks to typical Laker game officiating. Lakers can’t do anything wrong and their opponents do everything wrong even when they do NOTHING wrong. This was clearly evident in a Jason Richardson drive to the basket (which he was fouled on) and it was called a jump ball, which the Lakers won and got a fast break dunk on. Laker games are hard to watch when you are a Warriors fan because as much as the league doesn’t want to admit it, the Lakers definitely get a kind whistle because of who they are and the Warriors don’t because of who they have been the past dozen years. The NBA definitely needs to look into cleaning up some of this officiating and “star calls” and start calling things according to their rulebook.

Next up for the Warriors tonight is the Dallas Mavericks, who the Warriors have had their number in Dallas, but it has been quite the other story here in Oakland as Dallas one the previous meeting 93-102. Dallas is still fighting for the best record in the Western Conference, so I expect them to Battle since they still have something to play for. The Warriors on the other hand seem to be playing for a better pick, so losing isn’t so bad for them anymore. Besides, with all the losing they have done this season, they are probably used to it.

Finishing the season strong... or the opposite

2006-04-07T22:36:00.000-07:00

Well the Warriors lost another close one tonight to the Houston Rockets 93-100. The Warriors have now lost 7 games in a row. It appears that they are tanking the season for a better draft pick (not really, but it feels that way). The Warriors are in sole position of the 6th pick as it stands right now. Jason Richardson led the Warriors with 29 points tonight. The Warriors had a 6 point lead with about 2:30 minutes left, but they still found a way to lose. That has been their MO this season. I believe the Warriors have now lost 28 games that they were leading or tied with 5 minutes left in the game. This just proves that they can’t close out games yet. They are young and hopefully learning for next year.

Next up for the Warriors tomorrow night, is the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets are firmly situated in the playoffs as the third seed right now and so they will be a tough game for the Warriors. I still can’t root for the Warriors to lose and improve their chances of getting the #1 pick, but I am not as upset as I would become earlier in the season since there is n chance for the playoffs anymore.

The Streak continues... 6 Losses in a row

2006-04-05T22:50:00.000-07:00

The losses are adding up and I have fallen behind on updating them. Mostly the reason is that these past three games were all losses and also not televised, so the analysis will be short.

First off the Warriors lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves by the score of 104-106 in Overtime. This seemed to be a typical Warrior performance, where they played well toward the end, but just not to the buzzer. The Warriors were lead again by Jason Richardson who finally had a 20+ point game again in scoring 33, and Derek Fisher added 22. Troy Murphy, Monta Ellis and Mickael Pietrus also scored in double figures, but it wasn’t enough for the win. Jason Richardson missed a three pointer at the buzzer which would have won the game.

Next up for the Warriors were the Memphis Grizzlies. Now this was a train wreck of a game. The Warriors lost 75-100. It can mostly be attributed to the second quarter. The Warriors were outscored 9-29 in that quarter. So towards the end of the game a lot more of the subs were getting some run. The Warriors were lead by Derek Fisher’s 17 points. Troy Murphy chipped in 13 and Ike Diogu scored 10. Jason Richardson was held to only 9 points, it has been a long time since he has scored under double figures.

Tonight the Warriors lost to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets 109-114 in Overtime. The Warriors were beat by the point guard tandem of former Warriors Speedy Claxton (21 points and 7 assists) and soon to be voted Rookie of the Year Chris Paul (17 points, 16 assists, 11 rebounds and 6 steals , second triple double of his career). The Warriors were once again lead by Jason Richardson (24 points and 8 assists) and Derek Fisher (22 points). The Hornets had a chance to win this game at the end of regulation, but their shot at the end of the game just rolled off the rim, but they still won the game in Overtime.

Next up for the Warriors are the Houston Rockets on Friday night at 7:30 pm. This is the return for the Warriors from their road trip which was an unsuccessful 0-3. The Warriors have fallen to second to last in the Western Conference, only ahead of the lowly Portland Trailblazers. They are currently the tied for the sixth worst record in the league with the Orlando Magic, who are surging right now. So potentially the Warriors are looking at the sixth pick in this years draft unless they start winning some games and move to a worse pick. The teams below them have a much worse record and shouldn’t be passing them up unless they win all the rest of their games and the Warriors lose all theirs. The Warriors have 8 games left and out of those games I can only see them winning 2 games with how they are playing. Both of those games are against the Trailblazers. Here is a little Picture to surmise how I feel about this team this season.

Three Losses in a Row

2006-03-31T22:42:00.000-08:00

The Warriors lost another game tonight to the Sacramento Kings 93-96. This game was lost in the second quarter as the Warriors put up 13 points to Sacramento’s 29. It was a valiant attempt in the final minutes to get to within one, but that was as far as they could go. The Warriors were lead by Mike Dunleavy who scored 24 points. But there wasn’t too much other help. This was a very winnable game for the Warriors, but they didn’t win it. Now the Warriors have received their 41st loss of the season which means that the best they can do is a .500 record. That also pretty much means no playoffs unless the teams competing for the last playoff spot lose all the rest of their games and the Warriors win all theirs. Quite improbable. Now the question for the Warriors is do they keep playing their regulars or do they play more of the younger players and see what they have and get ready for next year.

Next up for the Warriors is a Sunday afternoon affair where the Warriors will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Could be an interesting game with neither team having anything to play for anymore except respect.

Another heartbreaking loss

2006-03-30T22:24:00.000-08:00

The Warriors lost a heartbreaker last night to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets 85-86. The Warriors had multiple chances in the dying seconds only to have Dunleavy convert after the buzzer had sounded. This game is typical of Warrior games lately as teams are keying their defenses to stop Jason Richardson and the rest of the Warriors just aren’t doing enough to help. Jason Richardson as well as Mike Dunleavy scored 19 points but it wasn’t enough. This was a very important game for the Warriors because Sacramento had won earlier in the day and the Hornets are between the Warriors and the Kings in the standings. The Warriors playoff chances are just about over now. Not completely but 99.9% chance they don’t get in now.

Next up for the Warriors are the Sacramento Kings again. Previously the Warriors outlasted the Kings in Sacramento so the Kings will have that much more reason to go for the win. That and for the reason of keeping the last seed in the playoffs. Should be a battle and I will predict a Warrior win right here and now. Go Warriors!!!!

The run is stopped

2006-03-27T22:40:00.000-08:00

The Warriors lost to Warriors East tonight 116-98. The Warriors fell behind by 16 points at one point in the third and brought it down to down 4, but let it slip away again. The Warriors were lead by Jason Richardson who had another sub 20 point game with 18 points. The Warriors had 6 players in double figures scoring, but it wasn’t enough as Gilbert Arenas scored 40 points with 10 assists and Antawn Jamison had 31 points and 14 rebounds. The Warriors were clearly done in by the old Warriors. Unfortunately it ends the Warriors streak but fortunately it wasn’t a loss against a team that they are battling for the playoffs with.

Next up for the Warriors is a team that they are battling for a playoff spot with: The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets. They have been on a bit of a rough stretch as of late, which is good for the Warriors, but bad for the feel good story team that had to be relocated this season due to Hurricane Katrina. The Warriors need this win or they can really start to make their plans for vacation.

A win against the upstate rivals

2006-03-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

The Golden State Warriors pulled out a win against the Sacramento Kings last night 90-83. This is an important win for the Warriors since Sacramento holds the eighth and last playoffs spot in the Western Conference. Shocker of the night was that the Warriors leading scorer was… Adonal Foyle. Yeah I can’t believe I am saying that either, but old Stone Hands actually led the Warriors with 18 points. He was helped out by Mike Dunleavy and Derek Fisher who scored 17 and Jason Richardson who had 16 points.

The Warriors have a game tonight against the Washington Warriors… um I meant Wizards. Sorry I see enough former Warriors on that team to just rename them. If the Warriors can beat them, and avenge their loss from earlier this season, then the Warriors will be on a three game winning streak and making a legitimate push for the playoffs. My hopes aren’t high, but they are still there. GO WARRIORS!!!

An AMAZING Win!!!!!!!!!

2006-03-23T21:44:00.000-08:00

The Warriors bounced back in dramatic fashion against the Dallas Mavericks to win 122-121 on a last second 3 pointer by Jason Richardson. It was an unbelievable ending to a great game. Richardson scored 40 points which were capped by the aforementioned 3 pointer and Dirk Nowitzki scored 51 in the loss for Dallas. Through most of the game Dallas was shooting 100% from the free throw line, but in the last 2 minutes they had 3 crucial missed free throws that allowed the Warriors to win this game. The Warriors on the other hand made all the key free throws at the end of this game to give them the opportunity to win and they took it. It was a fantastic effort from the Warriors and hopefully the keep it up.

Next up for the Golden State Warriors on Sunday are the Sacramento Kings who have been playing excellent basketball since the acquisition of Ron Artest. They are currently either the 7th or 8th seed in the playoffs. Warriors are still technically alive in the playoff picture, but they are looking in from a long way out. It would take nearly flawless basketball the rest of the season for them even to have a shot at getting in.

An end to the streak

2006-03-22T14:22:00.000-08:00

The Warriors were not up to the challenge of the San Antonio Spurs last night as the fell 96-107. The Warriors put up a good fight the whole game even having a 5 point lead in the 4th quarter, but the Spurs turned on their defense and only ran the score up to double digits with only a couple minutes left in the game. I have to applaud the Warriors’ effort as they played hard, but not without some serious flaws as well. Derek Fisher lead the Warriors with 27 points, but it wasn’t enough to get the win.

Next up for the Golden State Warriors, on thursday, is the team that is only half a game behind the Spurs for the best record in the West, the Dallas Mavericks. This isn’t the Mavericks of a few years back, this team can still score, but it plays defense now too. This is going to be another test for the Warriors as this game is in Dallas. On a good note though, the Warriors have already beat Dallas once this season in Dallas. Should be a fun game to watch.

Two Game Winning Streak

2006-03-19T23:50:00.000-08:00

The Warriors played the Minnesota Timberwolves a few days ago and won 105-97. This was a payback game for the Warriors as the T-Wolves beat them a few weeks back. The Warriors were lead in scoring by Mike Dunleavy who finally had a good day again, and it was about time as Jason Richardson had a slow game of only 15 points, but with all the carrying of the team he has done lately it was understandable. Derek Fisher chipped in with a career high tying 13 assists and Troy Murphy had another monster rebounding game as he pulled down 17 rebounds.

Earlier today the Warriors took on the Philadelphia 76ers and beat them 98-89. This was another payback game for the Warriors who lost to the Sixers earlier this season. This was a game that saw both teams playing without their star point guards: Baron Davis for the Warriors and Allen Iverson for the Sixers. The Warriors were once again lead by Mike Dunleavy who has put together two very good back to back games, by scoring 28 today and also had 10 rebounds. Jason Richardson also chipped in his season average of 23 points. Troy Murphy chipped in 12 points and 16 rebounds.

Next up for the Warriors is another road trip which unfortunately goes to the San Antonio Spurs Tuesday. The Spurs are just gearing up for the playoffs at this point and are trying to make sure that they are sharp and trying to hold onto the top seed in the Western Conference so they can have home court in the playoffs. This will be a tough game for the Warriors to take their two game winning streak up against, but there is no avoiding it. So BRING ON THE SPURS!!!!!!!

A huge win followed by another bad outing, and a little satire

2006-03-12T22:13:00.000-08:00

I am updating two games today because it has been a busy weekend. The Warriors started off very strong with a win against Eastern Conference Powerhouse the Miami Heat and beat them 111-106. In a huge win for the Warriors Jason Richardson went for a Career high 44 points to carry the Warriors to victory. This was just a continuation of his fantastic play as of late and cementing him as the Warriors cornerstone.

Unfortunately the Warriors followed that up with a disheartening loss the Eastern Conference bottom-feeder the Orlando Magic as they lost 92-103. Jason Richardson finally cooled off and only scored 11 points as the Warriors lack of effort cost them a game they should have won.

The Warriors will have a bit of a layoff now as they return home from their longest road trip of the season and play again on Thursday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Here is something funny just to make you laugh and maybe help with your Dunleavy frustrations.

The Losses are piling up

2006-03-08T21:52:00.000-08:00

The Warriors lost yet another game today when they lost to the Charlotte Bobcats 101-104. This was a game that the Warriors were leading in the final minute of the game and yet found a way to lose it by the time the clock read 0:00. The Warriors were lead again by Jason Richardson, who scored 27, but they couldn’t get the important stops at the end of the game to secure the win. It is becoming quite a depressing time to be a Warriors fan, especially when they lose to an undermanned second year team.

The upcoming schedule only gets harder for the Warriors. Not only have the been losing to teams that they should be beating, but now they run up against the Miami Heat, a team that they shouldn’t be beating. The fact that their confidence seems to be dropping just means that they could be in for a severe beating. Let’s hope I am wrong. We will find out on Friday.

ANOTHER LOSS

2006-03-08T17:04:00.000-08:00

The Warriors lost again yesterday afternoon to the Atlanta Hawks 106-113. This was another miserable 4th quarter for the Warriors since the Warriors came into the final quarter up by 1. The main story of this game was the battle between Jason Richardson and Joe Johnson who both scored 42 points. That was fun to watch the final quarter was not.

As I post this the Warriors are about to start their game against the Charlotte Bobcats, who are far down in the standings and full of injuries. I hope that means a win for the Warriors, but I can’t even say that comfortably anymore.

Another Loss

2006-03-06T22:22:00.000-08:00

The Warriors lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves 90-103 yesterday afternoon in a game that was close until the 4th quarter. The Warriors were once again spearheaded by Jason Richardson who scored 36 point and made 7 three pointers, but Kevin Garnett and his 23 points and 21 assists were too much for the Warriors to overcome. The effort lately from any Warrior not named Jason Richardson leads me to believe that many of them may be throwing in the towel. Not completely of course, but when some adversity seems to rear its ugly head, then the team appears to cave. The Warriors appear as though they are gearing up for their off-season trip to Secaucus, New Jersey for the annual draft lottery to see where the non-playoff teams will be drafting in the June draft.

Next up for the Golden State Warriors is the Atlanta Hawks. They are once again one of the worst teams in the league as far as record, but as of late they have been putting together some very solid outings against quality opponents, so this won’t be a cake walk for the Warriors, but I am hoping for one, because the Warriors have only won one game since the All-Star break.

Ugh, another loss to the Lakers

2006-03-03T22:58:00.000-08:00

The Warriors played and ugly game tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers and the refs made it even uglier as the Warriors lost 94-106. This game saw Baron Davis return from his ankle injury, but that didn’t matter anyway. Jason Richardson played his heart out again, but the refs made touch foul calls against the Warriors allowing the Lakers and more specifically Kobe Bryant get to shoot free throws constantly. It was an ugly game and I will just leave it like that.

Next up for the Warriors on Sunday night is the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves are beaten like the Warriors this year and this is more a battle to see who gets a better pick in the draft then who will be in playoff contention at the end of the season.

Finally a win after the All-Star Break

2006-03-01T23:30:00.000-08:00

Well the Warriors finally came away with a win again, snapping their 4 game losing streak. They beat the Orlando Magic 98-94. The Warriors were led by the gutsy play of Jason Richardson who was still noticeable hobbled by the ankle that he sprained two nights a go. He scored 25 points and 11 of those points came in the last 1:49 seconds of the game to seal the win for Golden State. Jason Richardson is just proving that he is a Warrior in every sense of the word and clearly he is the leader that this team needs to follow. Troy Murphy also chipped in with 20 rebounds and Derek Fisher had 10 assists.

Next up for the Golden State Warriors is the Los Angles Lakers. I would love to beat this team because there is no team in the league that I hate more then the Lakers and currently they are 3 games ahead of the Warriors in the standings and holding the 8th and final playoff spot. Let’s hope the Warriors destroy them.

Worst Loss of the Season

2006-02-28T16:28:00.000-08:00

The Warriors felt their worse loss of the season last night against the Utah Jazz falling 108-117 in overtime. The Warriors looked like they were dead in the water getting behind by 20 points in the game. Then Jason Richardson proceeded to carry this team on his back. Then he hit a three pointer and landed on the defenders foot and looked like he suffered a severely sprained ankle. Be that as it may, he came back into the game hobbling a minute later and kept making shots. From the course of before the injury to after the injury he made 10 straight shots to get the team up in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. The Warriors were up by 3 point with about 4.5 seconds left and they elected not to foul and give Utah the chance to tie the game and they did. It was all down hill from there as the Warriors came out deflated in the overtime and lost by 9 points. The only thing worse then allowing the game to go in OT because of the 3 was that in the closing couple of minutes the Warriors proceeded to clank free throw after free throw that if they had made one more would have given them the game. The Warriors blow a heroic 35 point Jason Richardson performance and solid performances from the youngsters Ike Diogu, Andris Biedrins and Monta Ellis.

Next up for the Warriors on Wednesday night is the Orlando Magic who are one of the bottom of the league teams this year. The Warriors need this win to end the four game losing streak. Hopefully Jason Richardson will be able to play in that game and hopefully Baron Davis will find a way to be back for that game as well.

Three losses following the break

2006-02-27T15:31:00.000-08:00

Ok this has been a bad stretch for the Warriors following the All-Star break. I don’t like updating following losses, but considering they have lost three and a row and have another game tonight I think I should just update before it gets too long. This has not been a good stretch of basketball especially with all these games being without Baron Davis.

The first game following the All-Star break the Warriors took on the Sacramento Kings and lost 77-102. This was not a pretty game at any point, especially with the Warriors being down by as many as 35 at one point. The Warriors were out of the game since the first quarter. The bright spot of the game was Andris Biedrins whose hustle and energy accumulated 12 points and 8 rebounds. It wasn’t enough for the team to even be close but it is something to build on.

The second of three games was against a Houston Rockets team without its best player (Tracy McGrady), yet the Warriors still fell 88-91. The Warriors blew an amazing performance from Jason Richardson who led all scorers with 39 points. Troy Murphy also added in 15 points and 17 rebounds, but there wasn’t enough help outside those two to get the win. The Warriors played from behind the whole game until the third quarter where they got up by about 6 points. The lead wasn’t enough unfortunately as the offense disappeared in the fourth quarter and the Warriors ended up with 2 losses in a row.

Game three of the so far three game losing streak came against the defending Champion San Antonio Spurs. The Warriors lost 75-92 in another beating. The bright spot of the game was Rookie Monta Ellis scoring a career high 16 points as his defense helped slow down Tony Parker. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough though. But at least this ends the road trip and the Warriors head back home for a few games.

Tonight the Warriors will be taking on the Utah Jazz in the Oakland Arena and this is the time that the Warriors have to make a run. The Warriors have 6 very winnable games coming up before the have to play the Miami Heat. Currently the Warriors are 24-31 this season. If the Warriors can win the next 6 games and get themselves to 30-31 they will be in much better shape, especially since the are only 4 games out of the last playoff spot right now. Even if this team can’t make the playoffs if they can finish this season with a .500 record it will be a victory for the team since they haven’t had that successful of a season since the 1993-1994 season when they finished 50-32.

A win going into the All-Star Break

2006-02-15T22:22:00.000-08:00

Tonight, the day before my birthday, the Warriors gave me an early birthday present by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 88-81. This also ended the Warriors 7 game losing streak to the Clippers. The Warriors were well in control of this game the whole game and held on just long enough to come away with the win. Once again this was a Warrior team playing with Murphy, Baron and Andris Biedrins, but they had the energy to get the win anyway. This is a testament to the heart of this team. Now they are on their all-star break until they play the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. The good thing about this is that it gives the injured Warriors some time to rest and hopefully they can be back for the next game and the good energy they have been showing lately will only be turned up more with everyone healthy.

I am not sure if I will make a post about the All-Star game just because there are no representatives for the Warriors in any aspect of the all-star weekend, but I might mention it if it is interesting.

Warriors lose a heartbreaker

2006-02-13T22:27:00.000-08:00

The Golden State Warriors lost to the Memphis Grizzlies 79-81 on a last second shot by Pau Gasol. The Warriors overcame stupid mistakes mostly on the part of Mickael Pietrus to be tied with about 3 seconds to go, but still couldn’t hold off the Grizzlies. The Warriors were without Baron Davis, Troy Murphy and Andris Biedrins which made it more impressive that they were even in the game at the end. The Warriors were led by Derek Fisher who did everything in his power to will this team to the win, but his will wasn’t enough at the end. It is still a loss unfortunately and the Warriors fall lower below the .500 mark. The season isn’t looking bright, but there is still time so things can change, especially with the trade deadline coming a week from Thursday. Let’s hope a deal is made to fire up this team.

Next up for the Warriors is the Los Angeles Clippers and if the Warriors don’t have Murphy and Biedrins back they have no shot against the Clippers frontline. I have my fingers crossed. Especially since I don’t want to see the Warriors lose their 8th in a row against the Clippers.

Cavaliers beaten again

2006-02-13T16:15:00.000-08:00

On Saturday night the Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 99-91 in Cleveland giving the Warriors a sweep of the Cavaliers this season. The Warriors were lead by Jason Richardson’s 31 points as he pretty much matched the production of Lebron James (33 points). The more impressive thing about this victory is that it came about with Murphy missing the whole game and Baron Davis going down very early in the game. So the Warriors were playing missing two of their starters, but still came away with a solid win.

Tonight the Warriors will be taking on the Memphis Grizzlies who after starting the season as one of the top teams have fallen to only a couple games over .500. The Warriors need to start making a run here because they are facing mostly Western Conference teams now and that makes these games twice as important.

Winter Games XX in Italy

2006-02-11T00:30:00.000-08:00

The opening ceremonies for the 20th Olympic Winter Games began today. They take place in Torino, Italy. Their ceremonies were nice and the United States of America was cheered which I was worried about, they also brought the largest delegation consisting of 211 people, Canada was second with 195. The lighting of the torch was really cool as well. I am looking forward to seeing some speed skating and ski jumping. Those are my two favorite things in the Winter Games. I am hoping the Americans will take away the most medals as I love to see us stomping the rest of the world.

The Warriors add two more losses

2006-02-10T23:58:00.000-08:00

The Warriors played a hard fought game that the refs essentially decided when they lost to the Washington Wizards 129-124. This was a game of no defense that essentially was won by the Wizards since the refs allowed them to shoot 55 free throws to the Warriors 31. To make matters worse the Wizards attempted 32 free throws in the second half, one more then the Warriors total for the game. It was high scoring, but I am not as much of a fan of those games. Not a pretty game so I won’t comment anymore on it.

In the second game the Warriors faced off against the Indiana Pacers and lost 95-107. This game was fairly officiated but the Warriors lacked energy and when the young guys brought it the coach pulled them for the starters again…costing them the game. The Warriors fell behind by 19 points at one point in the game and the younger guys brought the score all the way back to down 1. Then the Warriors fell apart again losing by 12. Ugly game as well, the Warriors need to win a game soon they can kiss the playoffs goodbye.

Next up for the Warriors is the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday afternoon. Cleveland is going to be looking for revenge for their 20 point loss to the Warriors in Oakland, hopefully the Warriors come out with some fire or this could get ugly quickly.

Warriors beat the Nuggets

2006-02-06T22:45:00.000-08:00

The Warriors played another strong game tonight against the Denver Nuggets and came out the winners 122-114. The difference in this game was the Warriors outscoring the Nuggets 35-15 in the third quarter. They went on a 24-1 run during that quarter. Once again the Warriors were led by Jason Richardson (28 points) Baron Davis (23 points, 12 assists and 4 steals) and Troy Murphy (20 points and 13 rebounds). Another important contribution came from Andris Biedrins again. He is showing that he is the heir apparent to the throne of the Warriors starting center. In only 17 minutes he had 2 points, 6 rebounds and 6 blocked shots. On top of that he brought the energy that sparked the Warriors in the third quarter.

Next up for the Warriors is the Washington Wizards who are led by former Warriors Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison. Should be an interesting up tempo game and a very winnable game for the Warriors since Washington is a struggling team.

A tough loss followed by a Blowout win

2006-02-04T22:33:00.000-08:00

On Thursday the Warriors met up with the defending NBA champion Spurs and lost 89-86. It was a tough loss because the Warriors had a chance at the end of the game but just couldn’t get a rebound at the very end of the game. The more promising part was that they did all that without Jason Richardson. When he comes back the Warriors will be better equipped to win those close games.

Tonight the Warriors played the Minnesota Timberwolves who are currently a team in trouble. They can’t seem to win right now and are falling out of the Playoff picture. The Warriors proceeded to stomp the Wolves 109-77. The fourth quarter was essentially just the reserves playing because the game was over by then. The Warriors led by 36 at one point. Nobody’s stats look spectacular because of the limited minutes, but this game marked the return of Jason Richardson and he scored 23 points, even brighter was that he was 7-7 from the free throw line because he changed his technique. This is important since he is an under 70% shooter from the stripe. Hopefully this game was the result of the good effort against the Spurs and we can expect better play from here on out. The past couple of games have also shown the progress of Andris Biedrins who is doing a lot of the little things to help this team, while getting some easy baskets, rebounding and playing defense. It is only a matter of time before he becomes the starting center for the team.

Next up for the Warriors is the Denver Nuggets. They have been on a bit of a slide before winning tonight as well. Let’s hope the Warriors get a win there and start stringing together some victories.

Another tough loss

2006-02-01T23:43:00.000-08:00

Well the Warriors blew another game tonight. They were up by 10 in the second quarter and were up by 6 at halftime then they proceeded to score 9 points in the third quarter while Seattle scored 29. The Warriors couldn’t bounce back from that. Baron Davis had a great game scoring 35 and having 9 assists, but the Warriors still lost 107-111. The Warriors could have used Jason Richardson who missed his third game with a sore back. The Warriors once again lost a game by less point (4) then free throws missed (8). Coach Montgomery got thrown out of the game today and the Warrior Nation was happy to see him go as there is growing consent that Monty is what is hurting the team. During the third quarter while the Warriors were allowing a lot of point he didn’t call a time out until after they were down by 6 points and he proceeded to but the same team back on the court following the time out. Clearly this man hasn’t got a clue any longer and he has to go. General Manager Chris Mullin, on behalf of the Warrior Nation FIRE MONTGOMERY NOW!!!!!!!!!

Next up for the Warriors tomorrow is the San Antonio Spurs. Things don’t get any easier for the Warriors as they will be meeting up with the team with the second best record in the League. I am not looking forward to this as the Warriors got destroyed in their last game against the Spurs.

A Loss and a win

2006-01-28T22:45:00.000-08:00

The Warriors had another horrible loss to the Lakers when they lost 106-105 in overtime. The Warriors blew another lead in this game as they were up by 12 at one point and up by 9 with 5 and a half minutes left in the 4th quarter. The only positive out of this was the pay of rookie Monta Ellis. He looked very promising and shows that he needs more minutes in the future. Let’s hope for more from him.

In the good game the Warriors beat the Portland Trailblazers 98-83. This was a game that they had to win and they did. The Warriors didn’t have Jason Richardson for the 2nd game and Dunleavy for the first game. Ellis once again had a great game proving that when the starters are healthy again he should get more minutes.

The Warriors are playing a Seattle team on Wednesday that is on a bit of a surge. So it will be interesting to see how the Warriors do. They need to string some wins together if they are going to save the season.

3 more losses

2006-01-25T21:59:00.000-08:00

I am going to make this one real quick because this is becoming quite a chore to update after some of these terrible losses. The Warriors lost to the Clippers twice 92-105 and 96-93. The second loss was quite disheartening because the Warriors blew a 19 point lead to lose that game. Then tonight the Warriors lost to the Dallas Mavericks 93-102. In that loss they gave up a 12 point lead and allowed the Mavericks to go on a 19-1 run finishing the 3rd and starting the 4th quarter. Next up for the Warriors on Friday is the Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant coming off his 81 points. This might be bad if he decides to go for the most points scored in 2 consecutive games. Let’s pray for the Warriors, they need it right now.

Updating 2 more games

2006-01-20T22:24:00.000-08:00

I am updating 2 games because I forgot I didn’t post for the Seattle game from Monday afternoon. On Monday afternoon (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) the Warriors beat the Seattle Supersonics 109-93. The Warriors had three players scoring 20+ points; Jason Richardson (26), Baron Davis (25), and Mike Dunleavy Jr. (22). Mickael Pietrus also scored 19 points in 15 minutes for the Warriors. Along with the 25 points scored by Baron Davis he also added 10 assists and 9 rebounds. One rebound shy of having 2 straight triple-doubles. The last Warrior to do that was Wilt Chamberlain over 40 years ago. This was a good game for the Warriors to build on and create some momentum because the Warriors dominated this game and had a much bigger lead then the final score. The bad thing that game out of this game was that Baron took a little bit of a shot at Luke Ridnour and we found out yesterday that he was suspended for the game tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers. In my opinion it didn’t look like that bad a foul, but the league is trying to make sure that stuff like that doesn’t happen. This was a long shot for the Sonics to win anyway because their best player Ray Allen was finishing the last game of a 3 game suspension that he got for fighting with another player.

Tonight the Warriors had a strong victory over Cleveland Cavaliers winning 99-79. Jason Richardson and Mike Dunleavy both scored 22 points to lead the Warriors and they got good play out of Derek Fisher (17 points, 9 assists, 6 steals and 5 rebounds) taking Baron Davis’ starting spot during the suspension. The more important part of this game was that Jason Richardson, Mike Dunleavy and Mickael Pietrus shut down Lebron James allowing him to only score 14 points on 5 of 22 shooting. That is the kind of performance the Warriors need against star players.

This game got the Warriors back to a .500 record at 19-19. The Warriors now play back-to-back games against the Clippers on Sunday and Monday. The Warriors need to win those games to help their playoff chances.

5 Straight Losses

2006-01-14T22:12:00.000-08:00

Well the Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 104-110. This is the Warriors fifth loss in a row. The Warriors back court was good. Baron Davis had a triple-double (24 points, 11 rebounds, 13 assists) and Jason Richardson scored 37 points. The problem with Richardson was that he also missed 6 free throws (4-10) which is the difference in the game. Kobe Bryant on the other hand made all of his free throws (11-11) on his way to scoring 38 points. The Warriors were beat by the role players for the Lakers. Kobe is going to score his points, but the Warriors allowed Smush Parker and Kwame Brown to account for 42 points and they average closer to 20 points combined. The season at this point is slipping away and the Warriors better get things straightened out soon. They have a Monday afternoon game against the Seattle Supersonics and that is a definite must win for the team.

Under .500 for the first time

2006-01-13T16:19:00.000-08:00

Well this is going to be a quick post because you all know that I hate to elaborate too much on the losses and they are definitely adding up at this point. I am updating two games, one against the Heat and one against the Suns (both losses). They were ugly games where the Warriors hung in there for the most part and just fell apart at some point in the second half. These are two of the better teams in the league but the Warriors look horrible playing them. The Warriors need a change either with a trade or by getting rid of the coach. Right now they are one game under .500 and on a 4 game losing streak. Something has to be done before the Warriors blow another season. Next up for the Warriors is their Nemesis from down south the Los Angeles Lakers who haven’t been as bad this season as I had hoped. Currently they are ahead of the Warriors in the standings.

Another Tough Loss

2006-01-05T23:08:00.000-08:00

The Warriors lost another game tonight, this time to the undermanned Indiana Pacers. The Pacers were playing without their 3 best players and the Warriors showed no energy in the first quarter and finishing that quarter down by 20. The Warriors had a long uphill fight after that and the Warriors found a way to get the game to down by 2 in the last 2 minutes of the game, but they couldn’t get it any closer. The Warriors led in this game 1-0 and after that it was all downhill. I don’t really want to talk more about this game, because this is one of those games that they really should have won. More bad news for the Warriors was that Cheaney left the game early with a quad injury, and Troy Murphy left the game with an ankle sprain. In the last minute of the game Baron also took a nasty fall and didn’t finish the game. It will be interesting to see if he is ok. The Warriors NEED him to be ok. Next up for the Warriors is the Miami Heat who are playing well right now and of course they have Shaq, so this will be a tough game for the Warriors.

Unsuccessful in the town of Elvis

2006-01-03T22:24:00.000-08:00

The Warriors fell short in their bid for a perfect 3 game road trip. They were manhandled from the beginning by the Memphis Grizzlies and even found themselves down by 25 points at one point in the third quarter. The Warriors began a comeback in the 4th quarter and managed to bring it down to 10 before the game ended. The Warriors were just outplayed this game, but they showed fight, so that is a good thing they can take out of this game. The Warriors have a nationally televised game against the Indiana Pacers on Thursday. This should be a good time to meet them. The Pacers are in turmoil with the Artest situation and Jermaine O’Neal has been out with pneumonia. This should be an interesting match up and a good way for the Warriors to start their 8 of next 11 games at home.

Two Solid Victories

2005-12-31T22:52:00.000-08:00

Well the Warriors came away with two great away victories today and yesterday by beating the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets. Both games came down to the wire but in completely different circumstances for the Warriors. In the Dallas game, which the Warriors won 111-109, the Warriors had to battle back from down 14 and they finally caught up in the last 2 minutes of the game. Against the Rockets the Warriors almost gave up the game in the last couple of minutes, but they still held on and got revenge for the loss they got to the Rockets earlier in the season. I am not going elaborate any more on these games right now. I am a little bit tired and the New Year is here in less then an hour so I have to get ready for that. Anyway, look forward to the Warriors versus the Grizzlies on the 3rd and everyone have a happy new year.

One Game Over .500

2005-12-29T20:54:00.000-08:00

Well the Warriors put an end to their 5 game losing streak by beating the Boston Celtics 111-109. This game marked Ike Diogu’s first game as a starter for the Warriors and it was doubly beneficial. For one, it brought Diogu’s scoring in the game to begin with to help to eliminate the poor starts the Warriors have been having, but it actually seemed to spark Adonal Foyle as well. He came off the bench and had 7 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocks. That is the type of production that the Warriors need from Foyle. It must just work for him to have the energy coming off the bench as well as not having to match up with the starting center. Jason Richardson had a fantastic game scoring 36 points to lead all scorers. This isn’t a fantastic win by any stretch. It was a grind it out win against a team they should beat and revenge for the loss they already suffered against the Celtics this season. This was also the Warriors making sure once again that they are atleast even in the season series against the Celtics. Out of all the finished series only Detroit won the series, so that is a good start for the Warriors. Not only was this a nice win to see the Warriros get since it kept them from falling below .500, which they haven’t done all season, but it was a win that was witnessed by the Greatest Quarter back of all-time. Joe Montana.

Up next is a HUGE test for the Warriors. On Friday the Warriors take on the Dallas Mavericks who own a tied for the best record in the Western Conference with the San Antonio Spurs. How the Warriors do in that game will tell a lot about how good this team really is.

Better Play But .500 Record

2005-12-27T22:20:00.000-08:00

Well, the Warriors blew a great opportunity and now they are a .500 ball club. Record = 14-14. The Warriors were in this game the whole time, but made the mistakes in the fourth quarter that killed their opportunity to win. The Warriors were hovering around the same score as the Nuggets the whole game then in the fourth quarter they let that stupid F***ing midget Earl Boykins and all 5’5” of him score about 7 points in a row and something around 12 points in the quarter thereby costing the Warriors the game. How do you let a 5’5” abuse you like that? It was painful to watch. Anyway, the Warriors got double-doubles from Baron Davis (16 points, 11 assists) and Jason Richardson (26 points, 12 rebounds) in the loss. The Nuggets were led by Carmelo Anthony. The Warriors have a NEED TO WIN game on Wednesday to look forward to know. They are playing the Boston Celtics in Oakland and they have to get revenge for the beating they got last week in Boston. Also a side note to keep in mind. I have heard that the Ron Artest sweepstakes are coming to a close soon and the Warriors are one of four teams in the running. I think the Warriors need something right now to spark this team, and if they don’t get Artest they should definitely look into getting someone.

OPTIMISM!!!!!

2005-12-23T21:10:00.000-08:00

Well the Warriors didn’t get the win today, but they did find the energy and grittiness that they have been missing the past 3 games. The Warriors fell to the Detroit Pistons 85-97 today, but this was a game that showed promise in a couple of areas. Like I mentioned before, the Warriors played a lot better today. The effort they gave today would have beat Boston, New Jersey and Philadelphia, it is just too bad that they had to put up the good effort against the best team in the NBA. They should gain confidence from their play today and we will hope to see it continue the day after Christmas when they play the Denver Nuggets. The REAL bright spot of this game though was Ike Diogu. He finally got some decent minutes again and what did he do? He put up 27 points, leading the Warriors in scoring and only falling a point shy of the 28 points that Detroit’s Richard Hamilton scored. Diogu showed an array of moves that seemed to scream to every Warrior fan “FOYLE SHOULD NOT BE STARTING ANYMORE!!!” Sorry about that, but it is clear that Foyle’s unproductive minutes offensively and defensively cannot be acceptable anymore. The Warriors need to have that inside scoring punch that only Diogu seems to have on this team. The other bright spot that came most likely because of the production of Diogu was in that the Warriors only shot 11 three pointers the entire game. This is coming from the team that averages about 27 a game. This is a great sign to me. Granted the Warriors only scored 85 points, but it was also against one of the best defensive teams in the league, so you can expect bigger scoring from the team against the rest of the league. The rest of the Warriors didn’t really have great games. Troy Murphy had 11 points and 11 rebounds, Baron Davis 14 points and 10 assists, and Jason Richardson had 14 points and 9 rebounds. The scoring was all below their season averages, but attribute that too the emergence of their Beast Ike Diogu and that this was the Detroit Pistons. Well that is it for now, but I am optimistic about the Warriors play again and I have three words to Coach Montgomery “UNLEASH THE BEAST!!!!!”

Not Good. Three Losses in a Row

2005-12-21T22:06:00.000-08:00

Well the Warriors are now on a three game losing streak as they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers 100-111 today. Things have not been pretty for the Warriors on this road trip as they are losing by double digit points and allowing a good deal over 100 points each game they lost. The Warriors were led by Jason Richardson’s 24 points, but once again only he, Troy Murphy (22) and Baron Davis (16) really contributed. Mike Dunleavy was the only other player to score in double digits, with 11 points. The Warriors also gave up a season high for points allowed to one player when Allen Iverson scored 38 against them. The Warriors don’t seem to have the defensive effort they had earlier this season and they aren’t getting any points near the basket and that is the key to their struggles. I have also figured out a reason for some of our difficulties. It looks as though Adonal Foyle isn’t the player he used to be. I think there are a few things catching up with Adonal right now. Foyle is 30 years old now and he has had some problems with his knees in the past. I think he has had 2 surgeries on them, but I am not sure about that, and now he has to play against players taller and more athletic then him. I don’t think he has what it takes to be a starter in this league. Samuel Dalembert made Foyle look silly in the first quarter as he made the 76ers first 4 shots and was 5 for 5 I believe when he got into foul trouble. This was all with Foyle guarding him. If it weren’t for the foul trouble Dalembert might have done some serious damage. I think the Warriors need to start Andris Biedrins now and use Foyle off the bench, plus they need to start suiting up Taft for when Foyle doesn’t give them anything off the bench. These three losses just prove that the Warriors need to change things up and this is my recommendation. The only other answer is to make a trade. Things need to be shaken up some because this Warriors team is falling out of the playoffs as we speak and they can’t afford to try to play catch up. The only problem is the Warriors still have one more game on the road trip and that is against Detroit, the team with the best record in the NBA. The Warriors did play them to the wire earlier this year, but that was in Oakland and Detroit is a very tough team to play in Detroit, but I am still hoping the Warriors can take it. A win there could really help to reawaken the Warriors up and build the confidence back up going into their two day Christmas break. Let’s keep our finger crossed for the Warriors on Friday and also for Mullin to work some magic to get this team better.

Blah and a Christmas Wish

2005-12-19T22:59:00.000-08:00

I really don’t enjoy doing these posts when the Warriors lose games that I know they should have won. If that doesn’t give away the outcome then let me say the Warriors lost today to the Boston Celtics 98-109. It was disappointing losing this game because they should have been fired up after the New Jersey game and Boston is just an average team at best. The Warriors did a good job slowing down Boston’s superstar Paul Pierce, but in return they just let everybody on Boston do something and it was too much for the Warriors to take. The Warriors only got production out of Jason Richardson (23 points), Baron Davis (24 points) and Troy Murphy (27 points). You might include Derek Fisher on that list, but 12 points from him doesn’t make up for everyone else and that is just an average contribution anyway. The Warriors now are 1-2 on the road trip and face Philadelphia on Wednesday, and they just snuck about .500 so it is only going to get harder for them now.

With the showing the Warriors have put out the last couple of games I think they are trying to tell President of Basketball Operations Chris Mullin that he needs to make a trade. I am of the impression that if you are going to have a starting lineup that includes Adonal Foyle (no offense and only defense), then you have to have 4 solid starters. Mike Dunleavy is not that starter and so the Warriors need to find the small forward that would be (Ron Artest maybe). Prime example of this idea is the Detroit Pistons. Ben Wallace is a great defensive player, but very limited offensively, but the other 4 starters (Richard Hamilton, Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince) are very capable solid players, and much better defensively then the Warriors starters as well. So this is me begging the Warriors to make my Christmas wish come true and get the Warriors the starting small forward that will be consistent and if possible an upgrade at center so we can get some rebounds. Is that too much to ask?

Ugly to the Infinite Power

2005-12-18T22:01:00.000-08:00

I am going to make this post short because I don’t want to relive this horrible game. The Warriors lost to the New Jersey Nets 90-118. The Warriors were out of this game about halfway through the first quarter. The Nets started off shooting perfectly for a long stretch and the Warriors tried to get into it. They fought back to tie the game at 17 or so, after being down by 10 early, but New Jersey went on another run after that that pretty much lasted until the end of the game. The fourth quarter was essentially garbage time for both teams, but it was nice to see Diogu, Miles, Monta Ellis and Zarko get some prolonged minutes at the end. The Warriors don’t get to dwell on this too long as they head to Boston tomorrow for game three of the five game road trip. The Warriors need to win this game just to right themselves after this loss. They shouldn’t have trouble getting ready for this game though. They should be plenty pissed after today’s beatdown.

Road Trip Starts With a Win

2005-12-16T22:04:00.000-08:00

The Warriors played their first game of their 5 game road trip tonight and beat the Toronto Raptors (again) 108-98. This finished the Warrior’s season series versus the Raptors with the Warriors winning both games. This was a game of 3 point shooting as both teams shot better then 50% from behind the line (Warriors 58% and Raptors 53%). Both teams had 5 players scoring in double figures, the difference was the Warriors had 4 players score 20 or more (Baron Davis-20, Jason Richardson-23, Troy Murphy-20, and Derek Fisher-21) and Toronto only had 1 player (Chris Bosh-27). It was very much a back and forth game, which is exciting for the average fan (I prefer a little more defense, but that is just me). Things are not great for the Raptors right now, but they have a young core and we all know sometimes it is just one trade that can change everything around (See Warriors last year with Baron Davis). Hopefully this game washes the bad taste out of the Warriors’ mouths from the Houston debacle in overtime and helps them to at least win 4 out of the 5 games on this road trip. That shouldn’t be too much of a stretch for them since the remaining teams on the road trip are New Jersey (10-12), Boston (9-13), Philadelphia (12-12) and Detroit (17-3). Out of those teams only Detroit is the elite team, everyone else is .500 or worse. So going 4-1 on the road trip is very doable. So keep an eye on the Warriors after this road trip they could be back in first place again in the west since after today’s win they moved to within ½ game of the first place L.A. Clippers. It begins Sunday afternoon versus the New Jersey Nets (who have already lost to the Warriors this year).

2005-12-14T23:03:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a short double update because I am not feeling great right now.

Well the Warriors came out on both sides of the game in the past two games, both in overtime. The Warriors were part of their first and second overtime games this season on back to back nights, always a tough thing for a team. On Tuesday night against the Seattle Supersonics the Warriors won 110-107 in overtime with Baron Davis hitting a 3 pointer with .4 seconds left in the game. Ray Allen had a big game, scoring 35 points in Seattle’s loss. The Warriors were lead by 26 from Derek Fisher off the bench.

In the second game in two nights the Warriors lost 111-105 in overtime to the Houston Rockets. This was a game that the Warriors should have won. With a little over 5 seconds left in the 4th quarter the Warriors were up by 3 points and they should have chosen to foul making the Rockets shoot 2 free throws and not let them tie. They didn’t do that and Houston tied with a three pointer. The momentum was just about gone by then and the Warriors lost in the first overtime. The Warriors were led by 28 from Jason Richardson and 27 points and 13 assists from Baron Davis, unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Houston was led by Yao Ming with 30 points and 16 rebounds.

One little NBA side note I would like to mention. The enigmatic Ron Artest (the man who last season was suspended the whole season for attacking a fan in Detroit and causing a riot) has forced the Indiana Pacers to trade him. Now teams all around the league are trying to make the deal to land him. Although he is crazy he is very good and one of the best defenders in the league, so in my opinion he is worth the trouble. I would love to see him become a Warrior if the price is right. I wouldn’t want to give up too much because the team is doing well right now and he does have his issues. So we should see within the next week which team lands the Ron Artest Sweepstakes.

The Black Hole Named Fisher

2005-12-09T22:50:00.000-08:00

The Warriors lost tonight to the Detroit Pistons 106-103 in a game that the Warriors should have won. The Warriors were led by 36 points by Jason Richardson and Baron Davis’ 14 assists. The problem for the Warriors in the game though was Derek Fisher. He started off well shooting perfectly, 3-3 from the field and 4-4 from the line. But then around the second half sometime Fisher turned on his black hole power. All of a sudden he shoots quick shots that are well guarded and the ball doesn’t move around. There were about 5 of these possessions. Suddenly the Warriors go from up by 6 to down by 2. Derek Fisher finished the game missing his next 7 shots after making the first 3 shots he took. Regardless of that the Warriors were hanging tough until the last second. The Warriors were also on the short end of some dubious non-calls and bad calls, which hurt as well. There were also missed dunks by Foyle and Baron earlier in the game that give the Warriors the 4 points they would need for the win. But the topper on the game that angered me very much at the end was Fisher took the 3 pointer at the end of the game to try to tie. I don’t really mind this if he has too, but there was 7 seconds when the ball was inbounded to him, then he dribbles it up court and shoots with like 3 seconds left on the clock and he is like 10 feet behind the 3 point line. I wanted to strangle him. Well, that makes the Warriors 2-7 now to teams that are have a better then .500 record, not good for a team trying to get to the playoffs, and it takes the Warriors on their first losing streak of the season. On Tuesday the Warriors will match up against the Seattle Supersonics. This is a game that they Warriors HAVE to win now. So we will see what happens.

8 in a Row!!!!... For the Suns

2005-12-07T22:10:00.000-08:00

Well the Golden State Warriors couldn’t continue the win streak tonight against the Phoenix Suns. The final score was 118-110. It was, in my opinion, the battle of the two best point guards in the league, Baron Davis vs. Steve Nash. I have to give the edge to Steve Nash since he scored 28 points, 14 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 steals. Baron Davis had 28 points, 4 assists, 6 rebounds and 3 steals. It was a really fun game to watch. Unfortunately the Warriors didn’t’ have Troy Murphy available because of fever and flu. This cost the Warriors some rebounding, and that is what cost them the game in the last 3 minutes or so. They gave up offensive rebounds that allowed the Suns to get a second chance to score and they did. It was a tough loss for the Warriors, but they should bounce back from it. The Warriors are looking at an even more difficult test on Friday versus the Detroit Pistons who own the best record in the NBA. The Warriors need to get this win just for confidence reasons. They haven’t played well against any of the teams they played this year that were in the playoffs this year. Beating the Warriors could set them in motion for a strong surge through the tough competition they will face in December. A loss could set in motion a losing streak. Let’s hope for the former.

5 in a Row at the Block Party!!!

2005-12-02T22:26:00.000-08:00

Well the Warriors won their fifth in a row 107-100 over the Charlotte Bobcats. It was a battle the whole way with the Bobcats making up for their poor shooting by getting to shoot a lot of free throws, and I mean A LOT. They made 43 of 52 free throws. Baron Davis (21 points and 14 assists), Troy Murphy (18 points and 12 rebounds) and Adonal Foyle (12 points and 12 rebounds) had double-doubles for the Warriors. Jason Richardson led all scorers with 22 points. The sub-plot of this game though was the block party that was held. The bobcats beat the Warriors 10 blocks to 8 in the game with Emeka Okafor winning the individual battle against Adonal Foyle in that category 6 to 5. Now for the first time all year the Warriors have more then one day off before their next game, in fact they have four days off. They don’t play again until Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns. This gives the Warriors a chance to work on a few things before they meet up for the second time this season against the Suns. Hopefully the time off allows the Warriors to get rest and get better to see if they can extend the streak to 6 in a row. The Warriors are now at 12-6 on the season and officially are in first place in the Pacific division with a ½ game lead over the Los Angeles Clippers. Enjoy the rest folks. I may not post another blog until the ext game.

Four in a Row!!!

2005-11-30T22:31:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-28T22:10:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-26T22:07:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-25T13:44:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-22T22:49:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-20T15:00:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-18T22:23:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-17T22:23:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-15T01:32:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-14T22:53:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

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

2005-11-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

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.