Cats from Chi to NY spit game that came from...

Photo By Joseph Castillo

If there's been one thing throughout the Dallas/Warriors series that has been harped on over and over again (other than the fact that Dirk apparently left his heart in San Francisco), it's the fact that Baron Davis is a top 5 player in the league when healthy.

Healthy?

Before last night's game, I was prepared to write about how Baron hasn't been "healthy" since his first couple years in a Hornets uniform. And even that can be argued against considering his health issues while tearing it up at UCLA.



It's no secret. Averaging 52 games a year with a contract like that? Yikes. Alan Houston is rolling around in his grave. And it's probably a gold and ice encrusted grave with a platinum tombstone.

But last night brought forward something that most Warriors fans and a lot of hardcore NBA fans already knew: Even when hurt, Baron Davis can dominate an NBA basketball game. He's a top 10 player hurt and a top 5 when healthy. I hope this is the catalyst for some recognition next year.

I'm still in a daze with all the national attention the Warriors are getting. By the time game 3 rolled around, I finally stopped myself and reminded myself to appreciate the moment. This is for that Joe Smith jersey I wore so proudly during my senior year of high school. This is for the liquor store quality blue Warriors hat I wore in 6th grade until the sweat stains made it look like elephant print. I'm really savoring the moment. This is why we kept going to games watching names like Wood, Lister, Vonteego, Mookie, and Fuller. Warriors fans have been humbled by the reality of being fans of a mediocre team and a mediocre franchise for the last decade. But we still opened our arms (and wallets) and provided support. It's truly rewarding for someone like myself that has waited so long for this.

There was talk last night during TNT's post game about an emotional let down. That's not going to happen. Some people hopped on the bandwagon (or would "Yellow Bus" be more apropos?), but it was filled with regulars to begin with. We'll cheer win, lose or draw. But damn, we love to win. LOVE to win.

On a side note, I refuse to believe that the difference between the Grizzlies and the Warriors is just the fact that the Warriors "wanted it more." That's just nonsense. I do, though, think the gap between the 10th seed and the 4th seed is A LOT closer than most will want to admit. But to imply that Memphis and Golden State are similar teams? Golden State essentially went through pre-season all over again after that huge mid-season trade. Everybody and their mom knows the Warriors aren't really an 8th seed, anyway.

But then again, I'm not one for game, team,or player analysis. I leave that up to the professionals(Unstoppable, baby!).

glancing over my last post (from Monday, 4/30) I still think that most of what free darko says in that quote is a good point, about the rest of the league tanking because of two extremely (apparently) good teams, and I think you have to throw detroit in the east into that conversation too, even though they struggled a bit early, but upon further review, to say there's just a negligible difference between golden state & memphis (talent wise) and that it was just the oomph that made one team go and one team roll over, well, that's a bit hasty. it all depends, obviously, on which team you're talking about, if you're talking about golden state pre or post trade, and if you're talking about memphis with or without Pau Gasol. It also depends on who's doing the coaching. The Warriors are a vastly different team with Nellie at the helm rather than montgomery. Nellie's pretty damn good at getting gold from straw, but he got some stuff that's better than straw when mullin (with Nelson's input, most likely) engineered that trade. Baron Davis is an extremely special player when he's healthy, something I think the whole league & the media is really being made aware of now. Rudy Gay (memphis) will be pretty good, I think, he was having flashes of brilliance, but overall, you gotta like that GS lineup a lot more. But, who the hell knows, this is a very similar memphis team that was the 5 seed last year (and ended up having to face dallas in the first round, natch), and they could bounce back next year, especially if they get oden or durant, but even without that, they should be better, so, uh, maybe i don't know what I'm talking about. have a nice day.

Free Darko makes a really good point:

--One final thought on GSW/DAL. The Mavericks (and to a lesser extent, The Suns), I realize now, are the real reason this year's regular season sucked so badly. I mean, they were really the catalyst behind (Simmons'-coined term) Tankapalooza. All these teams were so shook by the sight of 60 wins, they figured, screw it, we don't have a chance in hell. Hand em the title and let's try to rebuild around Jeff Green and Alando Tucker. I hope if nothing more, this series is teaching everyone a lesson. I am being straight up when I say there is an extremely small difference between this year's Grizzlies and this year's Warriors. One of them simply decided that there was something worth fighting for.

Caught the fourth quarter of that Warriors Mavs game last night. Un effin believable. Not ashamed one iota to tell you I'm pullin hard for Golden State. Compatriots in arms of fellow perennial West Coast cellar dwellers unite.

Nellie is just doing a bang up job on every front. He's obviously got them playing extremely well and as a unit and all that, but even moreso is the psychological mindfucking he's employing at every press conference and interview, directed at his own players, at Avery Johnson, at the Mavs players, I mean, wow. If coach of the year was voted on after the playoffs instead of in the dregs of the finale of the regular season, nellie would at least be in the running, right?

and the warriors are a damn fun team to watch. That was the only concession I noticed Charles Barkley would give them, bashing the city, bashing the organization, just overall being a cranky fuck, but he did admit "they're fun to watch." and they are. Maybe he just figured that the current MVP would beat up the warriors in the first round just like the MVP of the league did the last time the Warriors were in the playoffs (and wasn't that Charles himself, playing for Phoenix that year?) Anyway, I wouldn't go so far as to say that Dallas is DONE (although Tim Kawakami is, click his name on the sidebar and go explore, he's in hoops heaven right now, and we're all along for the ride), but it ain't looking good for Dirk, Josh, Avery, Mark and the crew. No, it is indeed looking quite bad, actually.