I think the GSW will press the Mavs some. #1 Dallas is more susceptible from attacking from the wings than from the interior--and this is GS's strength. Davis and JR can get decent shots off IMO and attack them. #2 Dallas last year got a big edge in TOs in the playoffs, but GS has a good TO differential on their opponents and Davis is very steady with the ball and has a playoff resume. That said, I don't see GS winning. They will get hurt (or killed) on the boards and I do believe in the end their defense isn't very tight, Dirk, Terry and Howard will find their open shots. But again, I think GS could give them a scare and will press them. GS could win 2 if not 3 games.
I completely agree the Mavs aren't as good as their record indicates, which is why Avery Johnson should be coach of the year. Their 50-5 run was historic while their talent is NOT historic. You and the others drinking the Golden State Kool-Aid can keep on sipping. Their regular season meetings count zero now. Unless the Warriors play with a poise and consistency they haven't shown the entire season, they will be lucky to win one game from the Mavs. That helter skelter chaotic nonsense won't work now. AJ's playoff game-planning and this deep, seasoned Mavs team will cut the Warriors in 1/2. IMO, if Golden State manages to win a game, it will be on the back of Baron Davis going ballistic and carrying the team on his back.
Um...well...um...ahem. Game 1 was a major choke job by the Mavs. They missed a lot of shots they normally make. It's pretty simple. The Warriors are undisciplined and not very intelligent and the Mavs couldn't take advantage of that tonight. Baron Davis was amazing. Magic Johnson said it well after the game: The Warriors have a great leader on the floor named Baron Davis. The Mavs DO NOT have a great leader on the floor, and it showed near the end. AJ is the heart and soul of that team, which is a problem and a major flaw because he can't go out on the floor and play. On Coach of the Year, my feelings haven't changed. What AJ did with this team was truly amazing. The Mavs are not a 67 win caliber team but superior coaching get them to that level. Final comment, read my last sentence. That is exactly what happened in this game. I doubt the Warriors can squeeze out 3 more wins, but you never know I guess.
My thinking was if the Warriors could steal 1 game in Dallas they have a legit shot at taking them down. Why? Oracle is a beast, and after 13 years of no playoffs, the fans will be hungry and the team will be hungry. The Mavs will have more than their hands full playing in Oracle 3 times. All Golden State has to do is protect homecourt.
errr... please ignore a mavpricks fan. They always embarras themselves and I don't care what they think.
That is BULL crap !!! So a man can't say wrong things in his life. Nellie transformed the warriors franchise in one season, period. Nellie for coach of the year !
I'd give it to Mullin, simply because he pulled a great trade and picked up some great players that were thought to be questionable (S.Jackson).
richardson maybe the most underrated player in the NBA, and in the height of my defending steve francis days, I always thought baron davis was better because he can shoot. that team has a lot of talent, and that trade helps them out because harrington can go out and defend dirk. jackson is an upgrade over dunleavy because he's reliable on the court. you know what you have.
Jackson is the kind of player who could really help the Warriors on a short term basis after a mid-season trade, but next season he will revert back to form. He is talented but has a LOT of baggage that isn't apparent yet. The Pacers couldn't get rid of him fast enough. JRich is very talented but I agree that statement he isn't mentally tough. Conventional wisdom says the Warriors will dump him over the summer and I agree with that. JRich underperforms his contract and talent by a mile. Harrington needs to screw his head on straight and abuse Dirk. All he has to do is take him outside and drive to the basket. Neither Dirk nor either Mavs center has a chance of stopping him if he plays a smart game. He should present just as big a matchup problem as Baron Davis.
Jackson has been an enigma. He was raised in Port Arthur Texas - Lincoln High School - great program. He had a lot of support with a lot of guidance from his mother - a well rspected teacher. He did fine in SA with a good support group. He had never been without his mom before then. Him moving to Atlanta 1 year-on the advice of his agent he did not sign the extension with the Spurs- then Indiana for the big contract set him adrift. He had never been on his own. This was a real problem for him..... A good friend and I were talking about Jackson this am - he will do very well in a nurturing - surrogate parent environment. He needs the structure. His heart is out on that court-he can play big- I am really proud of how he played Dirk last nite. JAckson has plenty of faults-but on the flip side - he funds a school for gifted - poor students in Port Arthur- one of the poorest places in the US. I know from personal knowledge he has done good things in Port Arthur for this very poor community. In Jackson's eyes he was protecting his teamate in Detroit......
i like jackson for the same reason i liked francis and now gilbert arenas; they play all out and are very emotional. it isn't always a good thing, but i like seeing basketball players being human and getting as excited as i do about the game.
Guys, I don't think it's fair to lump SF and Gilbert in with Stephen Jackson. SJax was lockerroom death to the Pacers. And what he did in Detroit was completely inexcusable, almost as bad as Artest. I think he should have been suspended the whole season too. It's good he does stuff in his hometown but his on the court, lockerroom and off the court behavior have been pretty bad. It will bite the Warriors if they keep him, count on it. The day SF and Gilbert are involved in a riot, poison younger teammates or have severe off the court problems is the day they should be compared to SJax. It isn't about emotion. It's about self-control, common sense, knowing that boundaries exist and understanding there are consequences to negative behavior. SJax better learn that or he may regret it.
Yup. There's gonna be a lot of energy in that arena. Warriors could drop 50 points in the first quarter again.
