San Antonio: 123 Golden State; 88

Q. What's the difference between the Golden State Warriors and a dollar bill?

A. You can still get four quarters out of a dollar bill.

Q. What do the Golden State Warriors and a possums have in common?

A. Both play dead at home and get killed on the road

Boxscore

Well that was embarassing. Watching the team give up 120 points to the Spurs, 9 straight losses and a miserable 5-15 record means only one thing. Singletary for Head Coach!

Jokes aside Spurs deserve a bit of credit. They are a fundamental Basketball team with an Offense that creates smart Ball movement, unselfish player and open shots. The Warriors at the moment have none of those and the gulf was evident tonight. The Spurs have always been near the top at the West because of Great coaching. Excellent defense. Teamwork. Discipline. Nelson has failed to take any of these on board this year. In other words really with the Spurs and Warriors play it's always a mismatch.

Jackson did't play at all during the second half but then again when he is still doing the same thing over and over. I don't like the fact that he is still our number one offensive option even though Maggette and Crawford weren't exactly lightning it up either. He might be a good 3rd or 4th but not first.

Sticking with Maggette and Crawford neither bought anything to the table. Neither shot well from the floor, both were good at the Free throw line and neither knew how to pass the ball. Maggette went 1-10 from the field and 0 assists while Crawford went 2-5 with only 3 assists. I knew Maggette had a tendency to ignore his teammates but if you watch him play it's astounding.





I still don't get why fans have to tolerate the horrible sight of Maggette jacking up a horrible shot when Wright with his great inside moves, a monster dunk, and hustling hard on defense is easier on the eye. This year is all about the youngsters so it's peculiar seeing not getting the PT he is but then I lost trust in Nelson a while back.

In contrast Marco looks worthless. The hopt shot shooter out of the draft was 1-6 with 2 points and 1 assist and did little else on Defense. Last season I called on him a lot to get more playing time but Nelson saw something he didn't like and it looks as if he's correct.

So err I don't really have anything to describe from the debacle The only thing good about last night game's was that it wasn't like Monday's game against the Heat something which no fan wants to sit through again. The Spurs are a better team and thats fine. However against the Thunder a one win team a lot more could be on the line. If the Warriors find a way to lose well stay tuned for some possible drastic changes

Golden State V Oklahoma Preview

Theere really isn't much point in writing a detailed preview of a NBA game that reminds me of a Dertoit Lions versus Cincinatti Bengals contest. I'll let you figure out which NFL team is who. Then again the Warriors could suffer tonight in the absence of the following players

Although, Crawford is probable.To make matters worse for Golden State, coach Don Nelson is dealing with a slew of injuries. Crawford is probable tonight with a sprained left ankle but forwards Stephen Jackson (swollen left hand), Corey Maggette (sore hamstrings) and Anthony Randolph (sprained left hand) will all be game time decisions

From GSOM

If the Warriors need any motivation (I have a hunch they do), they need to treat this games as personal. The Thunder stole our mascot's name and now we have no mascot. There's nobody to walk on their hands the full length of the court during timeouts. Nobody to breakdance with kids during breaks. No superhero to run in a circle carrying a sign to pump up the crowd. Nobody to do funny things with Franco Finn during the promos. And worst of all no inflatable Thunder. It's personal. Time to win.

As Al Davis once said "Just win baby"

Perdictions

Biedrins with a double double
Randolph gets taken out
Durrant is the Warriors killer
Warriors by 4

San Antonio V Golden State

VS



Golden State: 5-14
San Antonio: 10-8


Unforunately a trip to San Antonio is hardly the best remedy for the Warriors to try and wipe away their woes. However the facts are starting to leap out like a sore thumb. We've given up 130 points in at least 3 games and are the worst Defensive team in the league giving up 114.3 on average. I'd imply that Avery Johnson would be an ideal hire for this team but I'm saving that for a rainy day.

After their ejections last night maybe Nellie and Jackson can take out the fustrations on the Spurs and turn this into a possibly intriuging contest but I doubt it. The Spurs have most of their big guns back and a rout is looking very likely.

Perdictions
Duncan is the Warriors killer
Maggette shoots the lights out
Randolph barely plays
Spurs by a lot

Houston: 131 Golden State: 112 Positive Defeat

is a defeat that screams as a positive. The other 7 losses were mixed with what if's and being outplayed consistently. Yet last night the Houston loss was a positive. In a season in which all Playoff hope has now dwindled it may seem rather sad that I have to look towards a loss to find positives but what the heck.Once Nelson was ejected and Keith Smart took control of the sideline it's tempting to say the Warriors were better in the second half. But thats not the truth. Nellie starting Turiaf and Biedrins against Houston's bulky Frontcourt made the game close then it should have been but the Centers racked up 12 fouls in 54 minutes which was the deciding factor

Boxscore

Jim Barnett"The game was closer than what the score shows"

Randolph Randolph's brillaint and eccentric dunk on Yao was the main storyline of the game. On a team in which it's two maain socring threats Jackson and Maggette both look completely disinterested Randolph is playing with the aggressive energy that could endure him to fans. Watching him throw his body around and play aggressive Defense on Yao was exactly what the Warrior fans needed to see. Not everyone has given up on this season. He only played 26 minutes but rest assured he was everywhere. Anytime the Rockets sprinted down the court there was Randolph to help out Defensively and run a fast break himself. He may be a rookie, but he already looks like a man on the court.

Turiaf Turiaf didn't benefit by the amount of questionable calls that he recevied when playing against Yao but thats nothing new. His low post Defense in the first half was perfect. He had a rough start to the season but now is settling in as seen with that mid range jump shot even making some nice moves to the basket. If he hadn't fouled out so early such was the collective help Defense on Yao causing him to fumble and clogging their Offense to a halt this game would have been much different.

Maggette More then usual he stopped taking the three pointer and got to the line when the Dubs were on a transition break. half. Without hesitation he would put his head down and drive to the basket knowing the Rockets were slow to get back. He had a solid 23 and 10 performance but wasn't a factor after the 3rd quarter. To be fair he did act descively and avoided taking ridiculous shots but he was still a black hole

Jackson Rather then chuck it up Jackson was a passing man breaking down the Rockets defense and pass it to the opn man which led to more assists then usual. He had a huge first half with 18 points out of his 26. In the second half he showed us why he'll never be the main scoring threat for most teams. Plenty of bad shots, a lot of turnovers and terrible Defense meant his game crossed from overconfidence to recklessness. . Randolph needs to explain to him maybe how one should contain the confidence and just play within yourself.




At the end of the day the Warriors showed heart. This goes down as another loss but at least it shows a healthy future is lined up should Nelson wish to use it, players playing within their limits bar Jackson and Randolph showing aggressivness that no Warriors rookie had done so in a long time. It's still a loss but I would rather lose this way then watching Small Ball blow a 4 point lead with 18 seconds left

Houston V Golden State

Versus


Warriors: 5-13
Rockets: 12-7

Imagine what if the Warriors had drafted Yao Ming instead of Mike Dunleavy J.R. We'd have obviously been more succesful with a lot more Playoff appearances, Baron Davis and Jason Richardson would still be here and really you wouldn't have to worry about the losing bit. Unforuntaely instead we drafted Mike Dunleavy drafted horrible players and gave them horrible contracts and we're still in the losing bracket. Ah well

Just imagine



Getting away from the what if's the Warriors take on the Rockets a team that dealt with small ball last year beating the Warriors twice. Even though T-Mac is out it's going to be tough to rely on Crawford and Morrow to win which means everyone has to contribute. At the moment we're stuck in a 7 game losing streak. Maybe then there is a small chance we can pull it together and win just one more game before Christmas.

Miami: 130 Golden State: 129 OT

It's offical. The 2008-2009 Golden State Warriors keep finding new ways to lose. Blwoing a 4 point lead with 18 seconds left isn't half of it. We saw the same things that had plagued the East Coast road trip such as rebounding, no Defense and ability to make no name players look good but this time the Warriors looked as if they had overcome all of these measures and won the game. Alas it wasn't to be

Boxscore

Maggette I can see to this day why Maggette isn't a winner. There were times during last night where the self importance of a poccession never reached his mind. For example rather then drive at Wade and earn some much needed Free Throws to stop the Miami onslaught he throws a Half hearted jumper. The mistake followed his earlier decision to try to take a charge from Dwayne Wade on a play where a two point bucket would mean absolutely nothing. In other words Maggette's failure not to be aware of the imprtance of each poccession or moment is exactly why he's not a winner.

Wade I'm willing to bet that rather then watch the Warriors the majority of the Oracle Crowd paid to watch Wade. He was indeed nasty with 37 points, 13 dimes and some sick dunks. He also contributed to the Rebounding stat. The fact remains that the Heat got way too many 2nd and 3rd chances. All said and done, the Heat had 21 offensive boards to our 11, with 13 of them coming from Udonis and Marion. All of the Heat bigs poured in 21 points as well.



but despite the horrible ending to the 4th quarter and OT there were a few positives. Crawford was immense. I'm not sold on him at PG and I doubt his contract will ever win me over but he did come up with huge baskets. was one of the few reasons that we were able to keep our minor lead throughout the better part of the game. Every time the Heat seemed to get close or tie it up, there was Jamal with a ridiculous drive or a deep three. 40 points and 7 dimes later it wasn't quite enough, but it's tough to rest the blame on the guy that had the buckets when we needed them.

In fact, it's really tough to rest the blame on any of the Warriors out on the floor tonight. They're failure came more as a team than as individuals. When I look at all 8 Warriors who stepped on the court tonight, I can think of a positive notes on how they all played tonight.

CJ was all over the floor in the 4th gaining us possesions. Beans brought the double double train back to the station with a smooth 7-10 shooting. Crawford and Maggette ran offensive clinics tonight. Randolph looked like he belonged on that floor with three boards and 6 points in only 7 minutes. Jack has some dishes Wright had some excellent takes with 15 points on 7-13 shooting. Turiaf was a force in the paint with 5 swats including that monster one that almost landed in the Front Row Seats but alas it landed to Marion who won the game.

We should have won this game. In more ways than one. Yes, we are going to give away games in the course of the season; every team does. But tonight's game, a game that could have ended this losing streak, was not the time to blow it.

It seems like we are seeing more and more games where we are but one small aspect away from getting ourselves the win. Today our failures truly caught up with us in the end. Our lack of boarding throughout the game culminated with the layup that took us to overtime. Our irresponsibility with the ball culminated with the turnover that gave the Heat the ball back with 9 seconds left, followed by the inbound pass that allowed them to get the final lead.

I hope we figure something out because this hurt

Golden State V Miami Preview

The pnly time the Warriors were truly unstoppable

Unstoppable and the Warriors usually don't go together. However when the famous video game NBA Jam was released I think there was unaminous agreement that the Warriors Run TMC team was unstoppable. In contrast NBA 2K9 and the PS3 version has made the Dubs terrible. So in other words even the video gaming world is scarily accurate.

Today the Warriors face the Heat in a possible good old fashioned showdown. The Warriors are 5-12 and face a team that literally consists of Wade, Beasley, The Matrix, and Udonis. Soooo that's a couple of fast dudes with skill and a couple of inside bangers with skill. Not good for a mteam on a losing streak

Wade has been remarkable this year avergaing 28 points and 7 assists a game. Which means when he's not scoring, he's making it happen for someone else. Cooling him off is going to key to staying in this game. Of course, that is going to take some incredible defense; something we really haven't seen from the Dubs in, oh, I'd say about 6 games. (Pattern anyone?)

Don't be fooled by Marion's stat line this season. Just because he's been off to a quieter start this year doesn't mean he isn't fully capable of ripping us a new one in the post. Our big guys are going to need to have an answer for him. We've seen the D from Beans and Turiaf happen before; we need to see it happen again.

Perdictions
Wade finishes with 25
Beans returns to form with a double double
Morrow has a big game
Warriors by 5

New York Knicks: 138 Golden State: 125

There are very few things really funny in New York Knicks land anymore. Faced with an increasingly vocal Starburry and a mini losing streak before last nights game fans were starting to wonder would they see D'antoni back to his winning ways. In last nights game they must have been laughing at the Warriors attempt at playing Defense. 82 points given up in the first half to the likes of David Lee and Al Harrington means even for once the Knicks aren't in the situation that we are.

Boxscore



Really no point in suming this game up in bolding points. The First half the Warriors had little heart en route to conceding 82 points a Franchise record. That wasn't the only record broken tonight. No, David Lee had a career high 37 points and Chris Duhon had a franchise record 22 assists. 2 players I never thought could possibly do that in a game and they did that to us.

The second quarter you could just see thew Warriors couldn't deal with the Fastbreak hence the Knicks breakway game stealing the show. The likes of Randolph, Wright, Morrow and Marco didn't contribute a thing not helping the cause. Crawford had 21 and Maggette had 32 but both were false numbers such is the fact that Maggette adds little else to the picture. CJ Watson had 23 points 9/17 shooting but obviously when you're getting beat by the likes of chris Duhon thats another false number.

We should have beat the Knicks. We lost to a team with only 7 players, We lost to a guy who we traded away because he had little heart and then it turns out that as a Knick he played like it was game 7 of the NBA finals. Al Harrington battled for loose balls and pounded his chest and gave me another reason to hate the guy. But then it's safe to say fans aren't exactly enamoured with the Warriors at the moment...

New York V Golden State Preview

Thanksgiving is usally the time of the year where you sit down, have some Turkey and watch some Football. Unfortunately toni9ght Warrior fans have to skip watching the Seattle and dallas contest and watch two horrible teams face off in the Maddison Square Garden What's not to love? I mean you pay $80 for a ticket, $20 for a hot dog and a beer, and the best show on the floor is Spike Lee's wardrobe. Mind you when the Knicks are only looking ahead at the possibility of signing LeBron well the majority of their games will be junk.

Perdictions
David Lee is tonights Warrior killer
Harrington is terrible from downtown
Crawford and Jackson have big games
Warriors by 6

Cleveland:112 Golden State: 97

With 10 minutes left in the 2nd quarter the Warriors took a 7 point lead 38-31 over the Cavs with a lineup of Crawford / Morrow / Jackson / Azubuike / Turiaf on the floor. Just over 8 minutes later, they found themselves down by 6 points. The reason is simple really the Warriors couldn't shoot.

Boxscore



Shooting Obviously it doesn't help if you don't shoot well as the Warriors didn't tonight. Lets look at the statlines

Corey Maggette - 3/11 on the field.

Stephen Jackson - 2/11.


Jamal Crawford - 6/14 from the field and 2/6 from the 3 point line.

Beans - 2/5 for 8 points and 7 boards

Jackson There are days in which Jackson is a black hole on Offense and that's exaclty what he was last night. From 9:04 to 6:00 only Jackson or Maggette (once) shot the ball for the Warriors. During that stretch, the Ws typically made one pass to Jackson, who ran clock and then either turned the ball over, missed, or got fouled. In one stretch when Jackson passed to Maggette he airballed it and Biedrins who couldn't believe he had a touch on Offense forced a horrible hookshot. Jackson then intentionally fouled James on the resulting fast break and was pulled. In 4 minutes, Jackson had led the Warriors from a 7 point lead to 1 point deficit.

Maggette Here's hoping that somehow the Warriors manage to ship away Maggette before the trade deadline. He's added nothing as a Warrior. When he doesn't shoot the ball well you might as well forget about any Defense little rebounding, and no court vision. His long misses as well gave the Cavs easy Fast Break points. In other words Nelson gave up a Biedrins and Turiaf combo just to watch Maggette. Oh dear...

Crawford Considering the state of the Point guards on this roster Crawford is a slight upgrade if not much else. He needs to learn when to stop pulling for the jumper as there were several cases when running a Fast Break either beat his man off the dribble for a lay-up or at least draw in the defenders in an effort to get his teammates better shots. Maybe he’ll learn after more time with the team, but I wouldn’t say I’m currently optimistic.

Golden State V Cleveland Preview

The day to buy stuff t'is what Black Friday is called. Anyone ever wonder why today is called Black Friday. Here's your answer

The term "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in reference to the heavy traffic on that day. (see 'Origin of the name' below) More recently, merchants and the media have used it instead to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit).

Anyway the Warriors shopping is in 2010 but it looks as if we won't have enough money to spend it on. Then again tonights opponents the Cavs are on fire 11 victories in 12 games? Shooting 60.8 percent. Lebron isn't even playing that much. The Warriors meanwhile are not. I commend the effort against the Celtics on Wednesday night, BUT letting a 14 point deficit go doesn't really make me too happy.

Perdictions

LeBron with a triple double
Morrow doesn't play
Cavs by 5

Boston V Golden State Preview

Versus



Warriors (W-L): 5-9
Celtics (W-L): 0-15

So tonight after losing to the worst Eastern Conference team out there the Warriors have to turn around and face the Boston Celtics. Jamal Crawford might change his mind about being excited to be here.

Predictions

Warriors by -20
Crawford goes for 20
Jax turns the ball over 5 times but scores 20+
Celtics hold the Warriors to under 90.


I know, I know. Game is in Boston and we don't have Baron. But still, this is a great highlight against Boston. We'll need some of that

Washington: 124 Golden State: 100

Another loss but hey Crawford can only get better right. Last night we saw the rapid disintegration of anything resembling organized basketball and the scary thing is on this lengthy road trip the Warriors lack of resillence is nowhere near what it should be. And to think we haven't even played the good teams yet.

Boxscore




Smallball Or to put it bluntly the coaching of Smallball. Our small forward and power forward combined for 5 rebounds in 64 minutes whilst in contrast Randolph hauled down 4 4 in 19 minutes and Wright oulled down 5 in 16 minutes. It was quite horrible watching Jamison and Blatche grab every second chance available while Nelson didn't make any attempts to solve it.

Stephen Jackson I'm still a fan of Jackson but I wonder will he be able to cope with the losing that he went through enough in Indiana. When the game started slipping out of reach, however, he started seriously forcing the action — bad passes, bad shots, temper tantrums — and the Warriors composure soon crumbled. Jackson is the veteran pressence on this team and when he crumbles everyone does as well.

Maggette Maggette couldn't hit an outside shot. His poor rebounding was nearly unforgivable, particularly given all of the Wiz’s second chance points and the fact that he didn;t get to the line nearly as much as he should have means this was probably his worst game of the year. His stats are almost entirely empty

Morrow Morrow is a catch and shoot playey. So why on earth does he keep penetrating catching the ball, driving, and missing. Hopefully Crawford gets him some more looks.

Biedrins Tough night for Biedrins but This is where having another low post player in the game would make a difference. Andris is a good passer. If a guy like Wright or Randolph is in the post, when the help comes against Andris he can get them the ball. Right now, he’s having the struggle to get up shots against 2 or 3 players, often receiving the ball in less than ideal positions from Jackson

Crawford Hard to really judge about Crawford from this gam. His court vision is better then CJ Watson, his Defense is non existant but he had 7 assists in 29 minutes. He also pulls up quicker then expected from 3 point land. All in all we’ll need to wait a few games to see how he settles into the rotation.




So far the fustrating ability of the Warriors this year is not learning of making the mistakes. We may not have all the answers, but it’s increasingly clear with each passing game that the line-up on the court at the start of the first and third quarters isn’t capable of playing competitive basketball against most teams. For now, it looks like we’re staying the course. Facing more blowouts like this one, it’s time for fans to ask why.

Boston: 119: Golden State: 111

It was close. For those who expected a blowout they were left dissapointed as the Warriors strategy that had worked for three successive quarters was abandonded in the 4th quarter with the game on the line. Don Nelson played his natural players that were capable of grabbing rebounds and defending the basket out on the floor. It worked like a charm to cure the easy baskets and second chance points that plagued the Warriors the night before. If anything the fact that Don Nelson was suckered into playing small ball by Doc Rivers was the cause for this loss which then let the chance of winning slip away. In honour of thanksgiivng here are some things I'm thankful for and not.

Boxscore

Rondo was tonights Warrior killer


Thankful

Biedrins Biedrins has been the most consistent Warriors threat on the offensive end for a long time. watch. He's learning something new every year and getting better on other aspects year to year. The free throws may never get to be good, but by the looks of it, he's going to challenge for an All-Star spot. Tonight wasn't a stellar night but over the course of this season, you know he's going to be good for a double double every night.

Jamal Crawford And so ends the days of CJ Watson and company. Yes he was carless with the ball with 4 turnovers and did shoot 5-17 but you can tell he's got the handles and passing skills to run the point on this Nelson team. He's going to be nice paired with Monta.

Stephen Jackson He's the streakiest player in the League but tonight when going against Ray Allen and Paul Pierce he provided little of the fear and fans love him for that. He does a ton of stupid things bad shots, even worse passes but he loves the game and fans even though I have a gut feeling he might implode soon He might have played his best game of the year tonight against the toughest opponent. 30 points on 11-18 shooting, 5 boards, 6 assists, and amazingly, just 2 turnovers.

Blocking It tells you about the state of shotblocker's on the Warriors when Adonal Foyle is your leading shotblocker. The addition of Ronny Turiaf has given the Warriors' interior a new presence. Combine him with Wright, Randolph, and Biedrins and any player coming into the lane has to be aware of where these guys are. It's fun to finally see shot blockers on the team.



Not Thankful

Effort: It's been a source of fustration watching the Warriors lose by 24 to the Wizards who were without Arenas and then lose to the best team in the East the Boston Celtics by 8. Yes this team is inexperienced asnd don't have any leader on the court but the wild swing of play is a source of fustration for fans.

Defense The Celtics needless to say are a terrific Defensive team to watch. From the 7:05 mark, the score was 102-100 Warriors. At the 2:23 mark, the Celtics were up 113-104. The held the Warriors to 2 free throws at such a critical juncture of the game. It's team defense that won the Celtics that championship, not the offense.

Salary cap space know that the Warriors aren't going to be in the running for any of the big names that become free agents in 2010 and not many of those guys are ever going to leave their own teams, but I'd rather have that cap space than wasting the money on players that aren't going to get us anywhere in the playoffs. At least give us fans some chance of getting a superstar even if it is a slim chance

Washington V Golden State Preview

Our new hope


Crawfords first game with the Warriors is today. and what better opportunity for him to strut his stuff then against the terrible Wizards. Giving Arenas a max deal and...he can't play til January. Then they lost another starter, Brenden Haywood. AND THEN they lost to an undermanned Knicks team, who only had 7 active players. Well, that sucks. And of course Eddie Jordan was fired while handing out Turkeys for a charity cause. Ah well..

Perdictions

Warriors win by 20
JC busts on to the scene with 15 points and 10 assists
Andris gets another double-double
Jamison is tonights Warrior killer

Philadelphia: 89 Golden State: 81

Unforunately Don Nelson and his commitment to small ball has and never will work. Unusurprisingly in the Wachovia Centre it didn't. After the Sizers sliced apart the Warriors in the 1st half with their halfcourt offense he turned to Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright, and Ronny Turiaf to block, bang, and pick-and-roll the Warriors back into the game. It almost worked but only Nelson knows if it made an impression

Boxscore




Block party and lack of production Don Nelson started small and went smaller in the first half, replacing Azubuike with Watson as the team flailed around attempting to stop Elton Brand, Samuel Dalembert and Andre Iguodala. However there was a block party with 13 total. Ronny leading the team with 5 blocks, Randolph and Biedrins with 2, and Azubuike, Jackson, Maggette and Wright with 1 a piece. That right there is the big difference in defense compared to previous seasons.



Having Azubuike back in the rotation from injury was a difference maker compared to last Friday's game. Kelenna, the Warriors leading scorer, contributed 16 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.



Anthony Randolph had some decent numbers on the floor, 28 minutes, 6 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocked shots while Brandon Wright had 10 points but only 2 rebounds. It's all part of learning the game for these young guys. Lastly, coming back from being down 22 points in the second half was pretty hype. You can thank much of the bench for that and a key 3-pointer by Anthony Morrow with 6:32 left in the fourth. Like I said, a comeback win would have been the icing on my cake. Philly's starters were simply too good for the Warriors tonight.

Elton Brand found his rhythm and stomped the yard on us to the tune of 23 points and 12 rebounds. Dalembert's 16 rebounds were also major contributions in the Sixers win as they helped swing the rebounding edge in Philly's favor 54-38. Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young did their damage as well with both scoring double digit points. Philly's hustle in the first combined with the Warriors lack of it, just goes to show that there are no free rides in the NBA (well maybe Starbury's situation





.

Philadelphia V Golden State

Versus



Warriors: 5-7

76ers: 6-6

We're already 12 games into the season into the season and so far, things have been pretty exciting. Now the real test begins. The Dubs start a 9 game stretch where 8 games are on the road. They go head to head with some pretty tough competition, Philly, Boston, Cleveland, Houston and San Antonio. (to name a few)



Is help on the way? You bet! Jamal Crawford from The New York Knicks is coming to town, and while I haven't seen any links yet stating that he's starting against the 76ers, Jamal's another fine addition to Nellie's already deep selection of guards. A number of our young prospects are looking real sharp and stepping up as well, The Anthony's (Randolph and Morrow) are showing some great production in minutes while Marco Belinelli is sort of coming alive. This road trip should be a great test for him if he gets minutes and uses them well. (The same goes for Brandon Wright.) Hopefully Azubuike will be back as well and the return of Monta is just around the corner. It'll be a whole new game from there!




The 76ers ) just came off an important win against Elton Brand's old team, the Clippers. Andre Iguodala played some great basketball that night dropping 14 points and delivering 12 assists. Andre Miller and Elton Brand stepped their game up as well and sent The Clippers home with a loss. I'm interested in seeing how our young guys match up against the 76ers. Our bench is hungry for minutes and we'll certainly see a little bit of everything from our bench. The good, the bad and the ugly! Everybody's gonna need to shoulder the weight as well. Captain Jack is gonna need to decrease his turnovers. Biedrins should remain dominant under the boards and Maggette needs to chuck in those points instead of bricking them! This road trip is going to be a major test for our team, lets get as many wins as we can Dubz!


Perdictions
Warriors by 4
Morrow shoots the lights out
Brand is the Warrior killer
Monta gets 20 (oh no he's not playing..

Chicago: 115 Golden State:110

If you're a neutral you would have enjoyed this game. It went back and forth constantly but unfortunately in favour of the Bulls. In the end they couldn't pull out enough Defensive stops to ground out a win.

Boxscore




Lineup With Azubuike out and Harrington having departed it meant Morrow, Watson and Marcus Williams would get more minutes. Neither did really enough to justify their playing time but then there was no alternative available. It's actually a testimony to Nelsons coaching and this threesome that after the Baron and Monta partnership last year tat this group can come in and have close games. Also credit to the veterans.

Veterans The veterans were the reason this game was so close. Maggette, Jackson and Biedrins had to play above average if they wanted to keep the game close. And they did. Biedrins had a big game with his 10-16 shooting good for 23 points and 10 boards. I liked a few of his post moves on Drew Gooden although he found it especially hard with Gooden's quickness and physicalness. Still he went right at Gooden a few times with a few layups to show. He finished with another double double 23 and 10.

Jackson tonight shot the lights out at one stage he was 13-16 for 32 points. The turnover bit was the killer though with 8 most of them in the 4th quarter with terrible passes most of them to the other team. Maggette also had a few nice drives to the basket but over the upcoming road trip it should be interesting to see how he adjusts with Crawfords game.

Anthony Randolph Tonight Randolph proved to the Warriors faithful that he does indeed have a career ahead of him. With Morrow's shot not falling and him not doing much else aside from 3 steals there was pressure on the core youngsters for one of them to step up. Randolph was the trick. Unlike Brandon Wright or Marco Randolph has a swagger like he knows he belongs out there. One of his most impressive plays ironically came off one of his bad passes which alsmost led to a breakaway dunk. Apart from scoring he also contributes in many ways challenging shots, grabbing boards, and can play some point forward. He is special

Derrick Rose But while we're sticking with special rookies lets give a big nod to Derrick Rose. He should win Rookie of the year such is his ability to take over the Bulls team and make seemingly every shot during crunch time. You can't guard the guy. Play him close and he'll use his quickness to go right by you. Give him space and he never misses with his Jumper. It's a dilemma the Warriors never figured out and I think many other teams won't as well.

There were a few other Bulls killers tonight. What about Larry Hughes returning to his old stomping ground having made one three pointer the entire season and them makes 5 last night. Only in Warriors land can that happen. Seeing Drew Gooden grab rebound after rebound essentially gave Chicago the win. Staying away from the bulls killers the Warrior killers were frequent as well. Marcus williams doesn't belong out there and I hope once Crawford arrives his playing time gets cut drastically. Any Free throw or shot that came his way he couldn't make.



In the end this goes down as a dissapointing loss but with the amount of silver lings available as shown by Biedrins and Randolph there is some small consolation found

Golden State V Chicago preview

Versus



Warriors (W-L): 5-6
Bulls (W-L): 5-7

The Harrington for Crawford swap has dominated the news in Warrior land at the moment (I'll post more thoughts on this later) but I'm not sure how this benefits both teans.

The Bullswere asbolutely destroyed by Portland 116-74 although ithelped that they started Aaron Gay and Larry Hughes so could be an easy win. I doubt it since NBA teams rarely play poorly back to back nights. We'll see what kind of team the Bulls are tomorrow. Will they come out angry and aggressive or will they play like they want this road trip to be over? I'd say the Dubs come out strong and lead the entire way but it'll be close the entire way.

Anthony Morrow His third straight big game? Do I smell another 20+ points? I'm still holding back because 2 games does not make you "for real". But how fun is it to watch Morrow light it up like we haven't seen in a long time. You can bet the Bulls are not going to leave him open. There's now 2 games of him to break down so let's see how the Bulls adjust.

Derrick Rose: The #1 pick is living up to his top billing. He's scoring 18 a game on 46% shooting to go with 5.5 assists and 4 boards. I always find it fun to watch the top rookies strut their stuff.

The start of another double-double streak from everyone's favorite Latvian lefty, ^^^^.
Nellie's back to his small ball lineup now that Morrow got hot. Let's see if Maggette can take advantage on offense of facing the other team's power forward.

Joke-im Noah: because he's fun to boo. Something about that guy that's just annoying.

Crawford for Harrington close to happenning

Sums up how the majority of Warriors nation feels


The Morrow distraction and his superhuman abilities gave Warrior fans a pleasant distraction from Al Harrington for a few days. However tonight as ESPN have revealed it looks like Harrington will become a Knick in exhange for Jamal Crawford. Neither the Warriors or Knicks press office have confirmed any such move just yet so this Friday evening it looks as if Golden State fans will have to wait if Jamal is Warriors.

A few thoughts spring to mind

: Essentially the Warriors traded a disgruntled forward who was filled with poor play and contract issues for a Guard who though is incredibly streaky with shooting would be an instant upgrade at the Point Guard spot. Nelson once Monta comes back would immediately pair him with Ellis in a two combo guard backcourt. Crawford is a perfect Don Nelson type player in which take games over at times, and can shoot you out of a game at others

: Crawford is a terrible man to man Defender. With the Warriors leading the league in blocked shots and having a pretty decent opposing FG% allowed for those stretch of games where Randolph, Wright, Turiaf, and Biedrins were playing heavy minutes I seriously doubt they want to go back to playing matador defense.

: Talent accumulation without any long term plan for contention....won't amount to anything. Case in point....the Chicago Bulls who accumulated loads of young talent and never did anything with it. In any case, I seriously dislike the make-up of this team. I don't like how the pieces fit together. I don't like how the young guys with potential will never see enough minutes to develop. I hate our style of play and offensive philosophy. I just don't like any of it.

At the moment I dislike the fact we're playing for a Western Conference 8th seed spot and hope to have a repeat of the Dallas series. With the Lakers and the Bynum and Gasol partnership that won't happen. A step in the right direction is letting Biedrins, Wright, Randolph, etc. all get tick so when (if) Ellis comes back, we can really see what we have. The team they're potentially putting together is one being setup for a huge retooling/ dismantling once Nelson finally steps away.

NFL Week 12 Picks

We're now at the business end of the season. The time of the year where the have nots get seperated from the rest. As we saw when the steelers played the Chargers San Diego have a way to go before they can win in that type of environment. We all know their talent as a team so what gives?.

49ers back in business although that 2nd half performance was bleugh

Oakland were a 4th down away in Miami from winning. Just what do they have to do to close out games?


NFL Week 12 perdictions

Cincinnati ( 1-8-1) @ Pittsburgh (8-3) Thrusday Night Football is one of the new more recent ideas to to with the NFL that I dislike even though to their credit there have been a few decent games. The buck stops here though as both teams are coming off dismal performances. The Bengals should have beaten the Eagles in OT whilst the Steelers ground out a win against San Diego in horrible conditions. With only three days to prepare and rest seriously what are the NFL thinking. But I digress. Pittsburgh will get the win here.



Houston (3-7) @ Cleveland (4-6) Brady Quinn has gotten the Browns in the right direction and you can sense that after the MNF thriller emotion is coming back into this team. I doubt they make the playoffs but they'll get their season back on track with a Houston team that are terrible on the road although the Browns are 1-4 at home.



Tampa (7-3) @ Detroit (0-10) With the tough schedule remaining for the Lions is 0-16 creeping into everyones minds there I wonder?. Tampa may have had a lot of redzone problems but they overcame the Vikings last week and are my favourites to take the NFC South. With the Panthers and Falcons playing each other this week this will be the opportunity for Tampa to edge their way further in this division.



Minnesota ( 5-5) @ Jacksonville (4-6) A missed opportunity last week for the Jags as a halftime lead was aquandered against the Titans. Now their postseason hopes are basically dead so Jack Del Rio now faces an offseason with his job on the line should he not get a winning record over the next 6 games. Jacksonville can't win at home while Minnesota can't win on the road. I'm going with Jacksonville.



Buffalo (5-5) @ Kansas (1-9) I'm a little surprised but after watching the MNF Bills-Browns clash the Bills look done especially in the now tough AFC East. Kansas on the other hand are bringing entertainment value each week and the fans deserve a lot more then having to sit through the terrible endings such as the San Diego and Tampa games. Whilst the NFL has never been a place for always getting what you deserve, the Chiefs finally get a win to go with the entertainment this week.


New England (6-4) @ Miami (6-4) Bellicheck ignored the trendiness of NFL coaches and kicked the extra point last Thursday rather then go for 2 instead enduring a loss in OT. Miami are now on a four game winning streak a turnaround even Hary Houdini would be proud off. If Miami wins they have a huge advantage in the AFC east with an easier schedule and a tiebreaker to boost. I'm not so sure however that they can have enough in the tank however without the Wildcard now that Belicheck is ready for it.



Chicago (5-5) @ St Louis (2-8) So much for the Rams inspired response to getting rid off Linehan. Steven Jackson being out though hurts their offense and he likely looks out this week as well so the Bears should win after the dissapointment of getting crushed by the Packers and get back in the NFC North race.



NY Jets (7-3) @ Tenessee (10-0) The perfect streak ends here which means the Dolphins 1972 team can once again get out their Champagne. In a way at this stage of the season maybe it's better that the distraction of perfection goes away. The Jets have found thir winning ways though so this is a gut pick. Having said that wouldn't it be funny to witness the perfect Titans lose their record to the completely opposite Lions a week later.

Philadelphia (5-4-1) @ Baltimore (6-4) The most hilarious quote of the week was McNabbs' claim that he didn't know there was a tie in the NFL. The Eagles won't have to worry about a OT game here the Ravens disasterous Defensive performance was a one off and they will take out their fustrations on Manning and company.



Carolina (8-2) @ Atlanta (6-4) Atlanta's bubble has burst and with the Panthers better balance and expereince I expect the Falcons wings to be clipped. A few more wins and some convincing performances and the Panthers will be hot on the heels of the Giants for home field advantage.



NY Giants (9-2) @ Arizona (7-3) The scene is set for the Cardinals to clinch their first NFC West title in god knows how long and well I have no doubts Warner will be itching to prove that the Giants were wrong in allowing Manning to take his starter spot. The Cards make progress towards getting potentially two home playoff games, and with the way they play at home that could take them deep into the playoffs.



Washington (6-4) @ Seattle (2-8) Two teams stuck in a funk well Seattle are stuck in a season long one. Jim Zorn returns to a team he played and coached for but this could get ugly especially with the size of the injury list both teams have. Washington barely have a backfield and aren;t very good at protecting the passer but get the job done here.



Indianapolis ( 6-4) @ San Diego (4-6) The Chargers Defense are missing Shawne Merriman a tremendous amount but with the mixed way the Colts offense are playing at the moment this could be an interesting game. Peyton Manning no doubt remembers his 6 interceptions here last year and with San Diego having a terrible pass defense he should get revenge here.



Green Bay (5-5) @ New Orleans (5-5) The Saints kept thir postseason hopes alive with a tough win in kansas but they don't look true postseason contenders and I think the Packers keep their hopes alive especially during their tight division race.


Bay Area Football

San Francisco (3-7) @ Dallas (6-4) A big win for the Cowboys last week and it was big seeing Marion Barber return to form. Now the pass has to be respected, Barber can get back to doing what he does best......running over opposing defences. Niners got their first win under Singletary but it remains back to the same for them here.



Oakland (2-8) @ Denver (6-4) The Broncos defense hasn't been anything at all this year but they did beat the Falcons and this offers them further fodder to increase their division lead. Winning the division is now very likely and no one will fancy a trip to Mile High in January. Mike Shannhan needs to keep McFadden and Fargas off the field though.



Last Weeks Perdictions 10-4

Total accumulated score 96-63

Golden State: 111 Portland: 106

Say what you want about the Warriors youngsters and the repeated ability to make the same frequent mistakes but last Tueday night Warrior fans finally saw progression. They closed out a game against decent oppossition. The 11-106 win was particulary ugly and there was little in the way of looking past the same mistakes we've already seen made e.g. lack of any decent Point Guard or inexperienced mistakes but Tuesday night we also saw what this Warriors team can become

Boxscore



Morrow After Saturdays performance the whole of Warriors nation was tuned in eager to see a Morrow sequel in how to shoot the ball. And they weren't dissapointed. Very rarely does an ugly shot come out of his hands in fact he seems to have the same self confidence as Ray Allen when shooting the ball. Obviously I'm not making Ray Allen comparassions just yet. But if he turns out to be a Ray Allen type player who excels in Nellieball it would be a miracle considering the Warriors gave up nothing to get him and are basically paying him nothing. He knows what exactly hhis role is in the offensive scheme and with his shooting can get the team points when they are struggling. Eventually he might come down to earth but at the moment 25 points on 8-12 shooting shows plenty of promise


Turiaf I was one of those foolish people who didn't think Turiaf was worth a 4 year for 17 million deal. Glancing at the boxscore and his 0 point 2 rebound and 2 blocks effort you would think I was right. Thats not the case though. His body was more then a match for Oden and that wasn't the case with the Warriors a year ago. As ususal his Cheerleader like enthuiasm never stops bringing a smile to my face although going by Morrow's attempts to warm the crowd up he faces competition.



Jackson Yes he shot a hideous 5-18 but there were things I saw from Jackson that would normally be unoticable. He rebounded at an impressive rate although you have to do so when Maggette is just standing around. He also proved he might be a temporary Point Guard replacment with his court vision. Finding Biedrins on a few passes it was beautiful to watch even with his dribbling skills. And last but not least it was his job at the line that sealed the game. Going a Rick Barry like 10-10 you could argue that made the difference and it accounted for roughly a third of the made free throws.

There were certainly frequent signs of encouragment to take from the Warriors. A win here was needed especially with a large sized road trip coming up. All they need to do on Friday is win against the Bulls and they hit the trip with some momentum. For a young roster thats all you need

NFL Week 11 Picks

Must I mention Monday Night Football and the agonising end to the 49ers-Cardinals game. I think I don't have to so I'll focus my attention on the Titans unbelievable 9-0 start and their ability to improvise when the going gets tough. The Bears D managed to contain LenDale White and chris Johnson so the Titans had to revert back to their passing game and even though Kerry Collins is still mediocre he managed to get the job done. Thats the sign of a Superbowl team in my eyes


NFL Perdictions Week 11

Denver (5-4) @ Atlanta (6-3) Dan Reeves coached both teams so is it too late for Reeves to appear in the CBS booth?. The decider for me in this game lies in the fact that Ryan has more offensive weapons like Turner and Norwood to hand off to as well as boosting a 5-0 starter record at home. Depending on how much pressure John Abraham can put on Cutler whilst avoiding Rookie of the year in my eyes Ryan Clady the Falcons should take this.



Detroit (0-9) @ Carolina (7-2) The Panthers looked pretty human against the Raiders with Delhomme throwing 4 picks but they were playing the Raiders... Against the woeful Lions they could do the same but still ground out a victory. Look for Stewart and de Angelo Williams to have a big day.



Philadelphia (5-4) @ Cincinatti (1-8) Two gut wrenching losses to two NFC East teams Dallas in Week 2 and the Giants last week means making the playoffs for the Eagles will be a lot tougher. It's a game the Eagles should win and can't afford to lose while for the Bengals it's a case of finding out if Cedric Benson can be their next Rudi Johnson.


Chicago (5-4) @ Green Bay (4-5) The oldest rivalry in Football takes centre stage. Rex Grossman almost handed the Titans a defeat last week (ditto with the Packers though) and in ways the Packers were more impressive then the Bears in defeat. Having said that I'm tipping the Bears. Their Running game could wear down the Packers Run D which hasn't impressed this year.



Houston (3-6) @ Indianapolis (5-4) Will the Colts remove all doubts surronding that twam and finally get back in track after a surprising win in Pittsburgh last week. They won't catch up with the Titans but they should challenge for the Wildcard's. Houston provided a lesson in throwing the game away last week but thats irrelevant and the Colts ease to a victory here.



Tennessee (9-0) @ Jacksonville )4-5). I'm sure Jeff Fisher doesn't want to talk about it but the Titans going undefeated certauinly has to be. Jacksonville wiped away memories of the Bengals game with a win against the Lions but the Titans will effectively have won the AFC south if they put this game in the bag. They had to revert to a lot of passing in last weeks game because the Bears stuffed their run don't expect the same here.



New Orleans (4-5) @ Kansas (1-8) Herm Edwards had a lot of critiscm last week over the decision to go for two which cost them the game against San Diego. Yet with their Defensive suffering an astronomical injury list it was the right decision and in Thigpen he looks a competitor. Give them a season and they could trun it around although with their pass rush allowing QB's to complete 65% of their passes Brees should have a dwin. They may have dissapointed on a lot of ways this year but theyy'll ghet back into the NFC South race.


Baltimore (6-3) @ NY Giants (8-1) A rematch of Superbowl 35 but this time in the Giants favour. Both teams have good defenses but unlike the Superbowl the Giants will be better equiped to deal with it.



Minnesota (5-4) @ Tampa (6-3) Brad Childress is getting some of the luck he didn't get when TJ was under centre. Ferotte isn't playing exceptionally well but A.P is and regardless of Ferotte the recipe is simple. Give it to Peterson. I'll go with the Vikings but it could come down to which defensive line wins it's match-up most often at the line of srimmage.



Arizona (6-3) @ Seattle (2-7) The Cardinals have wrapped up the NFC West with a 4 game lead and a first round bye is surely what Wisenhunt wants now. To do that a win in Seattle would be nice to prove the doubters wrong. Never mind scraping by the 49ers the Cardinals have to come out and prove that despite being in the weakest division in Football they can take the NFC West by their throat. A win tonight does exactly that.



San Diego (4-5) @ Pittsburgh (6-3) Even with winning on the road the Steelers let all their momentum slip in a loss to the Colts. The O-line isn't great and Ben Roethlisberger may not be good to go but the Chargers pass rush is looking thoroughly impotent and the Steelers will exploit that here.



Dallas (5-4) @ Washington (6-3) Another crucial NFC East clash. This game could see the loser go into free fall and the winner push the Giants until the end of the season. lose it and things could fold and collapse rather spectacularly for the pre-season NFC favourite. The return of Tony Romo, injuries to Ladell Betts & Clinton Portis, the sheer magnitude of this game for the Cowboys, they'll win because they have to.


Cleveland (3-6) @ Buffalo (5-4) The Bills are in full desperation mode with three straight divisional defeats has plummetted them to the bottom. They have to beat Brady Quinn and the Browns an absolute must, time to get things turned around and fast, the longer the slide, the harder it is to get off of, Bills need to turn upwards and fast.


Bay Area Football

Oakland (2-7) @ Miami (5-4) Two teams that were aful in 2007 meet in 2008. The Dolphins can keep momentum going as they chase an unexpected post season berth in the tough AFC East.


St Louis (2-7) @ San Francisco (2-7. The futile bowl and expect the honeymoon to end for Jim Haslett. Despite losing the game in the manner they did on Monday should Singletary win here and get his first win he'll probably get an extension. The 49ers should have won on Monday but didn't but will get a better chance here.

Last Week 9-5

Total Acummulated Score 86-59