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