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Lou Pickney's Online Commentary

Golden State Basketball

Saturday
May 12, 2007

If you haven't seen the Golden State Warriors play basketball this NBA post-season, you've missed out on a fun brand of ball that is extremely enjoyable to watch.

The Warriors barely made the playoffs, sneaking in thanks to an infusion of talent in a one-sided (in hindsight) trade with Indiana that brought temperamental-but-talented Stephen Jackson, along with Al Harrington, to the team. Golden State fully embraces the run-and-gun basketball concept, with a wild fast-breaking, three-point shooting approach that is a blast to see.

To point, last night's game with Utah was a spectacular performance against a Jazz team that has superior size and good outside shooting ability. Golden State was on fire from outside the three point line, and Utah was unable to execute any sort of effective transition fast break defense.

Perhaps most fun to see is Baron Davis, who looks to my brother Matt and I like he should be a character on the show Crank Yankers. But Davis brings it, taking hard hits, leading the offense, and finding the touch from the outside as well as he drives the line. He is frequently injured because of his reckless style, but when healthy (as he is now) he is a blast to watch.

Baron Davis and Crank Yankers
Baron Davis looks like he belongs on the show Crank Yankers.

I remember seeing Davis doing some amazing things with the Charlotte Hornets in the Eastern Conference playoffs five years ago, and it's great to see him back in the mix again.

When you consider that Golden State also has Jason Richardson and Matt Barnes (who resembles Steve-O of Jackass fame), it's not too surprising that the team jacks a boatload of threes. Credit goes to coach Don Nelson, who utilizes his team's strengths (speed, outside shooting) with a style that minimizes its limitations (lack of size, relative inexperience in playing as a team.)

Will the Warriors come back to beat the Jazz in their best-of-seven series? We'll see; Utah hasn't lost at home this post-season, and Golden State must win at least one of two in Salt Lake City to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

One thing that is strange about the Warriors is the team's location name. Golden State? I understand the difficulty of trying to draw San Francisco and San Jose fans to a team that plays in Oakland, but Golden State is an odd team name in my view.

Here at the house, the NBA Playoffs are on our TV on almost a nightly basis. Dustin, Matt, and I are all very much into it, and the NHL has gotten the shaft. Ultimately we have to pick one over the other to watch, and with the NHL relegated to the second-tier Versus network... it's the NBA playoffs for us. The only catch might be if it's a Utah/San Antonio Western Conference Finals, a scenario that lead Dustin to declare that he wouldn't watch (he hates both teams.)


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