baron davis
dallas
dirk nowitzki
don nelson
golden state
josh howard
mavericks
stephen jackson
warriors
Upset in the Works: Warriors and Mavs Collide
By id_pop
@id_pop (293)
Philippines
April 23, 2007 12:32pm CST
It was the upset people thought could happen but had second thoughts on. Hey, it's the league-leading Dallas Mavericks we're talking about here, and we all know the Golden State Warriors really didn't start the season expecting to get as far as the playoffs. But, take it as a miracle or not, the Warriors beat the Mavs in the first game of their series by a good margin (97-85). Unbelievable? Think again.
It's the Warriors' sixth straight win over the Mavs. We all know the Mavs compiled the best NBA record this season with only 15 losses. But it must be stressed that the Warriors handed the 1/5 of these losses. *NEVER* had the Mavs beat the Warriors all season. Never. (Kudos to Warriors coach Don Nelson for that. Great, great job on your team.)
So I wouldn't be stunned if this series go farther than what we should expect from a No. 1 seed against a No. 8 seed outing. It truly is an upset in the works, and only a few more days will tell whether this upset comes through or not.
What do you think?
1 person likes this
2 responses
@vebela (310)
• United States
25 Apr 07
I completely agree with you. Don Nelson was the head coach of the Mavs just last year. Nelson drafted all 5 of the normal startes on that team. He knows that team in and out. He knows what makes the players tick, and how to get in their heads. Furthermore, the current coach of the Mavs, was Nelson's assistant coach last year. I live in the Bay Area, and I completely expected the Warriors to win game 1.
Analysts aren't giving the Warriors enough credit. I was watching the post-game show with Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson, and they were saying that the Mavs shouldn't have changed their starting line-up against "the worst team in the playoffs". They forget that the normal starting line up has lost to the Warriors all season.
Furthermore, all the losses in the beginning of the season was when the Warriors didn't have a healthy team, and it was before the trade for Harrington and Jackson. The Warriors team now isn't the losing team in the beginning of the season. They are the team who won 9 of their last 10 games. The Warriors healthy is a dangerous team, and nobody seems to know it except the faithful who have been paying attention to the team all season.
@id_pop (293)
• Philippines
25 Apr 07
Yeah, and I suppose it's about time that people stop underestimating Monta Ellis (who is, by the way, one of the candidates for Most Improved Player this year, and deservingly so) and the two new players (Harrington and Jackson) in this completely new setup. All those three are dangerous when playing fast, and at this point the Mavericks (at least I think) still have remnants of the Nowitzki-Nash period when they ran and gunned their way up the league. When playing their fast-paced small lineup, the Warriors do have the advantage.
And talking about health, Baron Davis is healthy and making his team proud with his contributions.
In reference to your comment about Don Nelson knowing what makes the Mavericks tick, I completely agree. He knew how double and triple-teaming Nowitzki will cause frustration, and indeed it did.
I can't wait to see how this series turns out. I'd really like to see the Suns and Warriors face off later on in the playoffs. In the meantime, I'll just have to sit back and watch this exciting battle we have in the first round.
1 person likes this
@marco14 (7)
• Philippines
27 Apr 07
it may come true.... if baron davis and the rest of the warriors will keep the phase up, that means keep performing well and ellis has been already awarded the most improved player. hope that bench will do contribute. and if they are all green it may end up to an upset.. yeah!
@id_pop (293)
• Philippines
27 Apr 07
It's been said before, and for argument's sake, I'll say it here again: for the Warriors to keep up with the experienced (and clutch-calm) Mavericks, they should learn to keep their emotions in check. Sure, Golden State has a deep bench of vastly improved players, but if their main guys (Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson, in particular) start losing their cool, the whole team suffers.
Never mind the bench. Never mind the fast pace. Never even mind Don Nelson's strategic genius. When your top players get thrown out of the game, not only do you lose precious production but you also lose a lot of morale. We've all seen how Game 2 turned out and it's really ugly; you know the referees have made some bad calls, but don't forget that these same referees can call a technical on you and send you packing to the locker rooms.
That's the key difference between a newcomer like Golden State and a tried-and-proven team in the Mavericks. Still, I'll be rooting for the Warriors.
@id_pop (293)
• Philippines
29 Apr 07
And apparently, judging from the way Game 3 turned out (Warriors won, 109-91 at home), that problem I mentioned about Golden State's players losing their cool appears to be fixed now.
And in that game, it looked as if it was Dallas that lost its cool trying to endure poor shooting and a tenacious defense from the Warriors.
@thebonehead (68)
• United States
23 May 07
The Warriors have mopped up the Mavs all season, defying most expectations (considering their record). They have given the Mavs all sorts of trouble.
Unfortunately, now the Warriors have gone on in the playoffs, only to be beaten by the Jazz.
