Golden State Of Mind

RECAP: Warriors 111, Mavericks 103 - Wait... what just happened?

2009-11-25T21:39:12Z

Wait...what? Did that really just happen?

Let me check the Open Thread.

OPEN THREAD - Warriors @ Mavericks - Time to Get Smart

Nooo...no way did we just beat the Mavs...did we?

Ellis, Morrow lead Warriors past Mavericks 111-103 [Yahoo Sports]

Yahoo says we did. What about Mavs Money Ball?

Mavs Lose at Home to Six Warriors: Rick Carlisle Postgame Quotes [Mavs MoneyBall]

Ok ok...I still don't believe it. It's not possible. The Mavs were 10-3. Dirk was having an MVP type year (ughhh...). We had 8 active players - 2 of which were injured. We had young players.

Did we really just win?

Let me check to see what my man IQofaWarrior dropped in the Warriors Web...

Warriors Web: Warriors 111, Mavericks 103- Monta Ellis + Anthony Morrow + Stephen Curry score 82 points, Mikki Moore + Vladimir Radmanovic grab 23 rebounds

I still can't believe it...

Final - 11.24.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden State Warriors	25	25	28	33	111
Dallas Mavericks	27	27	28	21	103

Complete Coverage >

WE WON.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?! FACTOR = 3

Again, I'd like to bring your attention Figure 1 (pictured below).

Now I must admit, when the game started I was basically yelling at my laptop at the top of my lungs (and subsequently getting yelled at by people around me at the library). It was literally turnover after turnover after turnover after turnover after turnover...you get the idea. If I recall correctly (someone tell me if I'm wrong) it was close to 6 TO's in the first 5 minutes of the game. Sloppy sloppy sloppy!

But then, guys got smart, Keith Smart, that is, and decided to minimize turnovers. Let's be real, 21 turnovers is waaaaaayyyy too much (especially dumb ones) but it doesn't really matter when the Warriors can rack in 15 steals.

Question

Hey GSoM, I gotta question for you.

It's a brain teaser, but maybe you can get the answer.

You gotta think about it real hard though.

What happens when you play a FULL NBA game with these 6 players and this coach?

Stephen Curry

#30 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-3

Weight: 185

Born: Mar 14, 1988

College: Davidson

Monta Ellis

#8 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-3

Weight: 180

Born: Oct 26, 1985

College: None

Mikki Moore

#33 / Center / Golden State Warriors

Height: 7-0

Weight: 225

Born: Nov 04, 1975

College: Nebraska

Anthony Morrow

#22 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-5

Weight: 210

Born: Sep 27, 1985

College: Georgia Tech

Vladimir Radmanovic

#77 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-10

Weight: 235

Born: Nov 19, 1980

College: Serbia & Montenegro

Anthony Randolph

#4 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-10

Weight: 205

Born: Jul 15, 1989

College: L-S-U

The answer to come later.

For a hint, check out this SB Nation article.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Now it's time to play another game. It's called...

I SPY - WARRIORS EDITION

Monta Ellis

I spy...Monta Ellis

This one picture depicts his game as of late.

Examine it closely. Real closely.

I see ELLIS TO THE RIM.

It's like he was Moses - parting the sea of the Mavericks players. Going to straight to the promised land that is the basket.

It's like he understands what it means to be a leader, and he's taking charge and doing what he needs to.

Look at his stats! 48 minutes (the whole game), 4 boards, 4 steals, 8 assists. He does need to work on those 11 turnovers though.

Talk about playing a full game...

Anthony Morrow

I spy....Anthony Morrow.

This one picture depicts his game as of late.

Examine it closely. Real closely.

I see a 2nd year player that's expanding his game.

I see our future small forward with an ability to shoot (6 three pointers? Really? I mean..REALLY?!?!), pull down boards (9) and even distribute the ball (5 assists).

I see tenacity.

But most of all, I see pride. I see power. I see a bad-ass mother, who don't take no crap offa nobody!

I had to work the Cool Runnings in!

Stephen Curry

I spy...Stephen Curry.

This one picture depicts his game as of late.

Examine it closely. Real closely.

Yes, he's young, but he ain't scared.

He's got the rest of the NBA wondering where he came from. Look at Dirk. Look at JKidd. They just don't get it.

How can a rookie like him start, shoot 50% off the floor, toss out 6 dimes, AND have clutch shooting at the end of the road game?

Must be all the butter chicken.

Last but not least...

Coach Smart

I spy...Coach Smart.

This one picture depicts his coaching as of late.

Examine it closely. Real closely.

I see a coach that can take our young guys to victory. I see a man that's willing to draw a technical foul on a terrible call. I see a coach that our young players really respect.

He was ready to take over Nelly's coaching position when he was needed. He says the right things.

"Coming into this game, we had nothing to lose," said assistant coach Keith Smart, who filled in for Nelson. "The worst case is they blow us out and we move on to [Wednesday night's game in San Antonio]. But our guys have a lot of character. They played hard together and made the right decisions."

Smart dedicated the victory to Nelson, watching at home on TV."This win went out to our man in charge," Smart said. "Our guys pulled together for him. He instilled a lot of the qualities in all of us."

Now I'm not going to start saying all this "FIRE NELSON! WE WANT COACH SMART!" stuff...but I will say, it was nice to get a fresh look off the bench.

I don't want to credit all of the success yesterday to Coach Smart - it goes to a lot of players (more on that later).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Answer

What happens when you play a FULL NBA game with these 6 players and this coach?

To my earlier question. There's a simple answer.

A WIN.

I gotta be honest. This one was pretty rough. I could have given it to Coach Smart. I couldn't have given it to any one or all of our Big Three - Monta Ellis, Anthony Morrow, and Stephen Curry. Hell, I could have even given it to Vlad Rad for playing a full game and contributing.

But no, I think I'm going to dedicate last night's game to my favorite ex-player.

Yes, that's right - he gets yet another Warrior Wonder award.

Why, you ask?

Well it's simple. Things have just been a bit different without him around. Monta's been able to fill the role of leader (which he's suprising doing well in), there's more ball distribution, less dumb mistakes.

Everyone just seems a bit happier. Things seem to be working out a bit better.

Ya know I got nothin but love for ya Jack.

Poll

Think Don Nelson should move to a consulting position?

Warriors Web: Warriors 111, Mavericks 103- Monta Ellis + Anthony Morrow + Stephen Curry score 82 points, Mikki Moore + Vladimir Radmanovic grab 23 rebounds

2009-11-25T07:09:04Z

More photos » by Sharon Ellman - AP

about 21 hours ago: Golden State Warriors assistant coach Keith Smart complains about a call during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009 in Dallas. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)

Browse more photos »

Box score: SBNation
Gameflow: PopcornMachine

Warriors: SBNation blog: Golden State of Mind
Recap: Warriors 111 Mavericks 103 - Wait..what just happened?
Game thread: Warriors @ Mavericks - Time to Get Smart (1050+ comments)

Mavericks: SBNation blog: Mavs Moneyball
Recap: Mavs Lose at Home to Six Warriors: Rick Carlisle Postgame Quotes
Game thread: Warriors at Mavs Open thread

Associated Press recap: Ellis, Morrow lead Warriors past Mavericks 111-103
Sports Network Recap: Shorthanded Warriors stop Dallas' win streak at five

Live Blogging Links

Geoff Lepper: Game 13, Live: Warriors (4-8) at Mavericks (10-3)
Rusty Simmons: Game 13: Warriors at Dallas (halftime) | Game 13: Warriors at Dallas (final)

Post Game Links

A straight forward post game wrap.
Rusty Simmons: Warriors top Mavericks using only 6 players

The Warriors are rallying around the us-against-the-world mentality. Nellie's swine flu tests will be back. If positive, he'll be quarantined for a week until Dec 2.
Rusty Simmons: Ailing team gets no help from referees

Radman was surprisingly noticeable on defense tonight, not one of his usual traits. Biedrins is with the guys on the road trip doing rehab work.
Marcus Thompson II: Vladimir Radmanovic delivers in ample playing time

All it took was six guys, an assistant coach subbing in, and great teamwork to win this game.
Marcus Thompson II: Golden State Warriors, using only six players, upset the Dallas Mavericks on the road

Lots of in depth analysis about Monta and Curry, with a little bit of Morrow and Stone Soldiers. Example: Remember Curry's high bank shot over Dirk? He practices that.
Marcus Thompson: Game #13 (5-8): Warriors 111, Mavericks 103

So that's why Nellie wanted to turn Monta into a point guard. Who can stop him when he can drive and finish or drive and kick? Plus lots of other in game notes.
Mike Massa: Led by Ellis, Warriors' six end Mavs' win streak at five

Pre-Game Videos

Pregame: Russ Turner talks about how to handle the absence of Nellie.

Post Game Videos

Postgame: Jim interviews Monta.

Postgame: Keith Smart.

Warriors highlights by orangino.

Next Game:
Marcus Thompson II: Warriors at Spurs

Stone Soldiers

I researched this after the game, and I wasn't sure about what I found, but MT found the same thing. In Keith Smart's interview, he mentioned that they called themselves Stone Soldiers. This is a reference to the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Shi Huang Di, the First Emperor of China. These were life sized statues created and placed around the emperor's tomb to protect him in the afterlife.

In my research, I could not find any legends, stories, or myths about the Terracotta Warriors and Horses, only how they were created. So I'm not sure why the Keith Smart decided to call themselves Stone Soldiers. I presume that since these statues are supposed to protect someone in the afterlife, they themselves are "undead", like mythical mummies and skeletons. Thus, when you try to kill them, knock them down, etc., they keep coming back. So imagine if you had such an army coming at you that won't quit. That sounds a lot like what Smart described about the Warriors.

Stone Soldiers. Hey, this would make a nice Tony.psd poster concept, don't you think? Oh, Tony!.

==========
This is my first time trying a front page links post. I welcome feedback, suggestions, links you want to see added, removed, formatting, etc. More links and videos to be added as I find them. How can you tell which links and videos are newly added? Um, have a good memory. Actually, I'll have to get back to you on that.

Poll

Who's your Warrior Wonder?

OPEN THREAD - Warriors @ Mavericks - Time to Get Smart

2009-11-24T21:30:11Z

Warriors: 4-8

Mavericks: 10-3

Tip-Off: 5:30pm

TV: CSN Bay Area

Radio: KNBR 1050

Blog Buddy: Mavs Moneyball

First of all, we wish Coach Nelson a quick and speedy recovery. Everyone's been demanding for a coaching change and to bring in Coach Smart - here's your chance to see what can happen.

In our first game at home without Cap'n Stephen Jackson, we saw some new developments. (Open Thread / Warriors Web / Recap). Monta Ellis coming into his own? Anthony Randolph calming down a bit? Ball movement? Michigan alumn (GO BLUE!) Chris Hunter?

Things are looking sunny in The Bay...

Unfortunately for us this guy is playing out of his mind.

God I hate the Mavericks.

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Dirk Nowitzki	13	38.5	9.2	20.6	44.4	0.9	2.6	35.3	7.7	8.5	90.1	0.8	8.2	8.9	2.9	1.5	1.1	1.6	2.2	26.9
Jason Terry	13	34.2	5.8	13.4	43.7	1.4	4.6	30.0	4.2	5.2	80.6	0.4	2.2	2.6	3.2	1.7	1.5	0.2	1.7	17.2
Josh Howard	3	22.3	4.3	12.3	35.1	1.0	3.3	30.0	3.0	4.7	64.3	1.0	2.7	3.7	0.7	0.7	1.3	0.0	1.7	12.7
Shawn Marion	11	32.1	5.6	11.5	49.2	0.0	0.2	0.0	1.4	1.7	78.9	2.7	3.8	6.5	1.5	1.3	1.2	0.8	1.6	12.6
Drew Gooden	9	24.2	3.8	8.8	43.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	1.6	2.1	73.7	2.8	4.7	7.4	0.1	1.3	0.3	1.1	3.6	9.1
Jose Barea	13	23.1	3.1	7.9	38.8	0.9	2.6	35.3	1.6	1.9	84.0	0.3	1.7	2.0	3.5	1.3	0.2	0.2	1.9	8.7
Erick Dampier	9	26.9	3.1	4.8	65.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3	2.2	60.0	3.0	6.7	9.7	0.4	1.0	0.2	2.2	3.1	7.6
Rodrigue Beaubois	9	12.4	3.0	5.0	60.0	0.6	1.2	45.5	0.7	0.9	75.0	0.1	0.9	1.0	1.1	1.3	0.3	0.2	1.3	7.2
Jason Kidd	13	35.6	2.5	6.8	37.5	1.8	4.3	42.9	0.2	0.2	100.0	0.6	5.0	5.6	9.1	2.9	1.8	0.3	1.6	7.1
Kris Humphries	12	15.1	2.8	5.8	47.8	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	2.0	54.2	1.8	2.8	4.5	0.4	0.8	0.5	0.4	2.1	6.6
Tim Thomas	2	18.5	3.0	7.0	42.9	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.5	0.5	100.0	2.5	2.0	4.5	1.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	2.0	6.5
Quinton Ross	12	15.8	1.1	2.6	41.9	0.2	0.7	25.0	0.2	0.3	50.0	0.7	0.8	1.5	0.3	0.1	0.3	0.3	2.0	2.5
James Singleton	8	7.8	0.9	2.1	41.2	0.5	1.3	40.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	1.5	1.9	0.1	0.6	0.4	0.3	1.8	2.3
Matt Carroll	5	4.2	0.4	1.4	28.6	0.2	0.8	25.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.0	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.6	1.0

Dirk Nowitzki

#41 / Forward / Dallas Mavericks

Height: 7-0

Weight: 245

Born: Jun 19, 1978

College: Germany

	Pts	Reb	Ast
2009 - Dirk Nowitzki	26.9	8.9	2.9

R Dizzle's Predictions

Warriors by 2 - Coach Smart pulls in his first win!
Dirk scores 30 points
Monta Ellis comes down with a double-double
Chris Hunter crashes down with 8 boards
Anthony Morrow brings in 3 treys

Poll

With all the tumoil in the FO...who should be coaching?

I was bumpin' Rick Ross's "Trill" album and wanted to poke fun at Monta ready to be "Da' Boss"...

2009-11-24T08:18:34Z

I was bumpin' Rick Ross's "Trill" album and wanted to poke fun at Monta ready to be "Da' Boss" after reading a great article from Marcus Thompson ("Warriors' Monta Ellis takes charge" article) that was posted as a fanshot by IQofaWarrior. Thanks for the great read, here's some Golden State parody.

HOT or NOT: San Francisco Warriors Hardwood Classics Jerseys

2009-11-24T05:29:35Z

UPDATE (11/24/09 9:26am): My man Mike has some good words about these jerseys over at SBNation.com's NBA section:

I realize the jerseys are a novelty act, but as long as the Warriors are going to stink anyway, can't they wear them more than five times? Pretty please?

=============================

Hardwood Classics Are Back! : 2009-2010 Hardwood Classics Nights [Warriors.com]

What can I say? I'm a sucka for the throwbacks. I'm definitely voting hot.

Jump for more details.

The Golden State Warriors will be donning these retro fly garments 5 times this season at the Roaracle:

Thursday December 3rd vs Houston Rockets
Wednesday December 16th vs San Antonio Spurs
Wednesday January 13th vs Miami Heat
Wednesday January 20th vs Denver Nuggets
Wednesday January 27th vs New Orleans Hornets

Maybe the Warriors can break them out again in spring in the playoffs?

Maybe not.

San Francisco Warriors Primary Logo
San Francisco Warriors primary logo in use from 1963-1969

A blue Indian headdress in a yellow circle

via Chris Creamer's sportslogos.net

There's no way this "Indian" themed jersey would fly in the Bay Area now.

Still a Raja and a Curry sporting jerseys with an "Indian headdress"- I'd be lying if I said this brown man wasn't intrigued.

Thanks to thecity23 for the FanShot.

Poll

The San Francisco Warriors Hardwood Classics throwbacks are...

WNBA Coming to Bay Area: Golden State Monarchs, Bay Area Monarchs, San Jose Monarchs... something like that

2009-11-23T16:13:46Z

[www.wnba.com/monarchs]

Our sister WNBA and Women's NCAA blog Swish Appeal has the 411 and more:

Jump for some quick thoughts.

Sacramento Kings owners decide to cease owning city's WNBA franchise [AP-Yahoo!]

Thoughts off the backboard:

It's sad to see one of the original 8 WNBA franchises just vanish seemingly overnight.
Finally we'll have a decent pro hoops squad in the Bay Area. Since 1997 the Monarchs have made the playoffs 9 times and the Warriors of course have only qualified for the spring dance once since then. These 9 playoff appearances have amounted to 2 Conference Championships and 1 WNBA Championship for the Monarchs. Pretty impressive. The one thing that the Monarchs and Warriors have in common is that every time they've gotten to the playoffs they've reached the 2nd round (we're trying to be nice here).
Quick: Name a player on the Monarchs.
It never really made sense why the WNBA didn't set up shop in the Bay Area to begin with. This is a hoops crazy market that still passionately supports Chris Cohan's endless "rebuilding" project. Also considering the WNBA's sizable lesbian fan base, the Bay Area seems like an ideal fit.
It would be shocking to see Cohan assume any major ownership role in a Bay Area WNBA franchise given his current financial struggles. Unfortunately business-wise it's hard to blame him. The WNBA is still a money losing business. It's a largely subsidized effort by the NBA. But who knows? Maybe the Bay Area is a "green" spot for the WNBA.
If the Monarchs do move here hopefully they'll change their name. Some WNBA attempted feminized version of "Warriors" could be interesting.

One of the original franchises in the short-lived ABL.

via logoshak.com

Poll

Where should the Monarchs play in the Bay Area?

Warriors NBADL Call-Up Chris Hunter Scouting Report

2009-11-22T17:05:16Z

In his first game with the Golden State Warriors against the Portland Trail Blazers Chris Hunter started the second half, swished in a nice turnaround jumper in the low block, had a rejection and an interception, and received a standing ovation from the Roaracle crowd. Not a bad debut at all.

OPEN THREAD #12: Blazers vs Warriors - The New Team Heads Home

Warriors Web: Golden State Warriors 108, Portland Trail Blazers 94- Monta Ellis drops 34 points

RECAP: Warriors 108, Blazers 94 - Great way to start a weekend

That's an Unstoppable Baby Marc Jackson-looking shot if I ever saw one.

via www.nba.com

But as Mike Meezy would say "Who is he?" Jump to find out.

Ridiculous insights from our buddy Jon L from Ridiculous Upside your home for NBA prospect information and more:

I like Hunter's game a lot. He didn't get much of a shot with the Knicks in the preseason, but he was Fort Wayne's leading scorer last season and made the all D-League second team. Hunter's always been talented, as he was recruited to Michigan to play for Tommy Amaker, but Amaker did a terrible job of developing the guys he had, and several of them (Hunter, Courtney Sims, Brent Petway) ended up in the D-League, but all of them have received call-ups. Hunter has a nice midrange shot that forces post defenders to step out on him, and he made 55 percent of his shots last year. He also has some decent post moves. He's okay as a defender, but he's a decent rebounder, averaging 10 per 36 minutes. He's a really polished player offensively, and I think he definitely has a place in the NBA.

RECAP: Warriors 108, Blazers 94 – Great way to start a weekend

2009-11-21T18:29:14Z

The Warriors have found the big man they've always wanted.

Chris Hunter, formerly of the D-league as of earlier yesterday afternoon, started the second half of the Warriors win over the Portland Trailblazers and shutdown Greg Oden. This definitely secured the win as without Hunter's defensive presence in the paint, the Warriors might have been down by as many as a dozen or more like the first quarter where Oden dominated and helped the Trailblazers race out to an early lead.

The Warriors haven't had this stellar of a debut by a big man since Marc Jackson, jokes Atma Brother #1.

Hunter's defensive presence, however, reflected a larger team effort from the whole dubs squad where defense might have been as important, for once, as scoring.

For more, see what the good folks at Blazers Edge have to say about the game!

SBN Nation boxscore

Warriors Web- Post Game Links

Final - 11.20.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Portland Trail Blazers	37	15	23	19	94
Golden State Warriors	29	27	27	25	108

Complete Coverage >

Chris Hunter is now part of a proud line of D-league studs that have found their roots in the NBA through the Golden State Warriors academy of basketball. Like those before him, Hunter shows a surprisingly steady game and solid fundamentals. The Warriors, surprisingly, ran an isolation for him against Oden, which he hit an open jumper on his first shot attempt, a fadeaway over Oden's Mr. Fantastic stretched arms. He then hit a cutting Curry with a nice bounce pass into the lane which led to a wide open jumper in the corner by Morrow. Within his first 6 minutes of playing, you would have thought this guy had been playing with the Warriors for a while. Or maybe this is really suggestive of how skimpy the Warriors playbook is? At any rate, I'm seeing some nice things from this University of Michigan alum. This might be might be the proudest I've ever been for that school, which I and R.Dizzle currently attend.

Anyway, our new #31 is a far cry from our old #31.

But things weren't looking that great. From jump, I thought this game was about to be a disaster. Maybe it was ominous clouds and stormy weather all day. But before tip-off, things already didn't feel right. Usually, coming to the Oracle Arena is equivalent to hitting up the hottest club in the east bay. Good looking women decked out in the voluntary dress code of Warriors gear, fly sneakers or heels, and a beer. The quality that we're used to was not quite there...yet. Oh yea, and then there was that Greg Oden guy too.

Anthony Randolph looked completely helpless against him on defense. Steve Blake was even tearing into the Warriors, backing down Curry repeatedly on the block or shooting over him.

As if this wasn't insulting enough, the Dreyers ice cream up in club 200 cost $6.00 a cup. That's exactly two times the price of the Loards ice cream across the street from my house. The ice cream was good, but this was just reflective of all the ugliess at the Oracle - on and off the court. Damn you Cohan.

Luckily, things changed quickly in the second quarter. Oden in foul trouble paved the way for the Warriors to, intelligently, attack the basket. Monta Ellis did what he does amazingly, which is getting to the hoop. Stephen Curry did what Warriors SHOULD do more often, which is getting Anthony Morrow involved the best way Morrow knows how: hitting open jumpers. The steady balance of inside outside definitely kept the Warriors in the game during the second half.

You know who also kept us fans in the game? The Warriors Girls. Susan Hovey (choreographer and dance director) looks like she's assembled the best line-up since 2003-2004. The WG's rockin' their white-on-white booty shorts and crop top/sports bra get-up was a nice touch. Susan Hovey is finally promising us what she originally came here to do: establish more "Pussycat Dolls" type entertainment. The cheering stinky dudes sitting dudes next to me hogging the arm rests wildly cheering attests to the fan appreciation of Hovey's efforts on her end (Riley could learn a thing or two). Also, yesterday was Hovey's birthday, so everyone please wish her a happy birthday if you can via GSoM.

But it seemed that the Warriors last night lived and died by Dennis Rodman's wise words from Double Team: "Offense gets the glory, but defense wins the games." As awesome as Monta's and Morrow's offensive stats looked last night, it was really the collective hustle on the boards (sans Oden on the floor), smart help defensive by Vladimir Radmanovic, and Monta's man-to-man defense on Brandon Roy that helped seal this victory. Radman was all over the place on defense, but not like Randolph (we'll get to that in a second). You could see him doubling down in the paint when necessary. He was often the first person to try to defend a wide open man. He was even crashing the boards when Randolph struggled to get position against Pryzbilla. The best thing about Radman? He shot .500 and not one of those attempts was a 3-pointer. Talk about efficiency.

Maybe playing with Kobe back in the day actually paid off?

As the second quarter came to an end and the Warriors raced out to a short lead, Oracle started looking like the hot spot for good looking people that I always knew it to be. Maybe they showed up late. Or maybe I was just in a better mood.

Anyways, the third quarter featured Hunter and his ability to contain and frustrate Oden in ways that Randolph and MIKEY clearly weren't able to, which proved to be the difference maker, in my opinion.

Monta showed me (and Atma) a defensive side of him that he wants everyone to know. He clearly put his back into it for once -- a new defensive stance perhaps? Of course, in the process, he manages to publicly and passive aggressively diss his teammates:

"It definitely gets overlooked," Ellis said. "I hear people say Monta can't play defense, but if you go back and look at the tapes, you don't see Monta getting burned. I can do that day-in and day-out." (Yahoo! recap)

We would like to see that. And more of that impressive court awareness that led to 6 steals, several off intercepted passes either cross court or on the break.

But sometimes I can't tell whether Monta's offensive dominance just means he's a glorified Ben Gordon. Meaning, a lot of times it just looks like Monta has some major tunnel vision and already knows he's going to shoot it before he even gets the ball. Monta's game has grown a bit on both ends of the floor, and I wonder if there is more to come as the season progresses.

And Hunter's ability to play steadily clearly highlights Randolph's inefficiencies and mental lapses as a young player. His two offensive fouls calls on wild drive to the hoop don't quite capture the problems of his game like when he battled Stephen Curry for a rebound to the point that he knocked the ball out of bounds off of Curry. After a tremendous defensive effort by Randolph to prevent the Blazers' second chance points, which had hounded him throughout the first half, Randolph managed to tap the ball out away from his opponents. You have to love his hustle to try to corral the ball in. But plays that make you groan and wonder if this kid will get it together or if he's just regressing into bad habits. I won't get into it much more, but Hunter's 2-2 from the field reminds you, or possibly makes you want to forget, Randolph's 4 bricks all within half a foot from the basket. This guy needs to learn some tips on how to finish in the paint, quickly.

The Warriors lead hit twenty deep into fourth quarter and when the buzzer rang, you would have thought the Warriors just won the championship with the confetti falling from the sky. Why make the janitors' job more difficult?

Tonight's Warrior Wonder has to go to Chris Hunter. While the obvious choice is probably Monta or Morrow, I chose Hunter based off his ability to step in and make a difference instantly in his limited minutes. He was so good that the crowd gave him a standing ovation. Can we expect him to start the next game?

Warriors Web: Golden State Warriors 108, Portland Trail Blazers 94- Monta Ellis drops 34 points

2009-11-21T18:08:06Z

More photos » by Jed Jacobsohn - Getty Images

4 days ago: OAKLAND, CA - NOVEMBER 20: Monta Ellis #8 of the Golden State Warriors shoots against the Portland Trail Blazers during an NBA game at Oracle Arena on November 20, 2009 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Browse more photos »

RECAP: Warriors 108, Blazers 94 - Great way to start a weekend

GSoM Preview/ Game Thread (1690+ comments)

Trail Blazers vs Warriors coverage

Trail Blazers vs Warriors recap

Trail Blazers vs Warriors boxscore

Blazersedge

Jump for some pre-GSoM Recap links and videos!

Words

Game 14 Recap: Blazers 94, Warriors 108 - Blazersedge

A recap of the Portland Trail Blazers 108-94 loss to the Golden State Warriors on November 20, 2009.

Game 14 Preview: Blazers vs. Warriors - Blazersedge

With Ellis at top of game, 8 is enough [SFGate]

Monta Ellis scores 34 points as Golden State Warriors rip Portland - Inside Bay Area

Golden State Warriors notebook: Golden State signs Chris Hunter from NBDL - Inside Bay Area

Pre-game Don Nelson, and a Monta Ellis non-update update | Talking Points

* First off: On the Monta Ellis Situation... Sounds like both sides are delaying an official face-to-face after all the build-up (yes, much of the building

Monta Ellis, on his defensive gem vs. Brandon Roy: "I could do that day-in, day-out" | Talking Points

Don Nelson post-game transcript INCLUDED ON BOTTOM to come, but figured I should put up Monta Ellis' comments first. He had an incredible game.

Hope Blazes: Warriors 108 Blazers 94 " Feltbot's Warriors Blog

PopcornMachine's GameFlow

GameFlows or graphical boxscores of NBA games

Videos

Stay tuned for the GSoM Recap!

Poll

Who gets your vote for tonight's Warrior Wonder?

OPEN THREAD #12: Blazers vs Warriors - The New Team Heads Home

2009-11-20T19:15:11Z

Prepare to have nightmares of Brandon Roy

Warriors: 3-8

Blazers: 9-4

Tip-Off: 7:30pm

TV: CSN Bay Area

Radio: KNBR 680

Blog Buddy: Blazers Edge

The big, bad Blazers come to Oakland with their big, oft-broken center, Greg Oden, and big star Brandon Roy. This is a very good team and they're going to be good for a long time. In a few years, perhaps next year, this team could challenge for the title. Jealous? Yes. They just have guys that are easy to root for.

On the other side of the floor, the Warriors are, well, the Warriors you know and love. But, Warriors basketball post-Jax has been much more team oriented, slightly bearable to watch. Even though both games ended in losses, there were definitely some encouraging signs for the team moving forward.

Fewer "what are you doing?!" shots
I'm not sure what it is, but Jax took a lot of bad shots and that seemed to rub off on everyone else. Now that he's gone, it seems like the other guys have reverted to knowing what a good shot is. Well, everyone except for Anthony Randolph. He still shouldn't be taking so many shots outside of 3 feet. It's been nice.

Steph Curry and Monta Ellis
The ball is in their hands more and that's a good thing. Jax would make a nice play every now and then, but these are the two best ballhandlers and I like seeing the ball in their hands more often, especially Curry. He just has a knack for finding the open man and anticipating what the defense will do. More ball with ballhandler + less time in Jax's hands = good.

Corey Maggette
The biggest positive out of all this mess is that Corey Maggette is starting to play a different game. He's working his butt off on the defensive end - something I don't think I've seen. He's taking less long jumpers and working to get inside more often. Lastly, he's rebounding more. Not sure what's got into him, but I've been impressed probably for the first time since he's joined the team.

It's only been 2 games, I'm looking for anything to make me feel better about the Warriors. Hopefully this is the beginning of a newer, better team (provided nobody else gets injured).

Predictions

Warriors by 3. Yea, that's right. I think the Warriors will win shorthanded against a superior team and I have no idea how.
Anthony Randolph with a double double (missed shots and rebounds)
Monta Ellis drop 30
Greg Oden with 15 rebounds

NBA Talking Points: Where The Little Guys Get Some Love

2009-11-20T19:04:51Z

NBA Talking Points: Where The Little Guys Get Some Love

This week in the mothership:
1. Six Feet And Under: The Lightning Bug Era
2. Chris Paul, Injured
3. Ron Artest Is Nic Cage; Wizards Fans Are Dr. Stanley Goodspeed
4. Gilbert Arenas Reminds Us He's Awesome
5. A Nuggets Fan Meets George Karl
6. Chinese Trading Cards: This Is Why Globalization Is Good
7. A Perfect Quarter Of Basketball
8. Lebron: The Anatomy Of Douchebaggery
9. Captain Jack, The Bobcat: Sometimes You Get What You Deserve
10. The NBA's Dock Ellis

Fine-art Friday: The breakup of "We Believe" as a Mike Meezy slow jam. [Fear the Beard] GSoM friend...

2009-11-20T07:54:23Z

Fine-art Friday: The breakup of "We Believe" as a Mike Meezy slow jam. [Fear the Beard]
GSoM friend Mike Meezy of the mighty FTB crew drops the smoothness to accompany some Warriors highlights.

Chris Webber and Kevin McHale Talk Don Nelson and Golden State Warriors on NBA TV

2009-11-19T23:15:09Z

This past Tuesday's matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers was selected by hoops fans worldwide to be televised on NBA TV for Fan Night. I never knew so many hoops junkies were so hyped about watching new Warrior Valdimir Radmanovic!

Preview/ Game Thread

RECAP: Warriors 108, Cavaliers 114 - A Victorious Loss

1993-1994: Good times in Dubs land.

Anyhow CWebb and the Celtics eternal employee Kevin McHale had some interesting things to say about the Dubs and Nellie. Jump for a video and some quotes.

NBA TV's Chris Webber on Golden State Warriors head coach Don Nelson Nov. 17, 2009 from Turner Sports on Vimeo.

Pre-Game Show: Ernie Johnson, Chris Webber and Kevin McHale

McHale on Golden State’s team chemistry after trading (Stephen) Jackson to the Charlotte Bobcats: "When the players come out and say it will be better when Stephen Jackson goes, which they started a couple of weeks ago, that is really an indication that it is very disruptive. I think (the Warriors) will play free and easy tonight."

Webber on the Golden State Warriors: "When you are on a team that has a bad feeling in the locker room, it is really good to get a breath of fresh air. And I think for Golden State this is a breath of fresh air. When you win and when you lose it is good to just be able to concentrate on your team and the game and not everything that is going inside and outside the locker room."

McHale on coaches getting teams back on track after turmoil: "You have to stay with what you believe in and you can’t be changing. Some coaches say, ‘tonight we are going to play defense, tomorrow we are going to play offense.’ The players get confused and pretty soon they say that the coach has no idea what he is talking about. Stay with your pattern, do what you do. The message has to be the same every single day in the locker room and then the players start buying in and believing. I think that Nellie (coach Don Nelson’s) message is going to be the same. Score a lot of points."

Webber on playing for Golden State’s coach Don Nelson: "I actually got two chances to play for (Nelson), once when I was a young rookie and I think I could have made better decisions then…definitely, I know I could have made better decisions then. He could have as well, as far as explaining the game to young guys. Then I got to play with him my last year in the league for about 10 games and I’ve seen a difference in the way he handles players. To me, he is a player’s coach, definitely a good personality. But that may set some guys up and I think that could be a double-edged sword at times."

Halftime Report: Johnson, Webber and McHale

McHale on Golden State being under-manned: "One of two things can happen, you either get disheartened and say, ‘we are under-manned and say we can’t play, we can’t win.’ Or the guys can say, ‘I can shoot all I want because the coach can’t take me out.’ There is a point where they can say, ‘it doesn’t matter the coach can’t take me out,’ so maybe they will relax and play."

NBA GameTime presented by Hyundai : Johnson, Webber and McHale

McHale on Golden State’s play against the Cavaliers: "I did think they played a little looser without Stephen Jackson. The guys in the locker room were saying he needed to go, he wasn’t good here. He left and I thought they played with energy. I thought they played loose and had some chemistry out there."

GSoM Archive:

Poll

Chris Webber called Don Nelson a "player’s coach" earlier this week. Will Nellie be remembered as so after he retires?

SB Nation NBA Power Rankings, Week 3

2009-11-19T19:59:41Z

SB Nation NBA Power Rankings, Week 3

Scroll down, way down, and you'll find the GSW.

RECAP: Warriors 95, Celtics 109 – 3rd Quarter Collapse

2009-11-19T05:36:39Z

I'll take a Bud Light!

Open Thread (~1400 comments)

Final Boxscore

Blog Buddy: Celtics Blog

The final outcome was pretty much what we all expected, a blowout win for the Celtics. The Warriors hung tough for the first half, but when that 3rd quarter came around, boy oh boy, that was rough. The Celtics didn't put the Warriors away, they just let the Warriors hang around for most of the 3rd. When the Warriors didn't take advantage of the Celtics early on in that quarter, the Warriors were doomed because once the Celtics found their groove, the Warriors never did, and that's all she wrote. The 1 point halftime lead ballooned to 13 and the Celtics pretty much coasted to victory extending their lead to as much as 16 and never lower than 10. The Warriors put forth a solid effort but that just wasn't good enough.

On a side note, amazingly, my prediction, Warriors by -14 was right on point. Crazy. That's never happened before. Come to me for all your gambling needs.

Hit the jump for some thoughts:

1) Things I Liked
Let's start with the good things.

Is it just me or is there a different feeling when watching the team? No Jax around and there seems to be better team chemistry. The ball moves better, there are less ill-advised shots, and guys seem to be hustling and trying harder. Maybe I just want to feel that way since Jax is gone, but after watching 2 games without him, something feels different, something better.

I like Raja Bell simply for volunteering to play when he knew the Warriors were down to just 7 guys. His wrist is injured enough that he needs surgery on it, yet he still volunteers on playing. I like that and his 23 minutes where he shot 3-3 from 3.

Corey Maggette is playing some of the best ball I've seen him play as a Warrior. He's really working out there and hustling, doing some of the dirty work, and banging inside on defense (not just offense). While he shot just 6-9 from the line, I appreciate his willingness to stop taking so many long jumpers and rather take mid-range jumpers instead while also going inside (where he's best). On a team that falls in love with the long jumpers, they're going to need someone who knows how to score in the paint off of a post up, and Maggette has shown a willingness to do just that. If this is the new Maggette we're going to see for the rest of the year, I'll be very happy.

Randolph always shows us a little glimpse of what he's capable of. He's got these moments where he's able to corral all of his energy and put together a few minutes where he's focused and doing everything right. And then other times, he's just simply out of control. Tonight, he showed us glimpses of what we're all hoping he does in the future.

Lastly, I liked that Monta was able to get in the lane against the Celtics. He's just going to have to convert some of those layups. The old Monta did, but I'm still waiting to see if the new Monta can. Maybe he's still getting used to game speed but it's a little disconcerting that he's not able to finish drives like he did before nor is he able to knock down the mid-range jumpers like he did before.

2) The 3rd Quarter Woes Continue
The Warriors just cannot put together a decent 3rd quarter. After being down by just 1 point at the half, the Warriors came out and stunk up the Boston Garden. It started out fine, at the 8:48 mark the score was tied at 55. And then the drought began. The Warriors couldn't get any points, not a field goal or a free throw. They scored their 56th point at the 4:18 mark - 4.5 minutes without scoring a point. Yikes! It was the combination of 3 turnovers and 7 missed shots that doomed the Warriors. It'll be hard to beat any team when you do that.

You know what's worse? The Celtics weren't exactly playing lights out either. They scored just 3 points 3.5 minutes. The Warriors had a chance to take a significant lead if they could have just taken care of the ball and knocked down some jumpers. They could have taken the lead against the Celtics late into the 3rd quarter!

The one thing that stands out to me in the play by play is this. 5:56 - Boston full timeout. Maybe this was the mandatory under 6 minutes timeout, but either way, Doc Rivers and co. took advantage. The very next possession they get the ball to Rondo who passes to KG for a bucket. Their scoring drought was over, the Warriors' was still going. After that timeout, the Celtics scored on their next 5 straight possessions! I don't know what was said or done during the timeout, but it sure worked. That one Celtics run put the game away and the 3rd quarter saved the Celtics.

3) Rondo Rondo Rondo
Rondo is a special player. You watch him operate on the court with the stars surrounding him and you can tell he's learned how to get them the ball where they like it. He's got the ability to get in the lane any time he wants and wreak havoc on the defense. His 12 assists show that he's able to find the open man as he runs the offense and gets in the lane. His 18 points came on just 12 shots. Additionally, 9 of his 12 shots attempted were from inside of 2 feet, he made 7 of them. It's a testament to how good he is at creating for others and scoring while in the paint.

The Warriors struggled keeping him contained especially in that 3rd quarter. When the Celtics made their run after the 5:56 timeout, Rondo was involved on 4 of the 5 consecutive scoring possessions. Assist to KG, makes a layup, makes another layup (and 1), and then assists to Pierce. All in all, he had 12 points in that quarter to go with 4 assists.

Again, he's a special player and fun to watch.

4) 21 Turnovers
Unacceptable. 21 is good in blackjack, but when you give the ball away that many times, more than likely, you're going to lose. Heck, the Celtics had 30 points off turnovers! You can't give away possessions like that with poor passing and poor decisions.

Curry had 6 of them to go with his 7 assists and 4 steals. If he took care of the ball a little better this would have been one of his best games as a pro. Oddly, Curry was a +5 in 35 minutes. That means in the 13 minutes he was off the floor the Warriors were -19. Crazy.

Vlad Radman had 5 turnovers and Randolph had 4. Sheesh. Are the big men handling the ball that much or are they just careless with the ball? Methinks they're careless. I expect that from Randolph every now and then, but I have no idea what to expect from Vlad, certainly not 5 TO's.

This team isn't good enough to give away the ball like that and still win a game.

Corey Maggette for stepping up his game and taking on more of the load now that Jax is gone. Tonight: 23 points (8-13 FG's, 6-9 FT's), 8 boards, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Poll

Pick your Warrior Wonder for this game

OPEN THREAD: Warriors @ Celtics – Can We Just Play Ball?

2009-11-18T21:00:18Z

Ahhhh memories...

Warriors: 3-7

Celtics: 8-3

Tip-Off: 4:30pm

TV: CSN Bay Area

Radio: KNBR 1050

Blog Buddy: Celtics Blog

Can we just have one day without drama? Stephen Jackson this and Stephen Jackson that, he wanted to go to a contender but now he's a Bobcat. Monta might want out as well?

Yesterday's game was quite a surprise. 7 guys vs one of the best teams in the league. To have been down by 1 with under 2 minutes after scratching back from down 15 is a pleasant surprise. They were really working hard out there. It looks like they're going to have to be a scrappy team to get some wins. They're going to have to work harder than the other team on the boards and on defense. They're going to have to run the offense smoothly by moving the ball around to get open shots. They simply cannot win by going 1 on 1 and relying on any one person to win. This is no different now than it was with Jax on the team, but after one game, it looks like the offense is less 1 on 1, more ball movement.

I don't expect this game to be close. The Celtics should be able to overpower the Warriors. Back to back on the road facing 2 of the best teams in the league? It's a tough thing for any team to be able to play well in both contests. Throw in the 3 days of rest for the Celtics, all the injuries on the Warriors, playing only 7 guys again and the Warriors will find themselves in a difficult situation. If the game is close in the 4th quarter, that will be quite an achievement. The game will show what these guys are made of and what kind of condition they're in.

Regardless of what I think might happen, I'm still looking forward to this game because:

Monta and Curry did such a great job distributing the ball yesterday. It was nice to watch our two top guards go out there and find the open man and also create shots for teammates.
See if Corey Maggette can keep up what he did yesterday. 11 boards and 3 assists? Really? Wow. Will he continue to grab boards and look to set people up?
Anthony Randolph had a poor first 3 quarters in Cleveland. His 4th quarter was encouraging to see. Apparently Raja Bell told him a few things prior to the 4th. AR was very active on the glass and trying to make things happen on offense in the paint.
Big 3 + Rasheed + Rondo. It's the first chance I'll get to see how the new and improved Celtics look.

Predictions

Warriors by -14
Rondo eats Curry for dinner
Somebody breaks Ray Allen's ankles just like JC did last year
Monta drops 25

GSOM Night 8: A NorCal Battle - Tickets On Sale

2009-11-18T17:00:23Z

GSOM Night is all about having a good time with a bunch of friends at a Warrior game regardless of how good, how bad, or how much drama is going on with the team. The GSOM crew and Chris Murphy of the Warriors are dedicated to making these GSOM Nights fun for everyone no matter what. It's the reason we pick certain games on the schedule that we think will be competitive and appealing to many fans. It's the reason we changed it up this year to include post-game activities and continue to give away Tony.psd designed work. On opening night, we hosted the wildly popular free throw contest while Tony put together the first ever GSOM Night jersey. Seriously, we're all about having a good time with good people. For GSOM Night 8, you can count on the same things especially the post-game activity and the Tony.psd giveaway. You'll definitely want to head out to the arena with us for this one.

When
Friday, January 8, 2010 @ 7:30p vs Sacramento Kings

Tickets (Purchase tickets online or download, print and mail the flier)
- Club 200 Sideline (rows 1-9): $38 each ($12 discount)
- Club 200 Sideline (rows 10+): $30 each ($10 discount)
- Club 200 Corner/Baseline: $25 each ($10 discount)

Perks
- Every ticket purchased is entered into a raffle for free tickets and memorabilia
- Receive a free Tony.psd giveaway
- Every ticket purchased can participate in the post-game activity (TBD, but the last activity was a free throw contest on the court)

GSOM Night: Always a great time out!

RECAP: Warriors 108, Cavaliers 114 - A Victorious Loss

2009-11-18T07:05:32Z

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

That about sums it up right there...

Browse more photos »

Despite the obvious loss tonight, I pretty sure I'd be hard pressed to find anyone who has been watching the Warriors this year who wouldn't be pleasantly surprised at the display we put forth. Usually, losses are pretty tough to write on. This is especially the case with the Warriors because losses are usually coupled with an excess of embarrassing preventable mistakes.

We knew we were outmatched in this game from the moment that we saw it on our schedule. Add to the mix the fact that the Warriors had to approach this game with only 7 healthy players (one of them suiting up in a Dubs uniform for the first time ever) and we had a recipe for a smack down.

But tonight, we saw something different. We saw one of the NBA elite teams look at each other in amazement, wondering why they couldn't extend a lead. We saw Ellis and Curry dishing the ball with flare. We saw Maggette hitting up the floor, fighting for boards and fighting through gauntlets for points. We saw Morrow draining tres in the face of the bewildered Cavs...

...we saw our boys play like Warriors.

Warriors vs Cavaliers Boxscore

Open Thread (980 Comments)

JUMP!

First and foremost, let's talk about the newest addition to the club. I have to say, I'm not all that dissappointed with Vlad's performance out there tonight! Is he going to be a point for point replacement for Stephen Jackson? No, probably not. But it was nice having a 6-10 shooter show some efficiency (at least in the first half) With enough training in Nellie's system, Vlad can trim down his shot selection and make a nice addition on both sides of the floor.

Plus he's not crazy. That kind of goes a long way.

All said and done, we've only seen half of what this trade had to offer. Unfortunately, that's going to be the case for a long time. So hell with it, let's make some proverbial lemonade. Not too Vlad at all if you ask me.

Moving onto the game - it was nice seeing such a depleted roster come out with such a strong offensive start. One could only hope that this type of offensively display would be complimented by some defensive output, but sadly this was not the case. Despite some great shots (and a great drive by Steph Curry that is worth noting), LeBron and Hickson (hello Warrior Killer!) did a tremendous job tearing up the Warriors inside. By the time the quarter ticked down, the Dubs had 30, but found themselved to be down by 5.

Defense was certainly happening on the Cavs side however. The first half gave way to some incredible swats by Cleveland. Well, if you were the Warriors, change that "incredible" to "embarrassing". Right out of the gates the Cavs increased the lead to 11 and were well on their way to running away with this game.

Now this is when it happened. Ordinarily, the Warriors (especially the Warriors with a 7 man rotation) would have accepted their fate and begun the beloved ritual of hurling up long bricks. But that's not what we saw. It all started with Morrow heating up from beyond the arc, nailing 3 tres in the 2nd quarter alone. This was enough to prevent the Cavs from running away with the lead, but unfortunately, not enough to chisel into it either. Honestly, it was nice enough seeing us hang with a team at a notch above us. But how long could it last?

Third quarter. Where Morrow's shooting cooled, Mags started up on the hustle. Where Vlad's midrangers started bricking, Monta's took over. Only at the end of this quarter did LeBron take over enough to stretch the lead back out to 11. So this was it. LeBron was about to take over the game and finally put the Warriors in his rear view mirror.

Enter the fourth. As the fatigue set in for the Warriors, Anthony Randolph stepped in and completely turned his dismal game around. Scoring most of his 13 points in the 4th quarter alone, Randolph came out with a fire unseen in the previous three quarters. As the back and forth continued, the Warriors actually managed to chisel the Cavs' lead down to 1 off of a ridiculous three from Morrow.

In the end, LeBron did what LeBron does. A few timely dishes and scores padded the Cavs lead with the right amount of time on the clock and the Warriors came away with another loss. But the Cavs have to be wondering how 7 scrappers from the Bay had them on their toes for 48 minutes. I know I am.

All 7 of our players scored in the double digits. We out-rebounded the Cavs and dished out the same amount of dimes. Given our limitations, the Warriors were on form tonight.

Yes. A loss is a loss. No way around it. But in the chaos of this one comes a glimmer of hope. Maybe this team can pay together. There certainly was some inspiring ball movement that led to some pretty innovative scores tonight. Could they do this again? Does this have anything to do with the departure of Jackson's stop and pop style of play?

It sure would be interesting to see what this team does when it gets a little healthier...

Gotta go with Monta on this one. With 23 points and 8 impressive dimes, Monta was doing it from all ends of the floor all night. Where our other players suffered through hot and cold streaks, Ellis served as the go to guy to keep our offense flowing.

Game Thread #10: Warriors @ Cavaliers - Behold the King

2009-11-17T12:30:19Z

Originally posted 4:30 AM PST

Uh oh. These guys are the real deal aren't they?

Maybe we can get another crack at Sacramento? Eh? Eh? No? Okay, what about the Clippers? I mean, c'mon - that was a fluke! We can take those guys! No? Can't do it? Okay fine. I see you're going to be like that. No problem. We'll take Indy on again. There you go, you win! You win and we lose. We'll just hop on this flight to Indiana and -

What?! No?! No Indy? I daresay you're being unreasonable sir. But fear not, we are flexible. Alright fellas you heard them! No Indy! Everyone head over to Gate C31 I think there's a flight to Milwaukee boarding. Grab your bags everyone, Gate C31. Yo rookie! CURRY! Take those headphones off and grab my bag. Maybe they can book us back at that Doubletree. They had pretty good mints, right Andr-

What?

Seriously?

...we HAVE to play these guys? Contract? I see. Well, what if I- Lawsuit you say?

Hey isn't the Rock and Roll Hall of fame out there? Cleveland it is.

Their numbers are many.

Warriors: 3-6

Cavaliers: 7-3

Tip-Off: 4:00pm

TV: CSN Bay Area

Radio: KNBR 680

Blog Buddy: Fear The Sword

Okay maybe I'm being a little pessimistic. After all, we do have a few new bullets in our chamber, don't we? I mean, think about it, as long as Bell and Vlad the Impaler don't go a combined 4-14 in 45 minutes of play, we're on the path to coming out on top! Hahaha; aaaaaaaah bitterness. Sorry Stephen, I was just playing around there.

No I wasn't! HAHAHAHAHA!

No but seriously, we're in for a train wreck tomorrow.I for one will be looking for some good initial chemistry between our new guys and old (relatively speaking) and hoping for the best as we take on King James and company in their own palace.

C'mon Warriors. Surprise me.

Predictions:

Raja Bell gives us an efficient 15+
James drops over 30.
Warriors um... by... uh... The Warriors have a good time. And what's more important than that?

RUMOR: Monta Ellis wants out of Golden State and Warriors looking to trade him

2009-11-17T19:23:39Z

Did you really think it was over with the Stephen Jackson trade?

Of course not. The Dubs Drama continues with Monta Ellis, the "mastermind" behind Moped Gate!

GSoM friend Tim Kawakami (even while on vacation!) has details and more in Ellis/Warriors situation set to hit full boil at Thursday meeting: Trade inevitable?

Anyone know where this ride is going?

We'll update this as more unfolds. Jump for links from the archives.

Multiple NBA sources have confirmed that Monta Ellis' status with the Warriors could be determined Thursday, when his agent is scheduled to meet with team management in Oakland.

Several sources indicate that Ellis' agent, Jeff Fried, already has discussed the possibility of the Warrriors giving Fried and Ellis permission to talk to other teams to quicken the pace of trade talks.
...

(UPDATED:) Multiple sources say that, apparently at Don Nelson's urging, the Warriors have been calling teams and offering to trade Ellis in recent days.

It is likely that their efforts will only intensify, barring some 11th-hour peace treaty. Ellis has four years and $44M owed to him after this season, but several sources say that he will be less difficult to trade than Stephen Jackson was.

And it seems inevitable that Ellis will be traded, presuming that Nelson remains in power, and every source I've talked to believes that Nelson will remain in power.

Monta Ellis

#8 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Height: 6-3

Weight: 180

Born: Oct 26, 1985

College: None

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
2009 - Monta Ellis	9	36.4	8.0	17.6	45.6	0.6	0.9	62.5	2.8	4.0	69.4	1.0	4.1	5.1	5.0	3.1	1.8	0.3	2.8	19.3

Mo Moped Mo Problems

Poll

Golden State Of Mind

RECAP: Warriors 111, Mavericks 103 - Wait... what just happened?

WE WON.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?!?! FACTOR = 3

Question

#30 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

#8 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

#33 / Center / Golden State Warriors

#22 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

#77 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

#4 / Forward / Golden State Warriors

I SPY - WARRIORS EDITION

Monta Ellis

Anthony Morrow

Stephen Curry

Coach Smart

Answer

A WIN.

Think Don Nelson should move to a consulting position?

Warriors Web: Warriors 111, Mavericks 103- Monta Ellis + Anthony Morrow + Stephen Curry score 82 points, Mikki Moore + Vladimir Radmanovic grab 23 rebounds

Live Blogging Links

Post Game Links

Pre-Game Videos

Post Game Videos

Stone Soldiers

Who's your Warrior Wonder?

OPEN THREAD - Warriors @ Mavericks - Time to Get Smart

#41 / Forward / Dallas Mavericks

With all the tumoil in the FO...who should be coaching?

I was bumpin' Rick Ross's "Trill" album and wanted to poke fun at Monta ready to be "Da' Boss"...

HOT or NOT: San Francisco Warriors Hardwood Classics Jerseys

San Francisco Warriors Primary LogoSan Francisco Warriors primary logo in use from 1963-1969

The San Francisco Warriors Hardwood Classics throwbacks are...

WNBA Coming to Bay Area: Golden State Monarchs, Bay Area Monarchs, San Jose Monarchs... something like that

Where should the Monarchs play in the Bay Area?

Warriors NBADL Call-Up Chris Hunter Scouting Report

RECAP: Warriors 108, Blazers 94 – Great way to start a weekend

Warriors Web: Golden State Warriors 108, Portland Trail Blazers 94- Monta Ellis drops 34 points

Words

Videos

Who gets your vote for tonight's Warrior Wonder?

OPEN THREAD #12: Blazers vs Warriors - The New Team Heads Home

NBA Talking Points: Where The Little Guys Get Some Love

Fine-art Friday: The breakup of "We Believe" as a Mike Meezy slow jam. [Fear the Beard] GSoM friend...

Chris Webber and Kevin McHale Talk Don Nelson and Golden State Warriors on NBA TV

Pre-Game Show: Ernie Johnson, Chris Webber and Kevin McHale

Halftime Report: Johnson, Webber and McHale

NBA GameTime presented by Hyundai : Johnson, Webber and McHale

Chris Webber called Don Nelson a "player’s coach" earlier this week. Will Nellie be remembered as so after he retires?

SB Nation NBA Power Rankings, Week 3

RECAP: Warriors 95, Celtics 109 – 3rd Quarter Collapse

Pick your Warrior Wonder for this game

OPEN THREAD: Warriors @ Celtics – Can We Just Play Ball?

GSOM Night 8: A NorCal Battle - Tickets On Sale

RECAP: Warriors 108, Cavaliers 114 - A Victorious Loss

Game Thread #10: Warriors @ Cavaliers - Behold the King

RUMOR: Monta Ellis wants out of Golden State and Warriors looking to trade him

#8 / Guard / Golden State Warriors

Do you want the Warriors to trade Monta Ellis?

San Francisco Warriors Primary Logo
San Francisco Warriors primary logo in use from 1963-1969