TheLounge
05-03-2007, 01:34 PM
To all you Warriors fans who wanted Golden State to clinch its first-round playoff series at home — how selfish of you. You should know that when you have a team down, you want to put them away as soon as possible, regardless of where that might happen.
Now, you get the opportunity to see the Warriors possibly finish off Dallas at home tonight. But it is now a completely different series. Maybe if you selfish fans prayed and rooted a little harder Tuesday night, the Warriors wouldn’t have coughed up a nine-point lead with three minutes to play. Now that they have, it is the first time Golden State will have to face real adversity since the playoffs started.
I still haven’t chugged the Kool Aid. I’ve taken sips, but haven’t gone whole hog because I’m not going to believe the Warriors are bound for the second round until they actually accomplish it. If there is one thing I know about the Warriors, it’s this —*they’re still the Warriors. They’re still the team that didn’t make the playoffs for over a dozen years, the team that made one questionable signing after another, the team with the revolving coaches and general managers.
What I’m trying to tell you is this: Do not celebrate the Warriors’ playoff success until they have won four games. Until that occurs, anything can happen. I had a hunch they would give Dallas a serious run for its money. They were the only NBA team to have a winning record against Dallas this season and I knew this wasn’t a traditional No. 1-versus-No. 8 matchup.
But I also knew that it still was the best in the West — and the NBA — against a team that didn’t qualify for the playoffs until the final game of the regular season. I knew that the Mavericks had won 67 games this season and had three winning streaks of 12 or more, including one stretch where they won 17 straight. Despite being down 3-1, for the Mavs to win three in a row is not impossible. Unless the Warriors beat the Mavericks four straight, Dallas still had a shot.
And they still do after the Warriors did something they haven’t done in a while —*suffered a meltdown while holding a lead. Tuesday, the Warriors proved to Dallas that they won’t give up when they rallied from a 21-point, second-quarter deficit. But the Mavericks also discovered something about the Warriors — that they are vulnerable after they blew a nine-point lead with 3:19 left in the game.
Now the scene moves back to the Oracle Arena and suddenly Dallas is brimming with confidence, while the Warriors may be slighty shaken. Golden State has two things going for it: Coach Don Nelson has said all series long that the Warriors are just lucky to be in the playoffs and that Dallas is the better team. That mindset has permeated the team which allows them to be loose and carefree, giving them the impetus to use their go-for-broke style. More importantly, Game 6 is a home game. The Warriors had one of the best home records in the NBA this season.
So there you go Warriors fans. You got your wish —*a chance for Golden State to advance to the second round with a win in front of the home crowd. I hope they do it. I’ve waited 16 years to see a Warriors team win a first-round playoff series.
But now all the pressure is on the Warriors. Because if there is one last thing I know, it’s this: The Warriors chances are real slim if they have to go back to Dallas for Game 7.
Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117.
Now, you get the opportunity to see the Warriors possibly finish off Dallas at home tonight. But it is now a completely different series. Maybe if you selfish fans prayed and rooted a little harder Tuesday night, the Warriors wouldn’t have coughed up a nine-point lead with three minutes to play. Now that they have, it is the first time Golden State will have to face real adversity since the playoffs started.
I still haven’t chugged the Kool Aid. I’ve taken sips, but haven’t gone whole hog because I’m not going to believe the Warriors are bound for the second round until they actually accomplish it. If there is one thing I know about the Warriors, it’s this —*they’re still the Warriors. They’re still the team that didn’t make the playoffs for over a dozen years, the team that made one questionable signing after another, the team with the revolving coaches and general managers.
What I’m trying to tell you is this: Do not celebrate the Warriors’ playoff success until they have won four games. Until that occurs, anything can happen. I had a hunch they would give Dallas a serious run for its money. They were the only NBA team to have a winning record against Dallas this season and I knew this wasn’t a traditional No. 1-versus-No. 8 matchup.
But I also knew that it still was the best in the West — and the NBA — against a team that didn’t qualify for the playoffs until the final game of the regular season. I knew that the Mavericks had won 67 games this season and had three winning streaks of 12 or more, including one stretch where they won 17 straight. Despite being down 3-1, for the Mavs to win three in a row is not impossible. Unless the Warriors beat the Mavericks four straight, Dallas still had a shot.
And they still do after the Warriors did something they haven’t done in a while —*suffered a meltdown while holding a lead. Tuesday, the Warriors proved to Dallas that they won’t give up when they rallied from a 21-point, second-quarter deficit. But the Mavericks also discovered something about the Warriors — that they are vulnerable after they blew a nine-point lead with 3:19 left in the game.
Now the scene moves back to the Oracle Arena and suddenly Dallas is brimming with confidence, while the Warriors may be slighty shaken. Golden State has two things going for it: Coach Don Nelson has said all series long that the Warriors are just lucky to be in the playoffs and that Dallas is the better team. That mindset has permeated the team which allows them to be loose and carefree, giving them the impetus to use their go-for-broke style. More importantly, Game 6 is a home game. The Warriors had one of the best home records in the NBA this season.
So there you go Warriors fans. You got your wish —*a chance for Golden State to advance to the second round with a win in front of the home crowd. I hope they do it. I’ve waited 16 years to see a Warriors team win a first-round playoff series.
But now all the pressure is on the Warriors. Because if there is one last thing I know, it’s this: The Warriors chances are real slim if they have to go back to Dallas for Game 7.
Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117.