Have We Seen The Last Of The Boom-Rich Backcourt?

So, the Warriors’ situation ain’t looking so hot. They let another game slip away last night, thanks to their now-trademark free throw shooting woes, rebounding incompetence and refusal to play Adonal Foyle. By our (slightly-biased) count, it was the third winnable game of this Jazz series that slipped through the cracks.

But the bigger story might be the potential losses of Baron Davis and Jason Richardson in Game Five.

With under a minute left in the game, Baron appeared to send an unnecessarily harsh elbow to the head of Derek Fisher, the feel-good story of the playoffs. Fisher proceeded to stay in the fetal position for a solid five minutes. A commenter on Deadspin summed up Baron’s stupid move best:

Hey Baron . . . classy move . . . at least no one saw you cheap shot daughter with cancer guy, human interest story of perseverance under trying times, Derek Fisher . . . oh wait, that’s right, everyone saw it

A couple seconds later, Mehmet Okur went up for a dunk in garbage time and Jason Richardson knocked him down with a hard foul. J-Rich was issued a flagrant-two foul, which is grounds for automatic ejection.

Our take is that Baron’s hit was much worse than J-Rich’s foul, because the elbow was (seemingly) random. At least J-Rich’s foul was the result of hometown pride; he was merely trying to defend the basket to prevent Okur from dunking at the end of an embarrassing loss in front of a home crowd. If suspensions are issued, we would be shocked–shocked!–if J-Rich was punished.

Baron, on the other hand, needs to stop listening to that damn Id Beard of his.

Odds that Baron gets suspended: 2 to 1.

Odds that J-Rich gets suspended: 10 to 1.

Odds that the Warriors win the series: 25 to 1.

Odds that Matt Barnes gets a tattoo tonight: 12 to 1.

Odds that Nellie is sober tonight: 3 to 2.

Odds that Stephen Jackson get arrested in Utah after a Game Five loss: Even.

Game Six Thoughts: “You Come At The King, You Best Not Miss”

A little more Warriors coverage before looking at the rest of these so-called sporting events …

• First things first: Warriors fans have been nervous all day to hear if Jason Richardson (who had some type of altercation with a Dallas fan after being pushed into the stands in the closing minutes) and/or Stephen Jackson would be subject to discipline by the league. Well, we’ve got good news and bad news … And they’re both the same: Jax is in the clear but J-Rich is still under investigation, according to Janny Hu. [Chronicle Blog]
• Who’s the pressure on? Avery says the Warriors have “ten thousand pounds on their right arms right now.” The statement doesn’t really make sense in the first place, but Marc Stein says Avery sounded more hopeful than convincing. We’re inclined to agree. [Daily Dime]
• The general consensus around the webs is that this series is pretty magical instant classic. Henry, just imagine if you were a Warriors fan. [True Hoop]
• As for us, we have to admit we’re pretty nervous about the next two games. Up nine with three minutes left, we had an excellent chance to end the series. Yeah, the Mavs played perfect ball and the refs didn’t help anything, but it was a choke-job. We had the conference champs and blew it, plain and simple. And aside from whistling childhood tunes in a really, really cool manner, if there’s anything that Omar from The Wire has taught us (and Wee Bey), it’s “you come at the king, you best not miss.” Take special note of the final 60 seconds:

The Post-Game Scene In The Warriors’ Locker Room

Nellie: Well fellas, that didn’t go so well.

Baron Davis: Sorry guys. I should have kept my cool.

Baron’s Beard: What the hell you talkin’ ’bout Baron? We didn’t do nuthin’ wrong! The refs screwed us!

Baron Davis: Quiet, Beard. You already got me in enough trouble tonight.

Baron’s Beard: I’m jus’ sayin’ that we didn’t deserve to get tossed.

Baron Davis: Shut up!

Baron’s Beard: DON’T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT! I’M A GROWN BEARD!

Baron Davis: Sorry.

Nellie: Regardless, we played crap out there tonight. We let them control the tempo. Now, as coach, it’s my duty to–

[Monta Ellis starts giggling in the corner]

Nellie: Something funny, Ellis?

Monta Ellis: You said “doody”!

And Last Night, A Dynasty Was Born

It’s a beautiful spring morning. The fog is shining. The drought is over. It’s time to celebrate.

The Warriors: A Retrospective

The time has come. Tonight, the Warriors cap off the regular season against the Portland Trailblazers. If they win, they will be in the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

12 years.

The longest playoff drought in the NBA could come to a close tonight.

Suffice to say, it’s been a long, tumultuous road.

We’ve seen the players reach new–or unexpected–heights after leaving the Bay. Tim Hardaway had six or so great years with Miami. Latrell Sprewell took Knicks to the Finals. Chris Webber and Gilbert Arenas became bonafide superstars. Antawn Jamison was an Olympian. Larry Hughes is regularly among the league leaders in steals and is now playing Robin to Lebron’s Batman. Damon Jones, Donyell Marshall, Erick Dampier and Jim Jackson have all been valuable contributors to playoff teams.

Warriors (Got) Beat: Breath Mints 1, Baron Davis 0

Breath mints got Baron Davis ejected from the Warriors too-close-for-comfort 122-117 victory over the Grizzles last night. After getting a quick technical in the first quarter for arguing a call, Baron pounded his fist on the scorer’s table and some breath mints that were on the table there got loose onto the floor, prompting official Steve Javie to think that Baron tossed a jar of candy onto the floor. Javie issued a second technical, thus ejecting the Warrriors’ star guard.

The Warriors hung on though, behind a solid fourth quarter from JRich and a barrage of three pointers throughout the game. They took 36 threes. That’s a lot.

But the player of the night was the youngster Monta Ellis, subbing in for the ejected Davis. Ellis, continuing the learn the point guard position, dropped in a nine-assist, zero-turnover night. Well done, young Padawan. (Sidenote: we can’t wait until Ellis becomes an All-Star for another team after the W’s let him get away.)

What does this mean for the Warriors’ playoff hopes? Unfortunately, not much. They didn’t gain any ground this weekend, with the Clippers winning two in a row as well. The Golden Staters still sit a game and a half out of the final playoff spot.

The good news: the Clippers play three playoff teams in a row: the crosstown Lakers, Nuggets and Mavs.

The bad news: the Warriors have to go on the road to face the Rockets, Grizzlies and Spurs. Nellie has got to figure out a way to snap the Warriors’ road woes; they are 8-28 on the road (second-worst in the league). They absolutely must win at least two of three to keep pace with the ClipShow.

NBA Standings [ESPN]

Warriors (Got) Beat: Well, That Worked Out Well

In honor of the Warriors-Suns national broadcast last night, we decided to keep a running diary:

10:49pm ET: Just turned on the computer as the game starts. Nothing screams single guy like eating Chinese food and having a beer while typing on the laptop at 10:45 on a weeknight. Oh well. A Warriors victory will quell the depression. They have already scored 15 unanswered. 9:20 left in the 1st Quarter. 18-6 Warriors. Reggie Miller says this is a glorified pickup game. D’Antoni just called a timeout after a JRich three. The Warriors are totally going to the playoffs behind this new small-small ball lineup, with four guards (Baron, Ellis, JRich, Crazy Steve) and Al Harrington. Brilliant, Nellie, brilliant!

10:52: That Team USA commercial comes on. I think of the same two things every time: Carmelo Anthony saying he’s an ambassador to the game. This is the same Carmelo who was featured with drug dealers and, um, witness intimidators in that Stop Snitchin’ dvd and who then sucker punched and ran away from a second-round draft pick? And what is Brad Miller doing in that commerical? They couldn’t get anyone better? Not even Kirk Hinrich for the token white guy?

Warriors (Got) Beat: National Television + Playoff Hopes = ?

Big game tonight. Big game.

The Warriors tip off at 10:30ET on TNT against the first-place Phoenix Suns. The Bolt-Boys (sounds like a … nevermind) have lost two in a row, but still sit a game and a half out of the final playoff spot occupied by the Los Angeles Clippers.

With the ClipShow idle tonight, a victory tonight would position the Warriors a game behind. The Clippers then have Sacramento and Portland back to back, while the Warriors don’t play until Sunday evening, when they play the worst team in the league, Memphis.

A lot is riding on this weekend. We’re going out on a limb and saying that if the Warriors win tonight, then they’re going to get that mythical playoff berth. If not, well, then their playoff hopes will end up like Nikki and Paulo on Lost: buried and dead. In that order.

Warriors (Got) Beat: So, About Last Night …

Instead of doing our usual recap of the latest attempt by the Warriors to miss the playoffs for a thirteenth consecutive year, we’ll let the guys over at Golden State of Mind (one of our favorite blogs) sum up the Warriors-Spurs fiasco last night:

The third quarter just ended. San Antonio has scored 102 points. We got outscored 29 to 12. Al Harrington has 1 point on 0-5 shooting. Jason Richardson has 0 points on 0-7 shooting. We are currently 3 for 18 from beyond. The Warriors are down 36 points.

The only good thing about that quarter was my bowl of Kix. Well, at least the half of it that I didn’t throw at the television.

The end result: a close 126-89 loss. The Lightning Bolts are now a full two games out of the last spot.

San Antonio 126, Golden State 89 [Yahoo!]

Warriors (Got) Beat: Play-offs?

The rollercoaster called the Golden State Warriors was at it again last night, losing a heartbreaker to the hated Lakers, 115-113. Al Harrington had a good look at the buzzer, but his game-winning attempt fell short, and the Warriors lost yet another road game to fall 1.5 games behind the Clippers for the eighth and final playoff spot.

Last week, we pointed out the crucial nature of this five-game stretch against playoff teams. Well, so far, the W’s are 1-2, with the mighty Spurs on tap tonight. Interestingly enough, the game is at home, and Nellie’s squad hasn’t lost at home in a month. In fact, the home-road discrepancy is pretty shocking; the Warriors are 25-10 at home but just 8-28 on the road. The bad news, however, is that five (out of eleven) road game remain, and to make the playoffs, they’re going to need a couple road wins. We shall see.

Lakers 115, Warriors 113 [Yahoo!]

Warriors Roundup: Quirky Edition

• Reason #14,342 we wish Gilbert Arenas was on our team: he welcomed his new son into the world. His name is Alijah Amani Arenas. Gilbert’s thoughts on the matter? [Gilbert's Blog on NBA.com]

I told him hopefully he darkens up a little bit, because he was a little light in the skin. Then I told him he needs to watch the movie 300, because he needs to be a Spartan type of man … We’re trying to get him sponsored by AAA now and get his diapers paid for.

• Speaking of Washington (tonight’s opponent, by the way) Tim Kawakami breaks down the Warriors’ remaining schedule, highlighting the four remaining Fridays as absolutely pivotal. [Talking Points]
• It’s Stephen Jackson profile day at two major Bay Area newspapers. What makes him tick? And what makes him ticked off? Other than Ron Artest getting hit with a beer cup. [SFGate, CC Times]
• If you go to the W’s website, you can now get on the “Playoff Priority List” and guarantee yourself playoff tickets. Yeah, that won’t jinx anything. [Official Site]
• Speaking of jinxery, Steve Kerr says the Warriors will make the playoffs. [Yahoo!]

Nostalgia: Whatever Happened to … Felton Spencer?

We know we’ve been neglecting the NBA lately, with all the March Madness and Spring Training, so keeping with today’s NBA theme, we visit the Warriors of yesteryear. The 1996-97 Golden State Warriors traded Rony Seikaly, Clifford Rozier and a second-round pick to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Donald Royal, Jon Koncak and of course, Felton LaFrance Spencer [pictured above, middle]. The seven-foot, 300-pound plodder instantly became the starting center for the last place Warriors, averaging a laudable 5.1 points per game, along with 5.7 rebounds and 0.69 blocked shots.

That year, his season highlight was a season-high 14 points against Utah.

By the 1997-98 season, Spencer’s role was lessened, with the arrival of high-profile draft pick Adonal Foyle. Spencer still appeared in 68 games, but only averaged 2.4 points per game in 12 minutes per game. Not one to be deterred, Spencer gave it one final go-around in the 1998-99 season. In his final year with the club, he averaged 1.6 points in 6.1 minutes.

After the season, he signed with the Spurs, followed by a brief stint with the Knicks before calling it a career in 2002.

Felton Spencer [NBA.com]

Photo from a phenomenal photo set [Flickr]

Warriors (Got) Beat: On The Bandwagon, Off The Bandwagon, On The Bandwagon, Off The Bandwagon …

• The Warriors dropped the first game of their all-important five-game “tough stretch” to Utah. Al Harrington was on fire all night, scoring 27. Baron and J-Rich also topped the 20-point plateau, but the “defense” lost a 12-point third quarter lead. The Jazz simply executed in the fourth quarter and the Warriors did not. Missed free throws, missed layups and the W’s patented “Ole!” defense resulted in a bitter 104-100 loss. [SFGate]
• Could this be the last couple weeks of the fabled yet injury-plagued Jason Richardson-Baron Davis era? We hardly knew ye. [Contra Costa Times]
• Nothing makes the heart flutter like a national publication like Sports Illustrated finally hopping on the Warriors’ bandwagon … and then saying how financially screwed they are in the long-term. [SI]
• Kevin Garnett, Golden State Warrior! [GSoM]
• That whole idea of grooming Monta Ellis to be a point guard? Well, 12 turnovers in the last two games, particularly Ellis’ penchant for silly offensive fouls, have soured Don Nelson on the youngster just a bit: He’ll get it eventually; I just need him to get it this year.” [SFGate]

Warriors (Got) Beat: This Is Starting To Look Suspiciously Positive

Well, the Warriors pulled off a pair of victories this weekend, including a Baron Davis buzzer beater in Seattle. With 14 games left to play, Nellie’s squad is sitting in the 8th and final playoff slot, in control of their own destiny. The Clippers and Hornets sit a game behind them, but the Warriors, winners of three in a row, are streaking. They’re even getting some love in the press, in Denver and New Jersey, of all places. It seems like everything might be coming together. Baron is Baron, when he plays. The kids are coming along, and the Indy castaways are fitting in. Even J-Rich is coming along, almost back to full strength.

Also, as if Mike Dunleavy didn’t have enough animosity to deal with while he was in the Bay, J-Rich couldn’t resist taking a shot from afar at everyone’s favorite former Dukie:

“Oh man, I wish [Dunleavy and Troy Murphy] were here,” Richardson said. “I’d have a lot of money in my pocket, first of all. Especially Dunleavy. He’s always on me about Michigan State. Duke, who’d they lose to? Virginia Commonwealth? Where’s that at?”

Anyway, five playoff teams loom over the Warriors’ next five games: Utah, Washington, LA Lakers, San Antonio and Phoenix. It’s gut check time.

Clip Of The Day: Monta Ellis Is The New Black

We welcome our new Monta Ellis overlords. He needs a nickname though. Suggestions?