| Playoffs? That’s Right Warriors Fans Authored by Payam Jahromi - April 19, 2007 - 5:03 pm
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After 12 seasons without a playoff appearance, the Warriors broke through Wednesday night, beating Portland to secure the eighth seed in the West.
Enjoy it, Warriors fans. You deserve it.
And don’t let anybody diminish this feeling. Let your Laker-fan friends tease you for getting excited about being an eighth seed. You don’t need to win a championship to be truly joyous about a sports team.
It feels great to see this team come together and make the playoffs BECAUSE they haven’t made it in so long. Imagine being a Lakers fan – you don’t feel good at all, not unless you win the title or at least make it past the first round.
If there’s a positive for being so bad for so long, it’s right here and right now. So be proud, enjoy the moment, go get drunk or do whatever you do to celebrate, and then we’ll worry about Dallas.
Here are three reasons why the Warriors turned their season around:
1. The trade
The team would not have come together without the trade that sent Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy to Indiana for Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson. This allowed Don Nelson to play the brand of basketball he wanted, and it made the Warriors more athletic and just plain better.
Stephen Jackson is a much better player than I thought he was before he came here. He’s one of those players who you can’t appreciate unless you watch him play every day. Jackson is a tremendous passer, leader and he plays with a high basketball IQ. He also comes across as a pretty good guy who has gotten himself in trouble because he’s passionate and misunderstood. I’ve completely changed my perception of him.
Harrington has “taken one for the team” by playing out of position. He’s sacrificed his own stats and comfort by playing center and creating mismatches on offense for the Warriors. He’s a great person and a great teammate, and he’s playing the best defense of his career. And lets not forget how genuinely happy he was to be a Warrior after the trade.
2. Baron and J-Rich got healthy
We got a glimpse of how good this team could be after the trade, but with Jason Richardson not fully healthy and Baron Davis missing games, the team never clicked until Baron came back for good.
Baron was fantastic this year. He missed 19 games, but he was magnificent in the other 63. Without him the Warriors are probably not even a 30 win team. Take the clincher against Portland. He shot terribly from the field (4-for-16) but was still fantastic, finishing with a triple-double.
J-Rich scored less and did everything else better. His defense, much maligned throughout his career, was better than ever. He also had a few big scoring games when the team needed it (against the Suns on national TV is the one that stands out).
Of all the players on team, I was the happiest for J-Rich.
3. Nellie, Nellie, Nellie
Who said the coach doesn’t make a difference? The NBA is often called “a players league,” and for good reason. You can’t win without talent. But a great coach can also make the difference between a young, talented team that doesn’t have any direction (sorry Mike Montgomery) versus a team that puts it all together.
Nelson is one of the best coaches ever, and he was just as important to the turnaround as Baron was on the court. Those two jelled together and led this team, and everyone else had no choice but to follow.
Can they beat Dallas?
I think the prevailing feeling is that they’ll lose the series, but nobody would be shocked if there was an upset.
For a team that won 67 games, they should be favored to sweep. I don’t know if that’s saying something about how good the Warriors are playing, or the fact that winning 67 games today isn’t the same as in previous decades. Probably a little of both, but this series isn’t as lopsided as the records indicate.
Oracle Arena will be rocking in games three and four, and the Warriors can make it a close series by winning there. At the very least, they must win one game. Last time they saw the playoffs, they were swept 3-0 by the Suns. With the first round now a best-of-seven, I wouldn’t expect another sweep.
I think a “successful” series would be to make it go at least six games. If they want to win the series, they need to get a split in Dallas and go unbeaten at home. Again, not impossible.
Whatever happens, Warriors fans should enjoy watching this team play as long as they last. Nothing is guaranteed next year, so the time to enjoy the Warriors is now.
For once, it’s playoff time and we’re not counting down the days until the draft lottery. I love it.
For comments or questions write to pjahromi@sbcglobal.net. |
