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Photo du Jour 501
Go ahead Bay Area, whoop it the hell up. Call in sick to work, pick up a twelver at the corner store, order some team gear online, call your boys over, and replay game 6 again and again and again on your DVR. It's time to cel-eh-brate, come on! Last night in the O-rena, before 20,677 fanatics-in-arms, your Golden State Warriors rose up and crushed the Dallas Mavericks, 111-86, to close out their first-round, best-of-seven series, four games to two.
It was the biggest game in franchise history since the 1974-1975 championship season and the biggest upset in the history of the NBA playoffs. In fact, many pundits are ranking this upset as one of the greatest in sports history! Not from the Mavs' perspective of course, but screw them, this is our time to shine, baby!
Against all odds, twelve men, led by the greatest Warrior of them all, went toe to toe with the most powerful army in the Association. This is their story. Photo from agtarr on Golden State of Mind.
The Warriors, our Warriors, are a team on the rise. For the Mavs, this stunning setback may be the beginning of the end.
While game 6 ended up being a rawk-ous blowout, there were plenty of nervous moments for Warriors fans, especially in the first half. Backed up against the wall, the Mavs came out desperate and dangerous. The O-rena was packed and the energy was off the hook, but still there was a nervous, edgy undercurrent, unspoken, but there nonetheless.
Anxiety grew when Mavericks slayer Baron Davis limped off the floor with 5:10 to play in the first quarter and the Warriors leading 19-15. The Beard remained in the locker room for the rest of the first quarter and the first two minutes of the second quarter before returning for his Willis Reed moment. Even with Davis back on the court for the second quarter, the Dubs looked wobbly, and they were lucky to take a two-point lead into halftime.
The Mavericks started the second half by aggressively going right at the Beard to take advantage of his tweaky hammy. First with Jason Terry, and then with Devin Harris when Biddy switched on D. Coach Don Nelson quickly changed to a zone defense to protect his gimpy star, and Stephen Jackson handled the rest.
We'd hate to be Mark Cuban's dog right now, cuz something looks like it's about to get kicked. Photo from Golden State of Mind.
Totally worked -- the second half turned out to be the Mav's funeral. After a bit of a shaky start, in which the vaunted O-rena crowd seemed quite nervous, the Dubs punished the Mavs with an 18-0 run keyed by 13 straight points from Jax, ultimately outscoring the Mavs 36-15 in the third quarter to put the game away.
The fourth quarter was an anticlimactic victory lap for the Dubs as the blowout was already in full effect. Even Josh Powell got into the box score with some free throws in the final minute. Sadly, number one draft pick Patrick O'Bryant had to watch the action from the second row of the Warriors bench, in street clothes. In fact, every Warrior on the roster got to play, except for POB and injured 12th man Zarko Cabarkapa.
As always, Davis was the emotional heart and soul of the team. Despite a twingy right hamstring that clearly hurt Davis and limited his mobility, the Warriors' MVP continued his devastation of the Mavericks backcourt, finishing the game with 20 Jordans, 10 Rodmans, and 6 Stocktons in 38 minutes. Jax was even more cold blooded, dropping in 33 points on 7-8 shooting from the three-point line. Give that man a game ball!
On the other side of the stripe, well, poor, poor Dirk Nowitzki. A dismal 1-11 in the first half, Diggler finished 2-13 from the field and 0-6 from three-point land for an ignomious total of 8 points. Ouch. That MVP trophy isn't going to salve them wounds. Bye-bye Dirk, bye-bye Mavs.
The entire season has been an adrenaline high, but this playoff run is special because the fans and the players are both experiencing it for the first time, together. There is now a special bond between the fans and this team, one forged out of adversity. Those fans in the O-rena last night and everybody who listened or watched the game on radio or TV will never feel closer to their team than they feel to the Warriors right now. It feels like the first time, like it never felt before.
Keep on believing Warrior Nation, this run ain't done yet. Photo from sfgate.com.
Of course, with success comes the celebrity hangers-on. After being joined by Carlos Santana and Jessica Alba at game 4, Warriors fans were blessed by appearances from Snoop Dogg, Owen Wilson and Kate Hudson, Michael Rappaport, Woody Harrelson, and Penny Marshall. Where have they all been the last 12 years? Fuck 'em. Sure, we could get all busted up about them horning in on our good times, but we forgive them their shallow and attention-craving vanities. There's enough Warrior love to go around right now, for the Bay Area and the entire country.
What's next? One thing is for sure, the Warriors will be playing either Houston or Utah in the second round, and you know what? They can beat either of those teams. Right now, this team is capable of anything.So, we guess what we're saying is this team is going to the Western Conference Championships -- and our track record is pretty strong. Believe it, baby, believe it.
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I'm glad you could use that 510 poster I made in drunken excitement at 1am last night.
Props to the Warriors crowd at Danny Coyle's!
Yep, that A-rod always good for a drunken photoshop. also, ladies, he's available. *wink*