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Around the Sports Dial

Jon — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 01:14:41 GMT

Here's what we've missed in the world of Bay Area sports while trying to figure out who the Oceanic 6 are...

-And now.the Rai-duhs. First they signed oft-injured and oft-whining Javon Walker to a ridiculous contract for around $11 mil a year, one that makes him better paid than many other and much better WRs . The deal was so crazy, it has people wondering if it is the worst deal ever. Also of interest is that after they signed him, the picture put on the Raiders web site about the signing had a picture of Walker grinning with new WR coach James Lofton with head coach Lance Kiffin nowhere to be seen. Isn't it about time somebody call the police to try and find out where he went? Then there's the rumors that the Raiders Chosen One, JaMarcus Russell is apparently eating himself out of a job as he is currently over 300 pounds, something for which team officials are denying.

-Let's see, Zito got shelled again, Lowry is out, the Giants have no shortstop right now, and their designated 1B ain't hittin’ Is 100 losses possible? We couldn't help notice too that the Giants slogan this year is "All Out" which is kind of ironic considering the probable offense they will run out there. And as Leah Garchik pointed out, "All Out" means a whole other thing here in EssEff.

-The Warriors keep winning and winning but still find themselves on the bubble as they are in eighth place in the ridiculously tight Western Conference, two games ahead of the Nuggets. This currently has them playing the Lakers in the playoffs but with Andrew Bynum out, the Lakers could be had (could be) but how many times can an eighth seed beat a #1 seed?

It's Got to be the Morning After

Jon — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 03:17:05 GMT

Warriors 110 Trail Blazers104 - Okay, let's rattle off some numbers now. The Warriors were 4-1 on their just finished homestand and have won seven out of their last nine games. Since Jan 9th, when they last lost to the Blazers, they have been 16-6 and have gotten over 100 points in each of their games. The biggest number is 14, as in they are 14 games over .500, the first time they've been that since the 93-94 season. For those of you looking for some perspective, Kurt, Biggie, and Tupac were all still alive then. And now the bad news-- that in the West, this makes them only an eighth place seed.

Besides making the playoffs, obvs, the biggest intrigue for fans of the W is who their opponent will be in the playoffs. The eighth spot could get them either the Spurs or Lakers (ugh and really ugh). However, with the Suns, Mavs, and Rockets falling, the Ws could move up a few spots and get the Hornets (unknown) or the Jazz (double ugh). What does all this mean? That the West is brutal.

-Candlestick will no longer be known as Monster Park but will go back to being Candlestick. The reasons are complicated-- involving everything from meddlesome San Francisco politics to full on spite by the Yorks-- but we wonder what difference does it make anyways? Some company could buy the rights to that stadium and nobody would ever call it by the corporate name. It is and will forever be the 'Stick.

It's Got to be the Morning After

Jon — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 01:43:02 GMT

You remember how all those douche-baggy ex-frat guys would wear those striped, Nick Lachey shirts whenever they went out? We’re pretty the new look for those guys is anything with a Red Sox logo on it.

Colts 21 Raiders 14- We do football picks with a friend of ours and we don’t know what to do about the Raiders. When we think they'll be a spoiler, they stink. But when we say they'll stink, they play spoiler. Yesterday, we thought they'd get blown out and instead, they were a spoiler. Ladies and Gentleman, your 2007 Raiders. We should mention that the Colts were completely unrecognizable due to everyone being banged up. Make that what you will.

49ers 20 Bengals 13- We know how everyone is happy and being manic-depressive about this team, but we say hold on a sec: see, we have a theory about these kind of games. Whenever a team is forced to start a 2nd or 3rd string QB they are a complete unknown quantity to the other team. There is no tape of them and no hint of what the offense will be like. So the QB comes in and plays really well and the team wins. After that game, however, everyone sees what the gameplan is and what the QB is like and so when the next game rolls around, the QB goes back to playing like a 2nd string or 3rd string QB. Sure, sometimes you stumble upon a Derek Anderson or a Tony Romo, but there is no indication about this team and the coaching staff and Shaun Hill to make anyone think this is the exception to the rule.

Pistons 109 Warriors 87- Considering the Warriors played the night before, at home, and beat the Lakers, this game has to be considered nothing more than a mulligan.

Week Around The -Ists

SFist Jer — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 07:26:07 GMT

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested.

As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried to stay on the good side of Jack White (unlike a DJ who played the unreleased new White Stripes record on-air), detailed the rules and regulations behind sidewalk cafes , and beat up a little more on their favorite political whipping boy.

Phillyist denied the sudden onslaught of summer by taking a look at their snow-covered downtown. But, as much as they may deny it, they know that it's warm outside, and that means baseball, even if it's not particularly baseball. When the Phillies aren't depressing them, though, they're catching awesome live shows, eating awesome Spanish food, admiring responsible dog owners, and reminding their readers to support small bands.

Torontoist had one hell of a busy week. Besides being the first media outlet to get photos of the interior of the gorgeous Daniel Libeskind redesign 0f the largest museum in Canada, they found their prime minister on Facebook (sorta), and interviewed the brain behind PostSecret, Frank Warren. They launched a new feature, Touch Up Toronto (inspired by Londonist's project over the past year). Finally, they decided to give up on Amato, their (now ex-)favourite pizza place in the city.

DCist spent the week asking the tough questions, like whether cops on Segways are hilarious, or helpful, and whether the good people behind Esquire magazine actually know where the best bar in D.C. is. More seriously, they also questioned a plan to close a popular nightclub because a shooting happened outside it, and a heated debate emerged after they wondered if unsupervised kids were back to throwing rocks and attacking people in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. Finally they launched their new wine column, because the real question is, what are you drinking tonight?

Austinist was thrilled that a local landmark finished renovations, but saddened that another classic watering hole might close because of zoning problems. Tickets for the Austin Film Festival went on sale, and a bunch of extraordinary students from the University of Texas embarked on a 4,500-mile ride to Alaska. Local police turned down a chance to be on "Cops", which was still not as disappointing as the Texas House failing to get rid of its speaker. Austinist finally learned what $335.9 million worth of assorted drugs looked like, and are awfully fond of a local buzz band.

If you wear Hooker shoes at Dodger Stadium, LAist is going to catch you (and no Kosher Hot Dogs? What's with that?). Huge news in town is that Kobe Bryant is leaving the Lakers (or maybe... not). In other sports news, bikini races at Hollywood Park anyone? Unfortunately at the Silver Lake Trader Joes, you need to race across the street if you want to stay alive. To rest off all those sporty activities, Los Angeles has another movie theatre full of posh fun including alcoholic drinks, assigned and cushy seating and free parking.

A lot of things to watch at SFist this week. There was a little whale watching, with a mother and calf that had lost their way. With shock, awe, and amusement, they checked out Google's new "street level view" maps. SFist watched and positively reviewed the RiffTrax show. They saw an L.A. paper's take on perhaps their most famous 'hood, The Haight. The whole nation watched on pins and needles as a Bay Area resident won the national spelling bee. All of this while the city ran from zee-oh-em-bee-eye-ee-ess.

Bostonist watched as the Red Sox' Kevin Youkilis continued his consecutive game hitting streak to 23, and started up his very own blog (they even created a slick "has a posse" graphic), took a lesson from Chicago voting (vote early and often) and figured out how to make those 25 all-star votes count best for the Sox. Baseball isn't the only sport in town - the Patriot's Tom Brady is on the platform of a candidate in the commonwealth, or, more precisely his "equipment." The Mooninites attack Boston again, this time using fax machines. And Passim is named top hub club, but it's not the 70's anymore.

Londonist are beginning to think they live in the world's most surreal city. First, there's the High Court judge who speaks in poetry. Then, there's the man who ate a corgi to protest about Prince Phillip shooting animals. And if the royals aren't killing foxes, the suburban giant cats are.

Gothamist marked the final week of May with Manhattanhenge, that day of the year when the sun is lined up with streets perfectly. Gothamist wondered if a Harlem minister's suggestion that the way to save Harlem would be to boycott businesses made sense and thought about the many faces of Rudy Giuliani. The hungry Big Apple blog also enjoyed a delicious meal at Bo Ssam and was impressed by a middle school's noble fight against graffiti. And then there was the City Council fight over naming a street after a radical black activist, that prompted a number of verbals fights, including "jokes" of assassination and criticism of Thomas Jefferson.

Also, check out other favorite stories from Houstonist, Shanghaiist and Sampaist!

Photographs, top to bottom, from Torontoist, Chicagoist's third anniversary invite, Dapper Dan J for SFist

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NBA Basketball: The Western Conference Playoffs

chris — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 12:00:00 GMT

Revel in it Bay Area NBA fans: this year the Western Conference playoffs mean something, because for the first time in 13 years, the hometown Warriors are part of the party.

So let's take a quick drive down the lane and see what the Warriors are going to have to deal with as they knife their way to the Finals. (Yeah, we know, but just roll with the sentiment. It's been 13 years and there's an abundance of pent-up enthusiasm to be dissipated.)

8. Golden State Warriors (42-40) vs. 1. Dallas Mavericks (67-15)
Their gaudy record may be the best in the Association, but Dallas has a major, major weakness heading into this year's playoffs: the Golden State Warriors. The GS Dubs have won six of the last seven matchups between the two squads, including five in a row and all three games this year. What's the Warriors' secret? It's their backcourt. In a league of matchups, the Mavericks find themselves facing their evil twin. Both teams are soft up front (the Mavs are so desperate they signed 44-year old Kevin Willis out of retirement earlier this month -- ouch), which cancels out the Warriors primary deficiency, but the Warriors' guards are far superior to anything the Dallas backcourt can muster up. Look for Baron, JRich, Monta, and SJax to dominate Jason Terry and Greg Buckner. Prediction: Warriors in six.

Playoff bracket graphic from NBA.com.

2. Phoenix Suns (61-21) vs. 7. Los Angeles Lakers (42-40)
OK, the story lines here are 1) with a healthy Amare Stoudamire back in the lineup, the Suns feel that this is their year. 2) This series is a rematch of last year's exciting seven-game first-round series. That series, which featured the dogged defense of Raja Bell on the not-to-be-denied Kobe Bryant, stirred bad blood between the two clubs, so expect things to get chippy. 3) The aforementioned Veinte Cuatro. How many points a game will Kobe average for the series? On ESPN's Pardon the Interruption yesterday, Mike Wilbon joked that the over/under for Kobe's ppg in this series is 45. Take the over and enjoy the show, but don't put your money on the Lakers. Phoenix is a much more complete team this year, with Stoudamire and Kurt Thomas bringing depth and breadth to the interior, while two-time MVP Steve Nash, high-flying Shawn Marion, and super sixth man Leandro Barbosa might as well be running on a 440 relay team. The Lakers finished the season on life support and Phoenix will have no trouble pulling the plug on them this year. Prediction: Suns in five.

The Warriors: Exposed

chris — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 11:05:09 GMT

Oh good grief, Warriors.

Spurs 126, Warriors 89. And it wasn't nearly that close.

Coming off Sunday night's agonizing loss to their nemesis, the Lakers, the Warriors needed a strong showing. But last night the Spurs exposed the Warriors for what they are: a second-tier basketball club that's not quite ready for prime time.

Last night, the Spurs showed the Warriors what a real NBA team is like: balanced, fundamentally sound, and running a system that stresses defense, rebounding, and the half-court game. A team just like the one that "spanked the tribe like a teenager's monkey" back in December.

Last night's apocalypse was absolutely incredible. It was so bad it was captivating -- like a Steven Segal movie, we were horrified, but couldn't look away.

The lead was 36 by the end of the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the O-rena was so quiet you could hear your car getting keyed out in the parking lot. Five dudes leaving a vasectomy clinic would have had more spunk than the Warriors did last night. It was hard to tell who looked more stunned, the Warriors or what remained of the crowd.

That's Francisco Elson and Tim Duncan showing Andris Biedrins, and probably the Warriors playoff hopes, the door. Photo from SFGate.com.

The box score says it all. JRich: 0-8 from the field, 0-3 from three-point land, 0-0 from the line, 0 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, 0 points, in 29 minutes. Them's Zarko Cabarkapa numbers. The Spurs outrebounded the Warriors 46-33, which was actually an improvement over the 63-33 woodshedding the Lakers doled out to the Dubs on Sunday night. And the Spurs were throwing around dimes like it was Mardi Gras, dishing 33 to the Dubs 19. The San Antonio sidetracks shot 58.8 percent from the three-point line; the Warriors, 22.7 percent. The Dubs managed just 12 points in the third quarter. Mano Ginobli was literally laughing at the Warriors from the Spurs bench in the fourth quarter.

Oh sure, the Warriors have made this season exciting, and have won some huge games over the very best teams in the league, but last night's performance was as bad as any of the darkest nights of the last decade plus, because, for once, this game was important. Last night the Warriors had a chance to show that all the big wins this year over the league's best teams were not a mirage, that this team is different.

Instead, the Warriors were exposed as pretenders, with extreme prejudice.

The Warriors: Timing is Everything

chris — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 10:00:00 GMT

Over the last 12 years, nobody has really accused the Warriors of having their act together. They've burned through a litany of coaches, a couple of really bad GMs, and more than one first round draft choice with nothing to show for them but more new coaches, front office suits, and first round draft choices.

Another hallmark of the modern-day Warriors' mean mean stride has been their fast starts, awful middles, and decent finishes. Even in their worst years, the Warriors managed to finish the season on an uptick, perpetually giving false hope for the next season – even if that hope was just a Lottery pick.

This year had all the looks of more of the same, but a funny thing happened on the way to the cellar: the bottom fell out of the middle of the Western Conference.

Look out Western Conference, there's a new sheriff in town (actually an eighth-seed deputy hopeful, but who's counting). Photo from espn.com.

With the Clippers’ loss to San Antonio Tuesday night, your Golden State Warriors are just 0.5 games, that’s one-half of one game, out of the playoffs. Oh, it’s on, baby!

Yes, the Warriors stumbled through their traditional January and February fog, going 10-19 between January 1 and March 4 to fall as many as nine games below .500 and as many as four games out of the eighth and final playoff spot. But the good news is they have not been alone. Minnesota and Denver, two teams that were several games above .500 going into January have fallen on hard times and are struggling. The Clippers, Kings, and Hornets have surged, but got off to such bad starts that their improved play has only moved them into the fringes of the playoff discussion. Portland lurks yet in hopeful mediocrity.

So the Warriors have not exactly shined the last couple of months, but they haven't had to. They've done an adequate job bailing water and keeping the ship somewhat afloat with duct tape, wishful thinking, and good intentions -- and that February trade sure didn't hurt. Now they find themselves in prime position to capture that last playoff spot. Hell, with the Lakers in freefall, even the six spot is a legitimate possibility.

The Warriors: Measuring the Pacific Division

chris — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 11:00:01 GMT

Let's cut right to the chase: the Warriors are completely outmanned in this division. That's the bad news. The good news is that they have a decent chance of not finishing last, again.

Fear the Lakers. This is Phil Jackson's second season in his second stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, and we can just feel all the pieces coming together for him, bad hip and all. Kobe will be Kobe, which is a good base, but look for Lamar Odom to have a two-handed tomahawk of a year. In the other corner of the triangle, well, that's why the Lakers are going to be really tough this year. They have several guys that can step in and be the number three man. Luke Walton, Aaron McKie, Vladimir Radmanovic, even Maurice Evans can be that missing final ingredient.

And the Lakers have size. In addition to stiff Chris Mihm and unfulfilled Kwame Brown, Phil Jackson now has sevie Andrew Bynum, and this dude is going to be a load. Ronnie Turiaf offers even more depth on both ends of the floor.

The guards are the team's weak link, but with Kobe in the mix, that weak link is strong enough. This is very close to being a complete team, and you can be certain that the Zen Master will have them well centered by April.

Phil Jackson will have the Lakers smoking championship dope come playoff time. Photo from sactownroyalty.com

The Warriors: Opening night

chris — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 16:00:52 GMT

Dujuan Wagner, Adonal Foyle, and Zarko Cabarkapa are riding the pine in suits tonight. For the opposition Lakers, Kobe won't play, and Phil Jackson, Kwame Brown, and Aaron McKie, and Chris Mihm may not even make the trip. JRich is probable, maybe, hopefully.

Another meaningless preseason game? Nope, it's opening night tonight for the Warriors at the Oracle. Here's everything you need to know, from the Warriors perspective, and from ours.

The Warriors hope to start the long road back to respectability tonight in the tip-off to the 2006-2007 season. Photo from espn.com.

The Warriors went 0-4 against the Fake's last year, so this is the perfect opportunity to get the season started off on the right foot, and it's a great chance to start making a dent in one of the areas of improvement that we identified for the team. But uh-oh, we've got the Lakers winning the Pacific Division over the Suns and Clippers this year, and last night, without their main man, the Fakers took down the Dry Heat with a come-from-behind victory. Damn those Fakers, damn them all to hell!

Oh yeah, the first 10,000 fans through the turnstiles get a free Warriors schedule magnet! That's almost worth paying $6 for BART, $75 for a ticket, and $9 for a beer. A free Warriors schedule magnet -- good to see the team is already putting all that Oracle money back into the team and the community. Supposedly, shitty nosebleeds are still available, if you're interested. The Google appears rife with them.

But since The Warriors are on TV more than 70 times this year, including tonight on FSN Bay Area, and you can also hear the game on KNBR 680 radio, we're going to avoid the traffic, save a little money, load up on free food, enjoy quick bathroom access, and not have to worry about a designated driver while we watch the Goldies hammer the Fakers from the spacious comfort of our recliner. Tip-off is at 7:30. See you there.

The Warriors: Efes Pilsen, It's Turkish for Beersketball

chris — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 01:13:01 GMT

Let the PR horns boldly announce it from the highest rafters: The second Don Nelson era is off to a flying start.

Last night, the Warriors beat up on Turkish squad Efes Pilsen in their first preseason game of the 2006-2007 season. The final score was 120-66, and it wasn't that close. The Warriors were already up 28 at half time -- ah, that has a nice ring to it. The Brewers, from the vaunted Turkish First Division, aren't a premier European team by any stretch, and that's even if they had key players Baris Ermis, Antonio Granger and Nikola Prkacin, none of whom made the trip from Istanbul. But and yet, they lost by only 16 to Denver on Tuesday, and they did just nab their seventh Presidential Cup, so . . .

. . . so it's better than losing, but let's just keep things in perspective. This is the equivalent of USF scheduling Division II cupcakes like Cal State Stanislaus and Sonoma State to puff up their confidence before heading into conference play. No complaints here -- the Warriors can use all the puffing they can get -- but this game should in no way be used to validate the return of new/old coach Don Nelson or his small-ball system.

Before the game though, Nellie wasn't seeing it that way. "This is called an ass-whooping game" Nellie boasted, "we're going to open up a can of ass whoop and see what happens." (Note to Nellie: We believe the proper phrase is, "open up a can of whoop-ass.") And ass whup they did. Killer Warriors blog Golden State of Mind was in the house last night and reported that team looked sharp and fast, with Monta Ellis, Andres Biedrins, and Dujuan Wagner looking particularly good. Even franchise centerpiece Mike Dunleavy looked competent. In fact, seven Warriors scored in double digits as Nellie used more different combinations and looks in the first half of this game than former coach Mike Montgomery used in the last two years.

If only Efes Pilsen was in the Pacific Division instead of the Suns and Lakers. Image from the Türkiye Radyo Televizyon web site.

The Warriors: The Dream Goes Limp

chris — Thu, 09 Mar 2006 03:54:34 GMT

The Warriors are now dropping faster than Dumbya's approval ratings in the type of extended freefall we were hoping to avoid this year. To their credit, the slightly hard luck, slightly underachieving, slightly undercoached hometown hoopsters have tried to maintain their focus and determination, and have kept grinding along.

Baron's ankle injury has been a staggering blow. The team fought bravely without him though, going 3-5, and scoring strong wins against the Steamers and the Strippers, playoff locks both.

But things haven't improved since Baron rejoined the lineup last Friday against the Lakers. The team looks emotionally spent, and Baron's aura seems slightly, less. JRich is putting up huge numbers, but that's not a good thing. He's the canary in the Warriors' coal mine--when JRich goes big, it's because nobody else is doing anything. His increased stats belie serious team deficiencies.

Balls Out or Ballhog?

chris — Fri, 27 Jan 2006 11:55:39 GMT

In his last game, Koh-bee dropped a mind-boggling 81 points on Toronto, and the talk is that he might be able to match Wilt Chamberlain's 100. Alas, he's had four days to rest up, and the War-meals are next in line to face the scoring machine tonight at the Staples Center in LA.

Despite his impressive feat against the Craptors, reaction to Koh-bee around the league is mixed.

Some people think Koh-bee pulled a Teen Wolf and was just ballhogging to get his 81. Some think it is the end of team play as we know it.

Others are in awe of the accomplishment and of Koh-bee. A few are calling it simply the best performance ever.

An ESPN online poll found that 59 percent of respondents felt that Koh-bee shoots as often as it takes for the Lakers to win.

The Warriors: An (Ar)test of wills

chris — Wed, 21 Dec 2005 09:55:17 GMT

We may have started a mild regional anxiety attack last week when we scooped the talking heads by speculating that Phil Jackson and the Lakers were secretly in the running for Ron Artest

Or maybe it's the mild downturn the War-wilts are wallowing through right now.

Whatever the reason, it seems that the information superhighway is alive with chatter about how and why the War-tongs should work a deal to bring Artest to Oakland. (Also here,
here, here, here, and most worrisomely, here.) One online opinion poll found that 91 percent of respondents think the team should acquire Artest.

Everybody needs to just take a time out, unclench a bit, breathe, and slow things down. Yes, the War-riors have lost five of their last seven, including last night's frustrating loss to the Celtics, but this is no reason to panic.

Hey, you know, mama said there'd be stretches like this. It happens to every team. A couple of tough drops to top-shelf teams, a long road trip, a back-to-back, consecutive losses. Next thing you know, you're staring down the barrel of a bonafide slump.

The key is to stop the run, not stoke the fires of apprehension by bandying about the name of the league's current most notorious player.

Have we forgotten the lessons of Chris Webber and Latrell Sprewell? The Detroit Pistons (contemporary, not vintage) and the San Antonio Spurs have proven that good guys can finish first. This team doesn't need Artest's edginess to gain a competitive advantage. What it needs is power in the low post.

Here are five reasons why Artest is not right for this team.

The Truthmaker Contributing

Frank Chu Sells Out

Jon — Mon, 09 May 2005 10:35:16 GMT

In a move sure to shock the world of San Francisco advertising, Frank Chu has left his current sponsor, Barbary Coast Consulting for Adidas. Yep, first there was Mars Blackmon, then L'il Penny, and now Frank. The advertiser, an Adidas store that's advertising a new shoe (we'd say who they were, but then we would be playing into their little hands), bought exclusive advertising rites to the sign and also gave Frank some new sneaks. No word as to whether the sneakers he got were black and blue for when he likes to chill or yellow and green for when it's time to get ill. SFist thinks it's great that Frank is selling only exclusive sponsorships as it shows that members of the Zegnatronic Society have real integrity. We'd hate to see Frank walking around looking like one of those NASCAR drivers with logos on every inch of his well-worn suit.

SFist wonders, however, if this is the start of something new. Shoe commercials? A shoe named after him (Air Chu?). Hell, Kobe has an Adidas shoe named after him and he blew up the Lakers. Even Frank knows you can't win without Shaq Diesel.

Oh My Gawd. The Warriors Win

Jon — Tue, 18 Jan 2005 11:41:05 GMT

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles, the Warriors won last night, defeating the Denver Carmelo Anthony’s 107-97 at the Arena Nobody Can Sell the Naming Rights To in Oakland. The game ended the Warriors nine-game losing streak and also marked the return of Jason Richardson, who led the way with 42 points. Lest we get all over-excited about this, the Nuggets were down three major players last night due to various suspensions. They have also lost seven out of eight games.

The good news for Warriors fans is Richardsons’ return. Before hurting himself, the Warriors had run off four in a row and were looking pretty good. Then J-Rich got hurt and the proverbial wheels came off. While Richardson is a good player and obviously the team leader, is he really such the straw the stirs the Warriors drink that they can’t win without him? And if so, with him gone, wouldn’t the Ewing Theory have taken hold? We shall see. With him back and healthy, Warriors fans will finally get a better chance of seeing if the team is going somewhere or nowhere.

Next up- away game at the Kobe-less Lakers and a home game against the Cleveland LeBron’s. Tickets are still available.

Image courtesy of SFGate