Warriors 125 Grizzlies 117- Jesus, who puts together these NBA schedules? The Warriors played at home on Friday, then went on to Detroit Sunday night and then played Memphis last night. This despite the fact we're pretty sure Detroit is nowhere near Memphis (geography has never been our strong suit). And it gets even crazier-- the Warriors have a day off and then they'll head to Minnesota (which we think is closer to Detroit than Memphis), then New Jersey (which is a little bit farther from Detroit but still not as far as Memphis), and finally Cleveland (which is, we think, in between New Jersey and Detroit). Was the schedule maker sniffing glue when they come up with all this? Anyways, the Warriors train kept-a' rolling with a win against Memphis and snapped a three-game road losing streak.

-Okay, now onto the Haren trade, the one in which Billy Beane sent Danny Haren to the DBacks, thus screwing over both Bay Area teams at the same time. Beane's thinking is that the team is nowhere near to winning and it's better to reload and rebuild than stick with what is clearly not working just for sticking's sake. That's probably a wise decision, especially considering the Angels are further separating themselves from the pack. The trade, actually, is getting some measure of rave reviews.

Truth is that that part of the reason for the deal was because Beane's magic touch hasn’t been quite so magical lately. Beane's moves have been more bad than worse and the farm system ain't what it used to be (maybe they're just not doing enough steroids?) Even worse, one could argue that recent A's teams have been rather bland and non-descript and nobody likes that.

All we can say is that It's going to be a long, slow boring summer next year. And the year after that. And the year after that....

OK, so we've got some new and intriguing faces like Marco Belinelli, Brandan Wright, and Stephen Lasme joining returning favorites like Baron Davis, Monta Ellis, and Andris Biedrins to give coach Don Nelson's player-friendly up-tempo small ball another go. Basically, more of the same for the Warriors this year.

Nellie has some new pieces to play with but it's his same old game plan, so we pretty much know where the Ws will land this year. Based on the weakening of the Western Conference over the offseason and the anticipated emergence of exciting players like Belinelli and Kelanna Azubuike, we look for the Warriors to improve on last year's 42-win season. Gazing into our eerily reliable crystal ball, we see 48 wins this year for the double-u's, good enough for second in the Pacific Division and the six seed in the WC.

Photo from unbeknownst.net

Attrition has been one of the Warriors' best pickups this offeseason. While the Warriors have taken some baby steps forward, many of the Western Conference rivals have been moving in the opposite direction.

When looking at the Warriors chances to make the playoffs this year, it runs from the bottom up.

• 15. Minnesota -- Congratulations Kevin McHale, after trading franchise keystone Kevin Garnett, your team is officially irrelevant for years to come.

• 14. Sacto -- Until the Kings move perpetually troubled Ron Artest this team will be mired in the delta blues. It's the first of many rebuilding years in the capitol city.

• 13.Memphis -- Quick, name one player on the Grizzlies. Just one. Any one. Exactly. Next.

Lyrics Born + The Coup-- Thursday March 1 @ The Fillmore... AA, $23, doors 8pm

Best show you've ever played
There have been so many, that's tough. I always love playing Austin, Sydney, Portland, London, Melbourne, etc. When you've been playing as much as I have for as long as I have, it's tough to narrow it down to just 1.

Favorite venue?
Again, that's also a tough one because of the reasons given, but I like the Metro in Sydney where I recorded my live LP, the Fillmore in SF just cause it's so historic, and Cool Haus in Vancouver. Outdoor shows are my favorite however, like Coachella, Lollapalooza, Reggae on the River, etc.

Where are the best fans?
I like shows where the people come out strictly to party. No pretense, no crossed arms, just ready to get down. You paid a lot of money to come see me, you might as well get your money's worth.

Dream musicians to perform with?
Prince, D'Angelo, Memphis Horns, anyone of James Brown's bands.

Favorite collaborators?
KRS-ONE, E-40, Lateef, Joyo Velarde, Cut Chemist.

Where can the Bay Area see you next?
Headlining the Fillmore March 1.

Lamest request from a crowd?
Someone hella loaded in crowd requesting the song I just played.

Any advice for aspiring musicians in the Bay Area?
Get your skin thick.

If you were born after 1994 you have no idea what it's like. If you're a long-time fan, you might have a hazy, vague recollection of it. If you come from places like Los Angeles, Chicago, or Miami, you desperately miss it. We're talking a big game -- more specifically, a Warriors big game. An important game. A game that means something besides wrapping up a Lottery pick or nudging out Seattle or Memphis for the 11th overall spot in the Western Conference.

Tonight the Warriors play the Indiana Pacers in their biggest, most important game of this season or possibly the last 10 seasons. If the Dubs win, their slight hopes for the last playoff spot in the WC remain on life support; if they lose, consider the plug pulled on yet another failed season.

Tonight is also the first game in which the Warriors will face former teammates Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Ike Diogu, and Keith McLeod, players jettisoned from the roster with extreme prejudice last month as part of an eight-player trade. This adds another delicious layer of significance to tonight's game because there is no love lost between the players involved and their former teams.

The Warriors are still afloat, but the season is sinking fast. A loss tonight and they'll have to add a spot for Davy Jones to the team's locker room. Photo from Hydrolance.net.

Why is tonight's game so important to the Warriors? Because if they win tonight, they will improve to 2-3 on the current road trip. As we pointed out last week, it is imperative that the Warriors at least break even on this road trip if they have any hopes of keeping their playoff dreams alive. After extremely disappointing tank jobs against Cleveland (even without LeBron) and Atlanta to start the trip, the Warriors squeaked out a W against the woeful 76'ers, but face-planted to yet another come-from-ahead loss against the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night.

To give you some background: Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin were once three young boys in rural Arkansas who happened to listen to heavy metal and wear black. Shortly after three eight-year-old boys were found mutilated and murdered in their small town of West Memphis, local newspapers stated the killers had been caught. The police assured the public that the three teenagers in custody were definitely responsible for the murders.

These same police officers allegedly coerced an error-filled "confession" from Jessie Misskelley, who happens to be mentally handicapped. They subjected him to 12 hours of questioning without counsel or parental consent, audio-taping only two fragments totaling 46 minutes. Jessie recanted it that evening, but it was too late. Misskelley, Baldwin and Echols were all convicted of murder in early 1994.

A friend of SFist writes:

"Someone in my office was just arrested for possession of child pornography. The case has been relatively high-profile in the area. The suspect seemed like a nice guy, and I would never have suspected anything, until he was on the local news. I thought he was in jail, but I guess he's out on bail because he's in the office today. Should I say anything to him, or just pretend he doesn't exist? I'm inclined to pretend he doesn't exist."

Well, friend, here's what we think you should do. Go up to the guy and say "Hey, did you hear how that higher-up in the Homeland Security office was charged with preying on a child?" Now THAT should make him uncomfortable! And possibly make him cry. Or at least go home. Not your problem anymore!

Honestly, innocent until proven guilty should be your attitude, as it is sort of the law. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't give the fella a wide berth. And perhaps a slip a tracking device on him when he's not looking. Just in case.

JS asks us a TWO PARTER, which made us cry, as it seemed difficult:

So I got my first salary job, contradicting the predictions of pretty much everyone from my parents to my college adviser, but it's not like I'm rolling in the cash. I live around Western Addition, basically Alamo Square Park. Besides the Page, which is nice but kinda expensive, where are some decent places to beat down my liver without beating down my wallet?

Also, where can a Southern boy find some f**king decent BBQ around here? That Memphis Minnie's is a buncha bullshit, I swear, and BBQ #2 is good but I like a more molasses sweet sauce.

Chang has just returned from a trip to Chengdu, Sichuan province, where he traveled with representatives from architecture firm Y.H. Lee Associates - who were there to examine the local panda research center as a model for a new center at the Oakland Zoo. The proposed timeline has the ground breaking for the center next March, completion in September and arrival of the honored guests in October, with a planned stay of ten years.

Oakland is considered the favorite in a race against Toronto and Las Vegas for what the Chinese government says will be the last pair of loaner pandas for North America. The local climate, the proximity of UC Davis leading veterinary program and the large Chinese-American community all make Oakland very attractive. Oakland is also looking to use the panda connection to foster business relationships with China and to expand tourist spending in the city - some estimates have thirty to fifty percent of all tourists to the Bay Area going to visit the pandas.

While SFist is much more attached to Orcas than pandas, we're all about currying favor with our executive editor. So cheers, Gothamist, hopefully you can come visit us next winter when the weather will be mild and the pandas will be ready for love.