Warriors 105 Sonics 99- Yeah, the Warriors beat a team they should beat but the best news to hit the Warriors today was Yao Ming's season ending injury. The Ws had been involved in a nine team pileup in the Western Division and had scratched and clawed their way to the eighth and final spot thanks to the largess of the Nuggets, now currently starring in a three-game losing streak. But with Yao down, a team that had won twelve straight now looks pretty doomed. The Warriors should solidify their playoff spot just as soon as the Rockets start losing, something for which they should start doing any minute now. Any minute now.....

-The Sharks picked up defensemen Brian Campbell for right wing Steve Bernier and a first round draft pick. No, we're not sure what this all means either. Apparently, the Sharks thought Bernier would help the offense as he's got good stats and was considered some pretty good trade bait. They also sent Rob Davison to the Islanders for a seventh-round pick and signed free agent goalie Brian Boucher. Shark fans, however, aren't quite happy as apparently, nobody is happy with Patrick Marleau.

-Omar Vizquel will be out for the rest of the preseason as he's going to have knee surgery, thus proving this was a bad week for people named Omar (sniff). This means Ray Durham will play 2nd base, Kevin Fransden will play short, and the third baseman will be whomever on the bench draws the short straw.

This weekend in sports brought us victories by the Warriors, the Raiders and a color. In the defeated column-- and by defeated we mean severely-- are the 49ers who lost to a team lead by 44-year-old Vinny Testaverde.

Panthers 31 49ers 14- We repeat, the 49ers lost to a team that was led by 44-year-old Vinny Testaverde.

Raiders 34 Broncos 20- There's really no figuring this Raiders team out. A few weeks ago, they looked like they were toast. Then they beat the Chiefs. A few weeks ago, Josh McCown looked like toast. Then he went out and led the Raiders to their second win against a division opponent in a row (first time sionce 2002) And a few weeks ago, the defense looked like toast. Then they went out and stifled the vaunted Broncos’ running game and shut down Jay Cutler, thus dooming SFist's fantasy football team (thank you, Oakland, for choosing this week to remember how to play defense). Of course, the big news out of the game is the appearance on the field of JaMarcus Russell who came out for a spell, threw some passes, fumbled the bal and was soon replaced by McCown, his proverbial football cherry popped.

Warriors 109 Sonics 96- So it's apparent the force is still strong with the Warriors as they haven’t missed a beat from the final month of last season. The question, now is just where will this all get the team? Are we looking a contending team or a team still on the bottom rung of the Western Conference pecking order? Bruce Jenkins still thinks the Warriors are still only a 7th round playoff seed but at this point, who can really say what will happen at ths point? Is all this winning still just lightning in a bottle or is winning the new losing?

Even after last night's unsatisfying loss to the Utah Jazz in the SLC, we're calling it right now -- cancel your reservations at the midtown Manhattan Day's Inn, cuz' ain't gonna' be no Warriors representative at this year's NBA Lottery. After 12 years, THE STREAK IS OVER -- your Golden State Warriors will make the playoffs this year as the number eight seed in the Western Conference.

Unlike Monte Poole or Tim Kawakami, there is no "will they or won't they" coming from SFist. This is a done deal. Their season-long fever has broken just in time, and the Warriors are playing the kind of ball they need to play, when they need to play it -- like late in the game, like late in the season.

Though now tied with the Clippers after Tuesday night's action, for almost one whole week now, your Golden State Warriors have been proud owners of the number eight playoff spot in the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (give that line a little Cosell when you read it). And they're gold Jerry, gold!

Really, the Warriors should be about five games out of the playoffs right now, but for once, fate is on their side. Just as the Warriors have started to play well, going 6-2 in the last 8 games, the rest of the Western Conference midpackers have completely collapsed. The Clippers have lost 14 of their last 21 games; the Timberwolves 15 of 21; the Kings 12 of 19; the Sonics 14 of 23; the Hornets 8 of their last 11. Fine, if nobody else wants it, the Warriors are more than happy to snatch up el ocho. No, not that ocho pasado, not until the second round of the playoffs, that is.

This year's Warriors are proving themselves when it counts -- during the playoff push. Poster image from GoldenStateofMind.com.

Also for once, the Warriors have been helping themselves with timely, critical victories, including wins over the Clippers, Timberwolves, and most recently, Sunday's playoff-caliber gutcheck win on the road over Seattle. Even their defense is coming around.

Ho' boy. Somebody better call FEMA. Fire up the buses and make sure that the Oracle has plenty of cots and bottled water, because there could be a CAT5 disaster looming in the Warriors future.

Last night at the Oracle, the team was able to withstand the Sacramento Kings, 126-113, in a game that the hometown hoopsters controlled from the opening minutes, but there's storm clouds brewing. Ironically, last year's killer storm, Hurricane Artest, was in the house to remind the Warriors about decision making. It was ironic, because the Warriors again find themselves toying with the idea of voluntarily welcoming an NBA bad boy into the fold even as their team chemistry seems to be taking on a little water.

In the course of blowing yet another fourth quarter lead on Sunday, this time against the Sonics, 119-117, it appeared that the inevitable waves of discord between headstrong team front man Baron Davis and headstronger old-school hardass coach Don Nelson might be lapping at the weakened levees of this Warriors season.

In the final 17 seconds, as the Warriors watched another victory slip through their grasp, Nelson pulled Davis from the game, to which the Diddy responded peevishly. Later, Nelson justified the move by admitting he had conceded defeat at that point: "We were in a fouling situation. I wanted to inbound the ball and play with the guys that were in there. If there had been a chance to win the game, I would have put him back in." Yeah, but why not just keep him in there, just in case? The bottom line is Nelson purposely did not play the team's best player and court leader in the critical moment of the game in order to make the point that this is his team and by god, he's going to be sure that everybody knows it.

So Davis stewed on the sidelines with his arms folded across his chest and watched Anthony Roberson and Keith McCleod try, unsuccessfully, to rescue the win. After the game, Davis had no comment. On Monday, he was saying all the right things, but . . . .

Nelson thinks he is probably just sending a message to his team. The problem is Nelson has a long and troubled history of doing this, especially with this franchise. During his first run with the team, he pulled similar moves with Tim Hardaway and Chris Webber. And we all know how that Chris Webber thing turned out.

Shades of Chris Webber for Diddy and Nellie? Just bring in KG and all will be well in Warriorsland. Photo from official Golden State Warriors website.