Of the eight teams still playing, the Warriors are the most frightening. Not because of the abundant ink blotches that crawl up the arms and neck of forward Matt Barnes like a fungus, or because their gold-T-shirted fans in full throat are as intimidating as an Oakland Raiders crowd from the early 1980s, or because thespian wild man Woody Harrelson, a close friend of coach Don Nelson, has become one of Golden State's WE BELIEVE faithful.
No, it's because in the postseason, when preparation is everything, the Warriors seem to have come from another planet, run-and-gun aliens for whom there is no known defense. Certainly their frenetic approach has gotten the attention of the two favorites for the title.
"They play kind of crazy," says Spurs guard Manu Ginóbili, "but it is a good crazy."
"The only word I can think of to describe them is scary," says Suns coach Mike D'Antoni.
After an unprecedented dismantling of the Mavericks -- it was the first time a No. 8 seed had toppled a No. 1 in a best-of-seven series -- Golden State was not as terrifying on Monday in Utah, losing to the Jazz 116-112 in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal. But shrugging off a single defeat should be no big deal for a team that went 42-40 during the season.
To the extent that Golden State looks familiar at all, it's as a version of high-scoring, pace-pushing Phoenix -- one in need of Ritalin. But the degree to which the Warriors relied on one-on-one play in the first round cannot be overemphasized; while Phoenix averaged 27.0 assists in scoring 108.4 points per game, Golden State had 9.7 fewer dimes in scoring 105.2. So while they run their share of pick-and-rolls, the Warriors are just as likely to clear out and tell whoever has the ball, Dude, the stage is yours.
The sight of Nelson waving his arms to speed up the tempo -- in effect, the father figure instructing his kids to stay out even later -- has been seen before, tempting one to call this Nellieball 2007. But even when Nelson was trying to play at warp speed in Dallas, he never committed to an all-offense-all-the-time framework, insisting on using 7'6" Shawn Bradley. Now he has made that commitment. Between Baron Davis (6'3" point guard) and Andris Biedrins (6'11" de facto center), Nelson plays a bunch of swingman gazelles (6'8" Stephen Jackson, 6'6" Jason Richardson, 6'6" Mickaël Pietrus, 6'9" Al Harrington and the 6'7" Barnes) who can each go for 25 points.
"Against most teams, even good ones, you can hide your weakest defender on somebody," says San Antonio forward Bruce Bowen, an All-Defensive team fixture, "but that doesn't work with Golden State. They have all these same-sized guys who are good with the ball, athletically talented and who attack the basket."
Of course, if the Warriors were only about one-on-one madness, their prospects of advancing in the playoffs, and certainly their capacity to frighten the opposition, would be diminished. They do have offensive principles. Their spacing, for example, is almost as good as the Suns'. If Davis drives to the basket and the defense closes on him, he usually finds three-point shooters in preapproved spots. And when Golden State does run the pick-and-roll, with Davis handling and Biedrins barreling to the hoop, it conjures up images of Steve Nash to Amaré Stoudemire. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, in fact, calls it "Suns-like."
D'Antoni, like many who expressed only mild surprise at Golden State's domination of the Mavs, recognizes the similarity, appreciates it and fears it. "As a fan, I love watching Golden State play," says D'Antoni. "Whether I want to play against them is another matter."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jack_mccallum/05/08/warriors0514/index.html
No, it's because in the postseason, when preparation is everything, the Warriors seem to have come from another planet, run-and-gun aliens for whom there is no known defense. Certainly their frenetic approach has gotten the attention of the two favorites for the title.
"They play kind of crazy," says Spurs guard Manu Ginóbili, "but it is a good crazy."
"The only word I can think of to describe them is scary," says Suns coach Mike D'Antoni.
After an unprecedented dismantling of the Mavericks -- it was the first time a No. 8 seed had toppled a No. 1 in a best-of-seven series -- Golden State was not as terrifying on Monday in Utah, losing to the Jazz 116-112 in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal. But shrugging off a single defeat should be no big deal for a team that went 42-40 during the season.
To the extent that Golden State looks familiar at all, it's as a version of high-scoring, pace-pushing Phoenix -- one in need of Ritalin. But the degree to which the Warriors relied on one-on-one play in the first round cannot be overemphasized; while Phoenix averaged 27.0 assists in scoring 108.4 points per game, Golden State had 9.7 fewer dimes in scoring 105.2. So while they run their share of pick-and-rolls, the Warriors are just as likely to clear out and tell whoever has the ball, Dude, the stage is yours.
The sight of Nelson waving his arms to speed up the tempo -- in effect, the father figure instructing his kids to stay out even later -- has been seen before, tempting one to call this Nellieball 2007. But even when Nelson was trying to play at warp speed in Dallas, he never committed to an all-offense-all-the-time framework, insisting on using 7'6" Shawn Bradley. Now he has made that commitment. Between Baron Davis (6'3" point guard) and Andris Biedrins (6'11" de facto center), Nelson plays a bunch of swingman gazelles (6'8" Stephen Jackson, 6'6" Jason Richardson, 6'6" Mickaël Pietrus, 6'9" Al Harrington and the 6'7" Barnes) who can each go for 25 points.
"Against most teams, even good ones, you can hide your weakest defender on somebody," says San Antonio forward Bruce Bowen, an All-Defensive team fixture, "but that doesn't work with Golden State. They have all these same-sized guys who are good with the ball, athletically talented and who attack the basket."
Of course, if the Warriors were only about one-on-one madness, their prospects of advancing in the playoffs, and certainly their capacity to frighten the opposition, would be diminished. They do have offensive principles. Their spacing, for example, is almost as good as the Suns'. If Davis drives to the basket and the defense closes on him, he usually finds three-point shooters in preapproved spots. And when Golden State does run the pick-and-roll, with Davis handling and Biedrins barreling to the hoop, it conjures up images of Steve Nash to Amaré Stoudemire. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, in fact, calls it "Suns-like."
D'Antoni, like many who expressed only mild surprise at Golden State's domination of the Mavs, recognizes the similarity, appreciates it and fears it. "As a fan, I love watching Golden State play," says D'Antoni. "Whether I want to play against them is another matter."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jack_mccallum/05/08/warriors0514/index.html
