Let's recap the game and thoughts, all at once:

  • After Jason Terry opened the game with a 3PT for Dallas (jab), Golden State responds with a 3PTM by Richardson (good start, we want 4 more in the first quarter), Biedrins draws a foul on Dirk, hits both free throws (!), and then Stephen Jackson hits him on the next play with a beautiful assist (right hook).  7-3 Golden State.  Timeout Dallas.
  • Dallas needs a big shot after the timeout... not Dirk, but Terry?  Whatever, it's still a brick.  And now Jackson drops a 3PT, making it 10 straight for the Warriors (another hook).
  • Baron Davis with a steal (really a Dallas turnover, as they lost control of the ball), ahead to Richardson for a vicious dunk.  12-3.  That's a solid punch to the grill, Dallas.
  • And Dallas responds.  Stackhouse hits back to back 3PTs.
  • Jackson with a 3PT again.  Another shot to the grill.
  • And Stackhouse with another 3PTM (#3).  Stackhouse is responding to the blows.
  • Josh Howard hits a 3PT of his own.  Biedrins has two blocks for Golden State already.  Howard hits another three.   Dallas takes the punches and keeps throwing haymakers of its own.  This is truly a title fight that is living up to the hype.  It's like Gatti-Ward or something.
  • By the way, Baron Davis tweaked his hamstring and has been out of the game since the 6:00 mark. 
  • Ellis comes in, hits two big shots, then throws a beautiful assist to Barnes for a dunk. 
  • Barnes hits another three for the Warriors, but guess who responds for Dallas?  Stackhouse with his fourth 3PTM in the first quarter.
  • Thank goodness for Marv Albert and Steve Kerr.
  • Score at the end of the first is 28-25.  The Mavs shot 7-25 overall, but 7-11 from the three point line.  They were 0-14 overall from inside the arc.

2nd Quarter:

  •  Snoop Dogg is in the mutha-fucking house. 
  • Dirk turns it over at the 6:35 mark.  He has no field goals, and only 2 points.
  • Dirk misses another - Diop with a tip.
  • Jackson with a big three, makes it 36-35 Warriors.
  • Baron Davis with two 3PTM in a row, then another two jumpers - he scores 11 points in a row for the Warriors.
  • Dirk still missing.. 0-8 FG.
  • And with 38.6 seconds, Dirk finally hits a shot.
  • The halftime score is Golden State 50, Dallas 48.
3rd Quarter:
  • Jackson great pass to Barnes.  Barnes is hobbling, too.  Jason Terry responds.
  • After two quick Dallas buckets, Baron Davis to Biedrins ties it up.
  • Jackson hits a big 3PT to make it 62-54, and Dallas is reeling.  Timeout, Avery Johnson.  Let's see how they respond to this shot. Let's see it Dallas!

Dirk is 1-11 from the field, and we don't think Dallas can keep taking these shots to the body without finally running out of steam.

  • Dallas missed a couple of shots, but then Josh Howard hit a big three.  62-57.

If we have one positive thing to say about the Mavs in this series, it's that Josh Howard has stepped up.

  • SJax with the three!  65-55.
  • Brick by Dallas... Biedrins with the rebound... SJax with the three... yes! (Marv Albert is in the house).  Timeout Dallas.

Stephen Jackson with 13 points in a row.  That's a 13-4 run.  The crowd has exploded.  That crowd is the largest crowd ever in California history (according to Marv).  

  • Who will take the shot, Dallas?
  • Croshere.  Blocked by Biedrins.  Let's put this game away, Warriors.  THE MAVS ARE ON THE ROPES.
  • Davis just threw a 60 foot alley oop to Barnes, who just couldn't control the pass.  If he had put it down, the place would have exploded.
  • Baron for two.  71-57.
  • Davis drives, Croshere with the hard foul, and no they are beefing.  Baron has to cool it, because he can't get tossed, not until this game is over. 

I'm guessing that there is definitely some legit beef between the two teams.  Also, how is Davis able to drive with a bad hamstring.  Or throw alley-oops to a streaking Barnes, who is also hobbled?

  • Two free throws equals a 73-57 lead.  4:15 left in the third.
  • Diop is stripped... here comes the Warriors (here comes the Warriors)... Jackson gets fouled.

Hey yo Mr. Funky, wake up! (huh)... turn the arena up (wha?).  It's us! (It's us?).  Yeah, listen to the cut/It's our style. (our style?)  

Listen, listen, it's driving me crazy/cuz everytime I do a drive and flip it's simple/brothas say "That's phat"...

  • It's 25-9 this quarter, in favor of the Warriors.
  • Terry misses a three.  Warriors ball... FINISH THEM.
  • Baron gets fouled.  Crowd chants M-V-P.  He hits one of two (76-57).
  • Turnover Dallas (Stackhouse stepped out of bounds).
  • And now Dallas is FOULING BIEDRINS ON PURPOSE.  With 3:07 left in the 3rd, you are officially shook.  And Biedrins hits them both (78-57).
  • Stackhouse misses another shoot, and Pietrus replaces Biedrins.
  • BARNES WITH THE FACIAL ON DIRK.  18 unanswered.  This is what we saw coming!!!  We seen it.  We'll find the YouTube of this dunk by tomorrow.

And Terry finally stops the bleeding, cutting it to 80-59.  Still, this last run has been like Whoa....

  • Another missed layup by Dallas, and Barnes grabs the rebound.  I'm not sure Dirk is even on the court anymore.  I'll tell you what - if I had to pick a 7 foot European from the arena to play on my team in a game, Dirk would be my #2 choice.
  • With it 82-60, Davis misses a three, than Harris hits one for Dallas.  82-63.
  • Davis lays it up right on Dirk.  Block me, bwoy!
  • Howard misses a three.
  • Davis just misses a sweet reverse.
  • And on a long rebound after a Dallas brick, the Warriors throw it down to Barnes, even though there is only 13.5 seconds on the clock.  They don't believe in milking the clock... Barnes gets fouled, hits both shots. 86-63.

That's how the quarter ended (after a George brick from Dallas).  The Warriors just outscored Dallas 36-15.  We aren't surprised.  Well, a little - Jason Richardson has not been as much a factor as we anticipated.  Only 7 points.  But SJax is a leader - 25 points, 3 steal, 7-7 from three-point land!  Baron has 20 (11 came in that stretch at the end of the second), plus 6 assists.  Barnes - 16 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists. 

Dirk has 4 points, 1 assist, and 3 turnovers.

4th Quarter:

  • Maurice Alger is in the game, and just hit the shot.  Avery Johnson is going small ball, trying to run with the Warriors?  It might be too late, but the only way for Dallas to win is to score 35+ points this quarter, so might as well get running.
  • Pietrus with a nice drive.
  • SJax hits a nice layup.
  • Barnes to SJax for another layup, 92-67.
  • Look who just scored - Dirk.  92-69.
  • Howard with a nice drive. 92-71.  9:20 left.  The Mavs are attacking.
  • Richardson and Davis both missed shots, but both got their own rebounds, and that leads to... A SJax drive, hits the shot, and the foul!  94-71.  Timeout.

It might be time to think about emptying the bench a bit.  Give Richardson a break (Pietrus can replace him), and soon take Davis out, put Ellis in.  There is 8:46 left, and you have to worry about a) injuries and b) possible beef with the embarrassed Mavericks.

  •  The pity party for Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs has begun.  Steve Kerr is laying it on thick...
  • Uh-oh, Croshere is checking back in... we are worried.  Beef coming?
  • Well, we are half-right - Barnes just decked Alger for no reason, flagrant foul called.  Um, Matt - you are up by 20.  Cool it.
  • Wow, what a beautiful pass from Pietrus to Richardson for a dunk.
  • And, after a quick steal, a Richardson three pointer.  It's 99-75. 

This game is official.  We are just watching at this point to see if any beef breaks out, or if anyone gets injured.

The question now:  Was this series just the Warriors mentally dominating the Mavs, or are they for real?  Can they take out the Rockets/Jazz in the next round?  Can they run on them like they did the Mavs?  Get open at the three point arc as much as they did this series?

Questions that will have to wait.  At the very least, we have to see if it will be the Rockets, or the Jazz.

But we are going to say this.  We called this exactly right.  Warriors in 6 we said in our NBA first round preview.  The experts at ESPN, around the web... hardly anyone saw this coming.  As wrong as we were on the Bulls-Heat series, we were totally on point here.  Damn it feels good to be a correct ass gangsta....



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4 Comments

Comments

[May 4, 2007 1:09 AM]  |  link  |  reply
Erin said

Did he really say it was the largest crowd in California history? Did he mean that, or did he mean Oakland history? That I'd buy, but I can think of a few Rose Bowl games that might have this game beat by probably about 75,000.

[May 4, 2007 2:08 AM]  |  link  |  reply
Brian said

He said largest crowd for a basketball game in Calif.

I thought Staples held more people than that, but I could be wrong. They said largest crowd for a basketball game in Oakland during game 4, if I remember correctly.

[May 4, 2007 3:32 PM]  |  link  |  reply
Erin said

Does MVP voting end before the playoffs begin? Or do voters get to see a few playoff games before the deadline?

I didn't want Dirk to win MVP before, and now I don't see how he can. I can just picture David Stern scrambling to find some way to invalidate the voting if he has won.

[May 4, 2007 4:32 PM]  |  link  |  reply
TheLastPoet said

Yes, Erin, the MVP is a regular season award. All the votes have been in for a couple weeks now, and the voters see very little playoff action, if any.

But none of that can invalidate the fact that Dirk Nowitzki never should have been named MVP (if, in fact, he has been), not even for the regular season.

As I've said a number of times in a number of different ways and at a number of different blog sites, MVPs should be reserved for special players - gamers, ballers, assassins, whatever term you want to use to describe the characteristics of That Dude.

Last night, and all series long, Baron Davis has been That Dude for his team. Why? Well, last night, because he bounced back from a crippling injury in the first half to do whatever he could and to be the leader his team needed in the 2nd half.

Now I'm not saying that Dizzle is the L's MVP, of course not. What I'm saying is that THAT is what a real MVP does - he imposes his will on the opposing team and the game, and he does so by any means necessary! Take away Plan A, and the MVP goes smoothly to Plan B. You don't stop him, and you barely slow him down.

Now, we can argue all day about who That Dude might be in the NBA today, but I think we all know who it ISN'T...

Hats off to Oaktown, players and fans. They have been phenomenal. Best of luck in round 2 because, truthfully, it won't get any easier. Now we get to see if Oaktown is fo real, or if they're just some one-hit wonders.




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