|
 |
 |
|
| “We Believe”: The Warriors advance in the playoffs (Basketball) | |
| |
 Oakland, 05.03.07
Its official the NBA Playoffs have returned to the Bay Area! The last time the Warriors were in the playoffs was in 1994 and fittingly 13 years later with the return of Don Nelson, as the head coach, the Warriors are back with a vengeance.
Like a bear awakening from hibernation the Golden State Warriors are driven by hunger and thirst when they face opponents in the post season. The first game in the best-of-seven series between the Dallas Mavericks and The Golden State Warriors showed the top seeded Mavs looking defenseless against a ferociously well-rounded Warriors team.
After winning game 1 and losing game 2 the Warriors brought playoff basketball back to the Bay. Games 3 and 4 were in Oakland, CA at the Oracle Arena on Friday April 27, and Sunday April 29, 2007. These NBA playoff home games accounted for the largest crowds in Warriors’ franchise history when 20,629 people were in attendance.
DJ Mind Motion, from 106.1 KMEL, played the beats for the crowd wearing yellow T-shirts imprinted with the phrase “We believe”. Throughout the game Warriors’ fans let out a growl that reverberated on the court causing the Mavs to lose focus on both nights.
Baron Davis said, “Oakland is a great city! The crowd is rowdier and noisier it’s tremendous to feed off of their energy.”
They fed off of the crowd’s energy in game 3 when all warriors’ cylinders were hitting. Jason Richardson led the pack with 30 points. His arsenal was hard to defend late in the second quarter when he hit 3 in a row from different spots on the court. The warriors won game 3 by an overwhelming margin of 109 to 91.
Game 4 brought more of the same with Baron Davis bringing his fearless straight up the gut style. Later shooting a finesse shot from half court to tie the game at 77 just before the half. He ended the game with 33 points. Stephen Jackson came through with 2 crucial blocks and three magic-like assists. The entire Warriors team took a bite out of the Mavs who looked less than stellar on the Warriors’ home court losing with a score of 103-99. “Everybody stepped it up tonight.” said Jason Richardson after Sunday night’s game.
The Golden State Warriors have come full circle and are back on top. Rest assured they haven’t let it get to their head after Sunday night’s game Baron Davis had this to say, “We have confidence but also a humbleness. As long as we stick to the game plan and listen to coach we’ll be fine.”
The Warriors were up 3 games to 2 going into game 6 in this first round of the playoffs against a Mavericks team who came into this series with an undeniable record of 67 wins and 15 losses. The Mavs, led by former NBA player and head coach Avery Johnson, made an impact on league watchers all year long drawing rumors of the prestigious MVP award through the outstanding play of Dirk Niwitzki.
Niwitzki, the potential league MVP, did not deliver in this series. The Warriors’ defense was able to contain Niwitzki’s attempts in game 6 to jump shots from the perimeter.
Game 6 brought the series back to Oakland where the Warriors’ Stephen Jackson came through big after Baron Davis signaled that he had strained his hamstring early in the first half. Jackson sunk 3 consecutive shots from downtown widening the margin assuring a victory. The Warriors won game 6 with a final score of 111 to 86. The 8th seeded Warriors were able to seal the deal against the first seeded Mavericks in one of the biggest upsets in NBA history and the most memorable games in the Bay Area.
The Warriors and their gritty determination to advance into the next round of the playoffs have delivered a healthy serving of humble pie to the Mavs turning many Warriors skeptics into believers.
Photos: Courtesy Warriors
© CityAthletes.com
|
| |
| Written By |
| Patty Cruz Lopez |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
