Just to feel better.
Spurs present a monster matchup
Contra Costa Times 01/08/2008
ERIC GILMORE: TIMES COLUMNIST
http://origin.contracostatimes.com/w...nclick_check=1
THERE ARE DREAM playoff matchups, and the Warriors enjoyed one last season in the first round, running past the befuddled, s -shocked Dallas Mavericks and making NBA history as the first No. 8 seed to KO a No. 1.
Then there are nightmare playoff matchups, and the Warriors caught another peak Monday night of their potential worst-case postseason scenario: the San Antonio Spurs.
Entering the game, the defending NBA champion Spurs owned the Western Conference's best record. The Warriors stood at No. 8.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the Warriors beat the Spurs handily last month. An injured Tim Duncan missed that game. And don't be fooled by the fact that they beat the champs and a healthy Duncan 130-121 in overtime
Monday night, as thrilling as that win was.
Yes, the Warriors deserve credit for slaying the NBA's king and snapping their two-game losing streak. But they had to play out of their minds -- especially Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson -- to beat a Spurs team that was clearly out of championship sync.
The Spurs were playing their second game in two nights, are mired in a horrendous shooting slump and have battled injuries to their Big Three of Duncan, point guard Tony Parker and super-sub shooting guard Manu Ginobili.
After what it took to beat a Spurs Lite team Monday night, the Warriors can't possibly want a grueling postseason date with this team.
This is no Dallas redux for the Warriors. They don't have the Spurs' number.
The real Spurs will show up for "the rodeo," as San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich calls the stretch drive and playoffs.
This was a great win for the Warriors, but it will be even greater if it somehow helps them avoid San Antonio in the first round.
You see, the Warriors can consistently hang with fellow track teams in basketball shoes such as the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets.
The Warriors love facing big teams that are relatively soft and much less athletic than them. Teams like the Houston Rockets and, at least last season, the Mavericks.
Any of those teams would be good playoff matchups for the Warriors.
On the nasty flip side, the Warriors often struggle against teams that are big, physical AND athletic enough to run.
Despite the Warriors' victory Monday night, you have to put the Spurs at the top of that list.
The New Orleans Hornets, Utah Jazz, and Los Angeles Lakers and, so it appears, Portland Trail Blazers sit a notch below as second-tier matchup nightmares.
"Those are probably all the teams that give us our biggest challenges, teams that are big and can run," Warriors forward Al Harrington said before the game.
"We've just got to find a way so that even if they are bigger than us, we can still win the basketball game."
Shooting lights-out is one way to deal with those beasts, and the Warriors were next to unconscious from long range against the Spurs, hitting 14-of-31 3-point shots. That said, it would be dangerous to count so heavily on something so fleeting as an outside shot night in and night out against the Spurs in the playoffs.
"I thought our effort was great and in the end we got beat from the 3-point line," Popovich said. "They did a great job of knocking down their shots. That was the name of the game tonight, the 3-point line."
The biggest reason the Warriors would be better off avoiding the Spurs in the playoffs stands 6-foot-11.
"We have no answer for Duncan," Warriors coach Don Nelson said before the game. "That's been our biggest problem. They're very similar to us without Duncan."
Duncan nearly had a double-double by halftime, scoring 12 points and grabbing nine rebounds. He finished with 32 points and 13 rebounds despite having far from a stellar night.
How good is Duncan? Warriors center Andris Biedrins, who guarded Duncan man-to-man much of the night, was getting praised after the game for "holding" him to 32 points.
"They played well in stretches, and obviously they made big plays when it counted," Duncan said. "Shots were just not going down for us tonight. For myself, I was more worried about the defense than the offense. Offensively, we will find our rhythm."
Last year the Warriors beat San Antonio 111-102 at Oracle in a Nov. 27 game. Then the Spurs routed them three straight times: 129-89, 126-89 and 112-99.
The Warriors went 0-4 against San Antonio two seasons ago and 0-3 three seasons ago. In the past 10 years, the Spurs have dominated the series 33-5.
One overtime win, as gutty and impressive as it was, does not eliminate that type of dominance.
"Last year we handled them pretty good, beat them by 30 a couple of times," Popovich said before the game. "We're not that much better than them. That's ridiculous.
"The difference is Timmy. He's the 'X' factor. We have to have the inside game against these guys. Because if you look at us and match us up athleticism-wise, we're in big trouble.
"... They've got to worry about him. He can score against them, but if they come after him, then obviously we have to make some shots, but they're going to be open shots."
The Warriors should enjoy this hard-fought, well-earned win. They'd have even more reason to party if the Spurs keep sliding and they avoid them in the first round.
Contact Eric Gilmore at [email protected].
Wow. Credibility demolished in the first sentence. That's quasi-impressive.THERE ARE DREAM playoff matchups, and the Warriors enjoyed one last season in the first round, running past the befuddled, s -shocked Dallas Mavericks and making NBA history as the first No. 8 seed to KO a No. 1.
Damn, beat me to it. Of course the Knicks beating Miami was the first 8 over 1, but that was a shortened season (meaning the seeding may have shaken out differently).
They were the first 8 seed to win a best-of-7 series.
FWD in line for the Editor position.
Anybody have that clip of Manu doing something and SJax fell over?
The modern advances in technology never cease to amaze me.
Why would someone even WANT to be a writer if they have no idea what they are talking about?
Wrong again.
Denver over Seattle.
Last nights game reminded me of playing NBA Live 06 online.
Insanity from the arc.
Bdiddy > Lebron + Kobe combined last night
Other than the first line snafu, the article was pretty much on point.
Definately
Nothing special but normal (no showboat) article.
I wonder how it will be after April, Celts, Detroit, Denver, Warriors, suns, MAvs
All the situation can change dramaticly. This season is unexpectable and can be realy impresive at the end. So many teams can turn thiings around.
Damn I'm fat
great article despite the inaccurate statement about the 8 seed slaying the 1 seed
I think he meant in a 7 games series; the other 2 previous 1st rounds upsets (1 vs 8) were 5 game series.
People should say what they mean.
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after that
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