Warriors? Playoffs?Those two words put together sound like
something that should only be said while doing a Jim Mora
impersonation.
Warriors? Playoffs?
Those two words put together sound like something that should only be said while doing a Jim Mora impersonation.
However, it’s late March and Golden State is actually talking playoffs, sitting right in the thick of the hunt along with the Clippers and Hornets for the eighth and final spot.
Anyone who has followed the team or even the NBA for that matter over the past decade or so knows what it’s been like for the Warriors and their amazingly loyal fans.
No trips to the playoffs since 1994 and no winning seasons in that stretch either. It’s included excruciatingly horrible management that’s been highlighted by some of the worst first-round draft picks in NBA history.
Joe Smith with the No. 1 overall pick? Todd Fuller ahead of Kobe Bryant? Mike Dunleavy, Jr. with the third pick? And Patrick O’Bryant, a guy who’ll likely never play a significant role with the franchise?
Throw on top of that the Latrell Sprewell-P.J. Carlesimo choking situation and the befuddled relationship between Chris Webber and Don Nelson that saw the departure of both the coach and player that had helped the team to a 50-win season the year before.
These years of futility are enough to make even the most diehard W’s fan skeptical.
But as the season begins to wind down, there appears to be something special about this year’s version.
The Warriors are on a roll, plain and simple. Until Tuesday’s loss to the Jazz, Golden State had won six of its last seven since the return of Baron Davis from injury. The one loss occurred when the starting point guard sat out against Portland.
Davis brought plenty of excitement with the way he elevated the team during his time with the team at the end of the season two years ago when he was traded to Golden State. And when he’s in the lineup, along with guys such as Jason Richardson, Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson and Andris Biedrins, the Warriors are a legitimate team.
Just ask the Dallas Mavericks, the team with the best record in the NBA who had their 17-game winning streak snapped by a blowout loss to Golden State last week.
There’s no doubt this is a confident team. There’s no doubt this is a team capable of making a run.
And, hey, if the Warriors grab that eighth playoff spot and square off against the Mavericks, you’ve got to like their chances to make it competitive with a team they seem to match up well with.
The key to all of this, however, is health. If Baron or J-Rich goes missing for any stretch of the remaining 13 games, throw in the towel.
But keep those guys healthy and you may punch the W’s ticket to the NBA’s version of the Big Dance.
