MAN have I been waiting a while to get that out of my system. Last night's game really solidified that the Warriors have truly earned their current winning record. Granted we've only seen 5 games out of them but slowly but surely the Dubs are transitioning their way out of flukesville and into the oft-coveted realm of a consistent team.

Jazz vs Warriors boxscore | Jazz vs Warriors recap

What the hell is going on here? Let's have some fun - insert your best caption for this picture in the comments.

I know what you're thinking. Last night's low scoring affair didn't exactly exemplify consistency. As I sat at the Arena, I couldn't believe how long the Warriors went at times without scoring a bucket; especially in the first half! I can't really say that there was a plague of poor shot selection either - many of the misses came from good shot choices that simply wouldn't drain.

No, the consistency that I speak of pertains to an all around effort. The true mark of a consistent team isn't shooting 60% from the field, it's knowing when certain things are working and certain things aren't. When shots aren't falling, a consistent team knows to lean on the variables that they can control; forcing those turnovers and crashing the boards. After all, subpar shooting has no consequences if you keep getting the ball back. Right?

The Warriors that I saw last night would definitely agree. And I haven't seen Warriors fight like that in quite a while...

JUMP!

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Six games. Six games is all we have left of this abysmal season. Injuries, poor moves, and one D-League experiment after another is all that we've been able to bear witness to.  And while (at times) the effort has been monumental, I think that most of us can agree that this season simply needs to end.

Ironically, tonight we match up against a team that likely shares similar woes. After all, it is a team that has run behind us in recent years, slowly picking away many of our players. Some might say they try to emulate us in this manner. Unfortunately this year, they copied more than our taste in players.

They copied our record. (Ouch!)

C'mon boys! Do it for the Nellie Belly tonight.

Warriors (W-L): 23-53

Wizards (W-L): 23-53

Tip-Off: 4:00 Pacific

TV: CSN, CSNHD

Radio: KNBR

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Yeaaaaa it's been a rough month. We've lost 10 of our 12 games. One of those games was to these guys, no more than 4 days ago. Our squad continues to drop like flies while we desperately attempt to patch holes with our big bucket of D-League drywall. And the only thing we are clinging onto is the possibility of winning 5 more games so that at least coach can notch a win this season.

Well maybe tonight might be a chance to cover some ground on that last point.

Hopefully these Grizzlies show up tonight.

Warriors (W-L): 19-51

Grizzlies (W-L): 38-33

TV: CSN, CSNHD

Radio: KNBR

Tip-Off: 7:30pm

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DAMN!

I did NOT see that coming. Based off of my Open Thread many of you can probably see that I share the same dejected feelings that all of you do when it comes to the Dubs. And last night being yet another loss means that it was certainly no reason to start popping bottles of champagne.

But Ellis dropping 30 and 6 dimes, Tolliver dropping 25 and 12, and Reggie blasting off with a career high 29? The Warriors hanging in with one of the big bad Western powerhouses, all the way until the bitter end? Shoot. I'll at least open a bottle of Martinelli's to that.

"That's right. We only roll Gold Medal in this club, son."

Boxscore | Open Thread (1100+ Comments) | Game Day Links

Jump it up and let's take a quick look at the rare treat of Warrior madness we saw last night!

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Originally posted Mar 22, 2010 6:00 AM PDT

Aaaaand the pain train continues. For the Warriors now return home to face off against the Phoenix Suns. And it ain't gonna be pretty in the Oracle tonight. While the Warriors continue to play with a hobbled roster, Phoenix has been on a tear with their big man averaging over 30 points a game this month.

So just to sum it up, their inside presence is arguably one of the most potent offensive forces in the league while right now, the biggest guy on our team is our coach. (I didn't specify height.)

Oh yea. This should be a real barnburner...

"Any casualties?"                             "Just the Warriors' season..."

Warriors (W-L):19-50

Suns (W-L): 43-26

Tip-Off: 7:30

TV: CSN, CSNHD

Radio: KNBR

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Well okay, I suppose missing LOST could have been avoided. But since I was getting out of work late yesterday, I had to drop a record on the game. And since I started watching the game much later than the actual tip-off time, this crapfest which I now have to write about overlapped with the start of LOST. Granted, I also popped a record on LOST, but I just wasn't up to starting it in the post-game state of depression I was in, so I'm saving it for tonight.

Who has two thumbs and is excited?!

This guy.

Warriors vs Rockets boxscore | Open Thread (900+ Comments)

At this point, you must be wondering why I'm continuing to talk about the thrilling final season of LOST rather than touching on points of the Warriors game. If this is the case, I can only assume you didn't watch the game. You lucky duck...

JUMP!

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Originally posted 11:46 AM PST

Oh boy. We've officially gone from bad to worse. After getting destroyed by Kevin Durant on Sunday, the Warriors have had a few days to sit and mull over their 5 game crap streak. Hopefully they've also come up with a game plan to put up a good showing against Houston, because this is a team that we haven't beaten in our last 9 meetings.

In short, I'm not expecting our little streak to come to a grinding halt tonight.

Well put Nellie.

Warriors (W-L): 13-33

Rockets (W-L): 25-22

Tip Off: 5:30 Pacific Time

TV: CSN, CSNHD

Radio: KNBR

Blog Buddy: The Dream Shake

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I've tried to be the bigger person more often than not. Most of the time in situations like this I'll address our injustices with the caveat that we as a team shouldn't have allowed us to be in the situation to begin with. And by the end of this recap, I'll likely end up doing the same. But last night... man... That was a tough pill to swallow. I've watched (last night and this morning) the comments ensue from the GSoM community about whether or not a foul was actually committed. For once, I'm going to step out of impartial mode and actually offer out my opinion on the matter.

Whether Monta's arms were straight up or not, whether he made some minor body contact or not, if a ref is going to call a foul in the final .4 seconds of the game, ESPECIALLY one that determines the outcome of the game; it had better be an obvious hack. The mere fact that we all had to watch the replay 50 times from 50 different angles to see if contact was made means that call was questionable at best.

Am I going to write an entire article on the last few seconds of last night's game? As tempted as I am to do so, no, no I'm not. But, deficiencies in our play aside, I do feel like we earned that win. And that's all I'll say about that.

*sigh*

Open Thread (1400+ Comments)

Warriors vs Nuggets boxscore

Blog Buddy: Denver Stiffs

Hit the Jump to step away from the short term and look at the long term. Neither view looks all that pretty...

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What a depressing display. This Warriors team is getting tougher and tougher to watch. Every time they show us a glimmer of hope in one form or another, they offset it by 2 debilitating actions. There is no two ways about it; we are moving backwards. Our players can't stay healthy, what's left of them can't string plays together; we are giving ourselves no chance to form any sort of team cohesiveness.

With the way the Thunder played tonight, they shouldn't have beaten us. They came out with a pretty poor game by most standards, yet they beat us by 16 points? Things are upside down in the world of the Warriors. Up. Side. Down.

Warriors vs Thunder boxscore

Open Thread (1300+ posts)

Warriors Web: Collapsed after Maggette's ejection

Polling GSoM: Will the Golden State Warriors lead the league in turnovers this season?

Freakin' wingspan of a pterodactyl on this guy...

Let's make this short and sweet. Hit the jump and let's take a look at some of the factors that led to another disappointing loss.

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They ain't all that good - but they're better than us! Welcome to Oklahoma.

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Originally posted Dec 1, 2009 9:53 PM PST

First and foremost, a huge thanks to IQofaWarrior for stepping up at the last minute to create an Open Thread. Without it, many of you may not have had a place to vent your pain and would no doubt be sitting atop clock towers right now. And speaking as someone currently up there, let me just say you don't want to be anywhere near here. It's cold, drafty and I have no idea what time it is. I guess I could lean over the side to see the clock but I might fall. Plus it would be upside down and I'd have to do that whole upside down clock re-arrangement in my head.

Frankly, after watching four quarters of this debacle, I just don't have it in me.

And this was when we were trying to play defense...

Open Thread (800+ Comments)

Warriors Web: What did you expect, a win?

Warriors vs Nuggets boxscore

Save the efforts of the first quarter, there wasn't really a whole lot that went right during this game. Hit the jump and let's talk a little bit about the bad, the bad, and the ugly.

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Despite the obvious loss tonight, I pretty sure I'd be hard pressed to find anyone who has been watching the Warriors this year who wouldn't be pleasantly surprised at the display we put forth. Usually, losses are pretty tough to write on. This is especially the case with the Warriors because losses are usually coupled with an excess of embarrassing preventable mistakes.

We knew we were outmatched in this game from the moment that we saw it on our schedule. Add to the mix the fact that the Warriors had to approach this game with only 7 healthy players (one of them suiting up in a Dubs uniform for the first time ever) and we had a recipe for a smack down.

But tonight, we saw something different. We saw one of the NBA elite teams look at each other in amazement, wondering why they couldn't extend a lead. We saw Ellis and Curry dishing the ball with flare. We saw Maggette hitting up the floor, fighting for boards and fighting through gauntlets for points. We saw Morrow draining tres in the face of the bewildered Cavs...

...we saw our boys play like Warriors.

Warriors vs Cavaliers Boxscore

Open Thread (980 Comments)

JUMP!

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Originally posted 4:30 AM PST

Uh oh. These guys are the real deal aren't they?

Maybe we can get another crack at Sacramento? Eh? Eh? No? Okay, what about the Clippers? I mean, c'mon - that was a fluke! We can take those guys! No? Can't do it? Okay fine. I see you're going to be like that. No problem. We'll take Indy on again. There you go, you win! You win and we lose. We'll just hop on this flight to Indiana and -

What?! No?! No Indy? I daresay you're being unreasonable sir. But fear not, we are flexible. Alright fellas you heard them! No Indy! Everyone head over to Gate C31 I think there's a flight to Milwaukee boarding. Grab your bags everyone, Gate C31. Yo rookie! CURRY! Take those headphones off and grab my bag. Maybe they can book us back at that Doubletree. They had pretty good mints, right Andr-

What?

Seriously?

...we HAVE to play these guys? Contract? I see. Well, what if I-  Lawsuit you say?

Hey isn't the Rock and Roll Hall of fame out there? Cleveland it is.

Their numbers are many.

Warriors: 3-6

Cavaliers: 7-3

Tip-Off: 4:00pm

TV: CSN Bay Area

Radio: KNBR 680

Blog Buddy: Fear The Sword

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Minnesota or not, Monday's game was a great way to close off our West Coast stand and head off for battles on the East Coast.  Every now and then it really comes in handy to have a  sacrificial lamb to beat up on.

Kind of the rest of the league is looking forward to doing to us...

But hey, the season is young and we're only two games out of .500. So let's pack our bags and head to Indiana to visit a few of our old friends, shall we?

LET THE ROAD TRIP BEGIN!

Remember this guy?

Warriors: 2-4

Pacers: 2-3

Tip-Off: 4:00pm

Radio: KNBR 680

TV: CSN Bay Area

Blog Buddy: Indy Cornrows 

Here's a decent test in consistency. One peek at the posts at our friends over at Indy Cornrows, and you would think they were talking about the Warriors. Injured players. Slow start. Lots of panic. Sound familiar?

Despite the fun we always get seeing our friend Dunleavy and Murphy again, we may not be treated to their presence on the court. Dun is out with a knee injury, Murphy is listed as day to day. Add to that the fact that Danny Granger is out with a bruised heel and we're going to be up against a limping opponen.

Not that that has stopped them before...

JUMP!

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Originally posted Oct 9, 2009 1:05 PM PDT

Did I say Warriors by 3?!  Nah. Couldn't be. You must have misread the prediction.

No need to scroll down. Trust me. It was you.

"HMMMMMM. No sir. I don't like it."

(Bonus points if you get that reference.)

Warriors (Preseason W-L) - 1-1

Lakers (Preseason W-L) - 1-0

Blog Buddy: Silver Screen and Roll

Tip-Off: 7:00 PM PST

TV: None Scheduled

Radio: KNBR 680

Lakers v. Warriors. Take 2! JUMP.

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It's going to be big trouble in little L.A. tonight! The big bad Warriors are coming to town in a showdown that carries about as much weight as I do at the gym.

The answer you were looking for is: Not much.

It's okay. I know I'm weak. I'll impress the girls with my Mario Kart skills.

Crap. This guy is going to be there, isn't he? We're toast.

Warriors (Preseason W-L) - 1-0

Lakers (Preseason W-L) - 0-0

Blog Buddy: Silver Screen and Roll

Tip-Off: 7:00 PM PST

TV: None Scheduled

Radio: None Scheduled

Yahoo! LIVE Box Score 

Make the jump to see what we may be in store for in tonight's meaningless battle down south!

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Sure he's a little overpaid... maybe a lot overpaid. But the real question is, what is in store for Corey Maggette this year?!

Hopefully 70+ games. Please please please 70+ games...

*clunk* "Ahhhh! My head!" Out 10 games.

Okay, all joking aside. If we can manage to have Maggette on the floor for the better part of the season, we're going to have a powerful scoring backup forward that knows how to get to the line. And I have no problem with that.

Check out some Maggette after the jump!

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And now we come to the new kid on the block. One thing we have to give this Warriors organization is their ability to pick up raw talent and allow it to blossom (before trading it away). Unfortunately, our current batch of raw talent hasn't yet learned to play cohesively enough together to form any kind of consistency, but it's tough to argue that players like Ellis, Biedrins, and Randolph haven't had the room to discover themselves.

As I was talking with Atma the other day, I shared a concern I've had with Nellie in recent years. What if Nellie sees a potential successful season in front of him without letting Curry stretch his wings? Atma brought up some solid points in this realm. Historically, if Nellie hasn't let a rookie or new addition to the roster breathe (POB, Diogu), they haven't really moved on elsewhere in the league to excel. If the talent is there, Nellie has and will let them cultivate their skill on the Arena floor.

That being said, we're going to be seeing a lot of Curry at the Arena this year.

Wrong Curry. But equally as exciting!

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Why the X factors? Well, let's just put it this way. There is very little down, even among the casual NBA fan that Oklahoma has a roster that will grow to do some pretty big things. Centered around the phenom that is Kevin Durant, the thunder also play home to Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook, and (now) James Harden, this team is only on their way up as this core unit learns the ins and outs of each others' games.

So again, why X factor?

When you have a team that everyone generally agrees can be great, every season is the potential breakout year. Even though Oklahoma is only playing it's second year in its new home, this could really be a team to watch. If, for no other reason than for Kevin Durant.

Kevin Durant Mix (via maurixjames23)

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I suppose one of the toughest things to do with an above average team is to step into the trading ring and make some giant trades to shake-up the roster. Aside from relatively sure bets, I can imagine it would be tough for a front office to look back on the previous year and simply expect a higher caliber of play from the team that they have.

Looks like this is the offseason strategy the  Utah Jazz have employed. Despite loads of debate on whether or not Carlos Boozer would opt out of his contract (or after he said he was staying, whether the Jazz would try to trade him away), when the smoke settled. the Jazz didn't really have a lot of stand out moves that are going to separate them from the 8th seed - first round exit team that we saw last year.

And as a Warriors fan that saw the Jazz knock us out in the second round of our playoff run; I have no problem with their direction.

I'll take any excuse I can get to post this picture...

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I have to be honest, for a team that made it's way to the NBA Finals last year, the Magic have made some major moves beyond expectations. I'm not saying that the direction that Orlando is heading is bad, but it's clear that they are making their move for the ring now - potentially leveraging longevity  for a shot at it all. At the end of the day, it comes down to the two options in the philosophy of building a professional sports team. Design a team that can win a championship or design a team that can win a string of championships?

"Okay Vince, if I win this thumb war, you come over and play for us next year."

While the Magic seemed to have taken advantage of the feeding frenzy of next years' Uber draft they have indeed acquired an aging Vince Carter in exchange some potential future producers (Alston and Courtney Lee most notably). Now, this isn't to say that Vince doesn't have anything left in the tank; he did just come off of a season of 20.8 points per game and 4.7 dimes per game.

Let's just say that the clock is officially ticking for the Magic to grab that trophy.

JUMP!

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Aaaahhhh the Heat. The team that logged the abysmal 15 and 67 record in the 2007-2008 season really did a decent job of turning things around last year. On the wings of Dwayne Wade's 30+ ppg as well as solid performances by Michael Beasley, Jermaine O'Neal, Udonis Haslem, and company these guys improved their wins by nearly 30 last year - landing as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference.

When you see improvement of that caliber from one season to the next, admittedly it can be hard to really determine what gaps need to be filled in order to further improve the caliber of this team. That being said, Pat Riley ain't no fool; even as I write this the Heat front office is likely still working on a few things to propel this team to the next level.

Can't say he's not doing his part!

What does the 2009-2010 Season hold for Miami? Make the jump to see our humble thoughts!

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Damn, I'm starting to realize why no one jumped to sign up for an Around the Association look at the Denver Nuggets. Relatively speaking, these guys didn't do jack in the offseason. Short of the drafting of Ty Law, recent Tar Heel point guard, the Nuggets pretty much went out of their way to ensure that they held on to the components that took them into the 2008-2009 Western Conference Finals. When you look at it, why the hell not? While it seems like the Nuggets went on a bit of a dream run, 'Melo and company showed that this squad was more than capable of taking down anyone in the league.

...or at least, anyone in the league not called the Lakers. Zing!

Hey, if we had a team that could do this, we wouldn't change much either...

Make the jump for a quick glimps into the fate of the Nuggets for the 2009-2010 season!

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Whoa whoa whoa tiger! It ain't over yet in the East. And why?!

"Cuz I say it ain't over, baby!"

That's right. Last night, in the face of elimination in the 5th game of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cavs huddled together and decided to run the one play that was more effective than anything else in their playbook.

Give the ball to LeBron James.

And work it did. With 17 of his 37 points coming in the fourth quarter alone, King James also nailed a triple double; grabbing 14 boards and netted 12 dimes along the way.

But they have their work cut out for them as they head to Game 6 in Orlando. The Cavs are going to have to really beat the odds if we have any chance of seeing more Kobe-LeBron puppet commercials over the next few weeks.

Which brings us to tonight's game.

JUMP!

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Now before we get into Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, certainly we should do last night's matchup a little credit with a few words. Namely:

HOW 'BOUT THEM NUGGETS?!

Denver's starting five with 'Melo takin it to the hole...

Well okay, it wasn't exactly a blowout - but one thing is for sure, Melo v Bryant is a fun thing to watch. I, for one, wouldn't mind watching this series go to game 7.

But let's not forget the action on the other side of the basketball universe. Tonight the Cavs and the Magic meet up again in Cleveland in the 2nd game of the Eastern Finals. And after last game, you better believe LeBron is pissed.

JUMP!!

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Originally Posted: May 19, 2009 2:59 PM PDT

Aaaaaaaand here we go. After almost getting nixed from their postseason run by the Houston Rockets, the #1 seeded Lakers, on the back of Pau Gasol, fulfilled their destiny in order to face off against the scrappy Nuggets tonight.

" 'Scuse me Melo' Have YOU seen my three rings?..."

While initially it might be easy to bill this series as David versus Goliath, the question still looms in my mind, "Have the Lakers really shaken their inconsistency from the Rockets series?"

If not, this series really can go either way. Despite the Lakers' dominance over Denver in recent years, the Nuggets have shown that they are a forced to be reckoned with. I would be surprised to see this series end in less than 6 games.

JUMP

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Two for Two for R-Dizzle! Although Cleveland was a gimme, Denver/Dallas really could have gone either way. But one thing is for sure - no one, including myself, is doubting the Nuggets now! The Mavs have their work cut out for them...

Kmart: "Yo Dirk! At least you're still raking it in from those Geico commercials!"

Meanwhile, on the other coast, LeBron James is doing exactly what he is expected to do. Destroying the Hawks. Last night Mr. MVP dropped 34 points, grabbed 10 boards, earned 3 dimes, and 4 steals and effectively showed the Hawks that, right now, they are merely boys in a man's game. I'll give you one guess on who that man is...

 "You four stand over there. I'm going to take this thing to the hole."

But what of tonight as the Upset series' head to their second games? Will the dream last for both Houston and the Magic?

JUMP!

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Ding dong - the Jazz are dead! Which ol' Jazz? The Utah Jazz!...

They may have snuck on through to avoid the broom from L.A., but in the end it was nothing more than a moral victory. The Lakers are movin' on up to play the winner of the Portland/Houston series.

Fantasy Junkie  Picks- FTW!! 1 correct pick.

On the slightly more exciting end, looks like Atlanta really stepped it up in Miami to grab their first playoff road win in 12 years! With the series now tied at 2-2, the series that no one initially cared about is... um... still a series that no one really cares about. The eventual winner gets to move on to a mollywhopping by Lebron James and those other guys that wear the same outfit as him every game.

Fantasy Junkie Pick - Swing and a miss.

And then there was Denver versus New Orleans. Holy crap that was brutal.

"That's it. I'm going to the Warriors."

 121 to 63?!!! Chalk it up in the record books as the greatest postseason beatdown. Ever. With this stomping, New Orleans has their back up against the wall, facing elimination in this now 3-1 series.

Fantasy Junkie Pick - Swing and a miss.

Hit the Jump to check the action on today's matchups!!

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BOOM! 3 for 3 on my picks. I AM AN NBA GOD!!!!

Okay fine - yesterdays games were about as predictable as they come (call it a coin toss on the Portland-Houston matchup). The only real question with the Lakers/Jazz and Cavs/Pistons series' are whether or not these two powerful 1 seeds are going to break out their brooms and sweep their opponents under the rug.

Anyone else smelling sweep?

Today's matchups, however, may better host a bit more of that oh-so-cherished often seen characteristic that we have come to know and love in the NBA Playoffs.

Volatility.

JUMP!!

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Beantown basketball fighting for a breath of air?! Even without KG, it was tough to see this coming. So far the Bulls have had a hero in each game; last night their man in a cape was Ben Gordon with a whopping 41.

In the end, it just wasn't enough for Chicago as Ray Ray plunked a 3 point shaped nail in the coffin with two seconds left to tie the series at 1-1.

But Boston has got to be worried...

Speaking of splitting up the series, Parker lit up the scene with 38 (27 if it in the first half!) in San Antonio to ensure that Dallas did not take the series back 2-0. I feel for Dallas on that one. As Atma said, as much as we've had our run-ins with them in the past, the Mavs are far more entertaining to watch than the Spurs.

Case in point - Mark Cuban socking a water cooler following the loss last night. Now THAT'S entertainment!

Look at that crazy millionare go!

But enough of that nonsense. Let's talk playoffs - DAY 4!

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