SB Nation User Blog: YaoButtaMing

OPEN THREAD: Day 35 of the 2k8 NBA Playoffs

YaoButtaMing — Sat, 24 May 2008 23:34:45 -0000

Last Night:

I think the Spurs are ready to head home. Coming off a playoff low by losing to the Lakers last night by 30 points, Duncan and company would like to sleep in their own beds. Dealing with bad airplanes, bad food and lack of sleep, they sure looked ugly against Kobe and the Lakers. For all those who are wishing upon a Celtics – Lakers Final, it might actually happen. Oops I mean it might happen for the Lakers. Who the heck knows what’s going to happen tonight in Detroit?

Hit the jump for tonight's matchups.

G3: (1) Boston Celtics @ (2) Detroit Pistons (Series Tied 1-1) – ABC 5:30pm

I’ve got to say. I really dislike the Pistons. Not that I’m a Celtics lover (because I’m not) but I am rooting for them. I’d like to see KG and Ray get into the finals at some point. But Thursday’s night loss in Boston made me question whether or not they really have a chance. Detroit is heavily under-rated and tonight will set the tone on who I believe will win the series. What do you think?

Post your Golden Picks and any playoff game thoughts in the comments.

OPEN THREAD: Day 22 of the 2k8 NBA Playoffs

YaoButtaMing — Sat, 10 May 2008 15:21:13 -0000

Last Night:

Finally the sleeping giant woke up. I was waiting to see when Boozer might actually try to pound it down in the paint but he’s been absent the first two games of the Lakers – Jazz series. But last night (the only game of the night) the Jazz beat the Lakers 104 to 99 in Utah. Boozer came up big with 27 points and 20 rebounds and Deron Williams finally had a nice game with 18 points and 12 assists. You can tell the home court was very much needed for Utah’s confidence. Let’s hope they can make this a series now.

Hit the jump for tonight's matchups.

G4: (2) Detroit Pistons @ (3) Orland Magic (Pistons Lead 2-1) – ESPN 2pm

Chauncey Billup’s splits the other day looked like something you would find in Cirque du Soleil. It could also be summed up when most guys thought “wow he’s pretty flexi … OH MY GOD THAT’S GOT TO HURT!” As a game time decision, it’s looking doubtful Billups will play today which would be a great sign for the Magic who are trying to tie the series in Orlando. Dwight Howard and Lewis are going to have to have another big night if they want to send this back to Detroit tied. I’m rooting for Superman.

G3: (1) Boston Celtics @ (4) Cleveland Cavaliers (Celtics Lead 2-0) – ABC 5pm

I can’t tell if both teams are amazing at defending the other, or if both are truly overrated! This series isn’t as entertaining as I was hoping for. In any event, the games have shifted to Cleveland and I’m hoping Lebron has something up his sleeves to shut the media up. You can’t blame everything on him and you can’t always blame his teammates. This is Lebron’s chance to show the world he IS a one man wrecking crew.

Post your Golden Picks and any playoff game thoughts in the comments.

OPEN THREAD: Day 15 of the 2k8 NBA Playoffs

YaoButtaMing — Sat, 03 May 2008 15:14:03 -0000

Lebron Finishes it, Tmac does all he could, and the Hawks, are you kidding me?

Last Night:

Why some idiot would call Lebron overrated is beyond me? 3 straight years of getting booted out of the first round by Lebron should tell you something! Lebron had his 3^rd playoff triple double with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and 13 assists to lead the Cavs past the Wizards and close out the series 4 to 2.

Are the Hawks last year’s Warriors? They are an 8^th seed taking the best team in the league to game 7 when they beat the Celtics again at home 103 - 100. Who on earth saw this coming? Holding the Celtics to only 18 points in the 4^th, the Hawks now have a chance to make history when they play game 7 in Boston on Sunday.

I honestly feel sorry for Tmac. Here’s a guy who takes so much punishment from the media for not making it past the 1^st round of the playoffs, and it happened again. Scoring 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists wasn’t enough to propel them past the Jazz and they lost 91-113. He didn’t have Yao, and unfortunately he didn’t have their MVP player in Rafer Alston when he got injured in the first half of the game last night. The Jazz close out this series and head on to LA to play Kobe in the next round.

Hit the jump for tonight's matchups.

G4: (3) Orland Magic @ (2) Detroit Pistons (series tied 0-0) – TNT 4:30pm

I was hoping the 76ers would beat the Pistons but unfortunately we have to see another series of the Pistons. Thankfully we get to see Dwight Howard again and I hope he demolishes the Pistons. Playing in the rowdy Pistons' home court, I’m looking to see Dwight, Lewis, and Turk have a nice series against Billups, Hamilton, and Wallace. I think this series is anyone’s, so it will be interesting to see who takes control first.

G3: (3) San Antonio Spurs @ (2) New Orleans Hornets (series tied 0-0) – TNT 7pm

This will be a series to remember. I’m first in line for the matchup of Parker vs. CP3. Not a fan of either teams, but I’m definitely hoping this will be a great series and fun to watch. The Hornets keep surprising me after every game so I guess I can’t expect anything less even though I peg the Spurs to go to the finals.

Post your Golden Picks and any playoff game thoughts in the comments.

OPEN THREAD: Day 8 of the 2k8 NBA Playoffs

YaoButtaMing — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 15:46:23 -0000

Rockets are going to need all the chemistry they can get tonight!

Last Night:

I know my eye sight is getting worse over the years, but are the 76ers really leading the series against the Pistons 2 to 1? Did they really beat them by 20 points last night? I guess so. I was watching the game and I have to tell you I was impressed. Yea the Pistons played with no heart, over confident, and poorly. But being a genuine Pistons hater, I’ll take it.

On the other end, Dallas came around and finally beat the Hornets on their own court. Trailing the series by one game, the Mavs are still going to have to win their next game to stay alive. The Hornets pummeled the Mavs in New Orleans for the first two games so it was nice to see the Mavs make some kind of effort.

And finally, the last game of Friday night had the most exciting series turn into a bust. The Spurs beat the Suns in Phoenix by 16 points. This looks to be a sweep. I have to say, the Spurs are incredible. After watching this series so far, I’m really going to have to rethink who I have going to the finals!

Hit the jump for tonight's matchups.

Who knew how important this guy was?

G4: (3) Orlando Magic @ (6) Toronto Raptors (magic leads 2-1) – TNT 12pm

What could be more fun than watching two superstars battle it out in the paint with Howard (no the clean one) and Bosh? This series does not get the attention it deserves!

G3: (1) LA Lakers @ (8) Denver Nuggets (LA leads 2-0) – TNT 2:30pm

BOOOOO. I never really thought I would be a Nuggets fan. Heading back to Denver, the Lakers look too powerful for the Nuggets, but if there’s any hope, it’s going to come from that rowdy crowd in Denver. Should be a great match.

G3: (1) Boston Celtics @ (8) Atlanta Hawks (Boston leads 2-0) – ESPN 5pm

Don’t we have the mercy rule in the NBA? I think the Celtics are looking past the next round as well. I’ll be on the beach instead of watching this game.

G4: (4) Houston Rockets @ (5) Utah Jazz (Jazz leads 2-1) – ESPN 7:30pm

With the Rockets impressive win Thursday night, Yao Ming asked Carl Landry if he would sacrifice 15 more teeth for the good of the team. Let’s hope they can muster some more magic to make this a playoff series.

Post your Golden Picks and any playoff game thoughts in the comments.

Friday Night Recap

YaoButtaMing — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:52:19 -0000

RECAP: Warriors 116, Suns 122: Feeling pretty sick!

YaoButtaMing — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:09:34 -0000

I’m sad
I’m hurt
I’m disappointed
I’m without comfort

I’m shedding
My tears
Down my warriors
Team shirt

49 win season
With what to gain?
A lottery pick
For a future sidekick?

The only solace in me
Are the fans who so badly
Are hurting tonight
With our lose this weeknight

On GSoM
And our new site in hand
We thank our Warriors
For trying their best against the spoilers

Tonight the Denver Nuggets clinched the 8^th spot in the playoff race with the Warrior’s lose to the Phoenix Suns. With so much to say but too depressed to write, let’s take a look at what happened tonight.

Jump

Down by 14 points at the half, I knew the Warriors had to come out on fire to regain control for the second half, if we were to have any shot in hell. Thinking our guys can pull it together, I was gearing up for another come from behind win, before I threw in the towel.

But something happened I’ve never seen before. Nellie benched Baron Davis. He didn’t bench him for a couple minutes or for a long stretch. No he benched Baron for the ENTIRE second half. I don’t want to get into the details for I’m sure more will come out tomorrow and drama will ensue, but for now it was a great idea for the 3^rd quarter. The Warriors sprang into action and outscored the Suns 38 to 19.

We actually had the lead. We even led by double digits at some point in the fourth. But then fate somehow came around and ended our year on a sour note, missing the playoffs, Nellie walking off the court before the buzzer, and Baron refusing to talk to the press.

I’m just hoping we can pull ourselves together and have a memorable showing for the last game at The Oracle on Wednesday.

Yea that fat lady sang … but what was good?

Do you all enjoy the new site? If anything it will take a while to get used to it but people have poured in compliments on the new thread style, and I’m loving it. Being able to comment right away to someone’s post and chant with the rest of the crazy Warrior fans out there, makes life that much more enjoyable, even in these dark times. Though we lost and are out of the playoffs, I’m already looking forward to next season. This summer is going to be a bear having to wait.

With our new thread system came some of the funniest banters all year. Between Saintdee saying this was like a Pokemon game (trying to quickly increase our bench player’s skill level) to others laughing at the possibility of a 1^st overall pick. I could always rely on you guys to make this enjoyable.

As far as the game goes, Kosta did a decent job on Shaq while only playing 13 minutes. Taking some rough beatings down in the paint, he stood his ground and showed promise for next year. Jackson did all he could by shooting 50 percent and ending the night with 23 points. Azubuike took advantage of his playing time and gave us solid assistance with 17 points and 9 boards. Lastly, Monta still gave us something to smile about. Collecting 20 points and 8 boards, he was able to shift by most of the defenders all night and dish out 6 assists and create 6 steals. In my mind he’s again the Most Improved Player of the year, and I can’t wait for him to dominate next season.

How we lost

We’re going to hear it everywhere tomorrow. On the news, radio, water cooler. Everyone’s going to talk about Baron being benched for the second half. I really don’t want to dwell on this fact. Baron had a horrible game, but you know what, he’s also won a ton of others for us. Playing 17 minutes and only scoring 7 points, he just couldn’t do it. He’s been a lot slower for the past week, but this long and strenuous season has taken its toll. Time for a vacation man, I still love ya!

Baron wasn’t alone in the "poor play" department. Harrington shrank back inside his turtle shell and contributed 6 points and 2 assists in 26 minutes. That’s unacceptable. On one of the biggest nights of the year the two of you can only muster 13 points collectively? There’s nothing more I want to say about this.

But the real reason we lost the game, was due to Nash, Shaq, and Amare. Bottom line these guys were just being themselves, freaking stars. Nash had 13 points, 9 rebounds and 14 assists. We couldn't stop this general leading the Suns. 1 rebound shy of a triple double, Nash was throwing passes from the corner of his eyes. Our porous defense made it easy, but it was still impressive. Shaq bullied his way down low for 19 points and 15 rebounds, doing exactly what they traded him for, to allow Amare to blow up. And he did. Shooting 75 percent (mostly dunks) and hitting 10 for 13 of his free throws, Amare had 28 points to lead his team to victory. It’s hard to write about our other failures when clearly a very good team beat us. We just couldn’t hold them off down the stretch.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge the referees for ruining our chances once again. I really hate being that guy who always blames the refs, but I’m honestly sick and tired of the lack of respect we get out there. I guess we’re just going to have to win 22 in a row or a championship for the league to do anything about it!

I know … I know

Season at a glance

So we are lottery bound. It’s going to take awhile for me to be able to digest this loss and the one against the Nuggets last week. So many what-if’s. Had Jackson played from the season start would we be in this position? Had we not lost our first 6 would we be in this position? We made history tonight for having the most wins in a season and not making the playoffs, and I’m not terribly thrilled to have that honor.

To end this recap, all I can say, is that I’m sad like the many of you and we have each other to help us through this time and look forward to next year. Just think, how good is it going to be watching Monta after an offseason of training? I can’t wait!

Thank you to GSoM and all our fans. With our new site, this community it ready to take off.

Warrior Wonder: GSoM!! All of us deserve a freaking award. Great season, sad way to end it. One game remaining, I want to give all of us a Warrior Wonder for cheering our team on. Go show our support this Wednesday if you can!

Photos courtesy of (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin) (AP Photo/Bill Waugh)

OPEN THREAD: Game #77- Warriors @ New Orleans - Biggest Game of the Year?

YaoButtaMing — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 17:00:38 -0000

Warriors (W-L): 46-30

Hornets (W-L): 53-22

Time: 10:00am PST

TV: ABC

Radio: KNBR 680

Thanks ESPN for this preview!

Biggest game of the year? Well, it's too damn early in the morning for that and every game here on out is the biggest game of the year! But tied in 8th we need to push forward if we are going to make the playoffs and with only 6 more games remaining, we have to win this one. Playing against the "best team" in the West, we are going to have a hell of a time controlling Chris Paul.

But if one man can do it. It's Baron Davis!

Jump

The Hornets are a mystery to me. I think they are a first round upset waiting to happen, but somehow they keep winning and winning and winning. I just don't get it. Well for one, they have an incredible player by the name of Chris Paul. Arguably MVP candidate for this year it will be interesting to see if Baron brings his A-game today.

The Hornets remind me a lot of the Warriors, just more successful. With Peja playing well of late and Chandler finding a nice groove in that system it's going to be tough but I believe in our Warriors, I really do.

I want to see Monta and Baron light it up, but I also want to see Jackson and Biens play like old and regain our confidence. We got a gift wrapped in golden paper last night when the Kings beat the Nuggets and hopefully today's double-header of Suns vs. Mavs will help us out. Rooting for the Kings and Suns... uggghh I shiver, but sometimes you have to take one for the team.

GO WARRIORS!!!
Side Note: Sorry for short preview. Last minute substitute.

RECAP: Warriors 117, Grizzlies 86: At least we aren't the Griz!

YaoButtaMing — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 05:57:29 -0000

If you get a chance, check out the new B-boy documentary!

Fitz put it best tonight

"Just what the doctor ordered".

Hanging by a thread our Warriors are on the brink of a complete collapse right out of the playoff race with each loss. Luckily for us we got the best recipe for tonight, a game against Memphis Grizzlies.

Tonight it was essentially over by halftime as the Warriors beat the Grizzlies 117 to 86. Now the focus is on the Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets, praying they start losing. Half a game behind Denver for the 8th spot, we better get lucky, or else we all are watching Planet Bboy for the rest of the summer!

But first let's see how we creamed the Grizz shall we?
Jump!

My all time favorite competition. Now you know!

Why can’t we play with this kind of energy and emotion every night? Why? With this type of hustle we could have probably stolen a win from Dallas, San Antonio or at least Denver. But that’s in the past and we can only focus on what will hopefully lead us back into the playoffs. From tip off we controlled the ball and the game taking a quick lead and gliding to a 117 – 86 victory. It wasn’t even that close and with unlikely heroes for tonight, it was actually enjoyable to watch.

We won on three factors:

Our Bench
And Pietrus didn’t even play! Let’s start with Marco Belinelli. At one point in the game he ran down the side, lifted up and floated a long range fade-a-way 2 pointer that swished. It was one of those shots where you say "what the hell?" when it left his hands but then retract with "oh yea I knew that was going in" when the ball falls through. Though he only had 13 points and shot 6 for 11 it was great to finally see Belinelli get some playing time and quality play. I’m always on the fence with this guy but I do love his shot and if we somehow found a way to utilize him, he could be a great addition, except for the defense part (we have to work on that big guy).

Brandan Wright on the other hand was able to score 10 points and grab 4 rebounds with 2 blocked shots with just 19 minutes of playing time. We can debate all night whether or not we should play him more or less, but I’m digging on this guy. I think he will be Most Improved Player of the Year next year if he can work out all summer and have an amazing summer program to improve strength and offense.

Now I always question why the hell we are playing CJ Watson but tonight in just 8 minutes he played pretty well. With 9 points shooting 4 for 4, CJ had a nice spark off the bench allowing our starters like Baron and Jackson to sit out most of the 4th.

Monta
I know I know, I like to go on and on about how great it is watching a fantastic young player like Monta grow up before our very own eyes, but I’m doing it again! Monta was great tonight. Nothing spectacular on the stat line, 19 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals but it was his overall effort that made it great to watch. It seemed as though he took off from the free throw line a couple times catching the Grizz off guard and floating it in. Easily the fastest player on the court he made Mike Conley look like a fool on both ends of the court. Playing only 31 minutes I’m hoping he’s going to have another great game this coming Sunday when we need him most.

We Played the Grizz
Wow I haven’t seen such complacent nobodies before. I mean it was like they were just standing around taking a beating. Granted the Grizz have nothing to play for other then lottery position, but even then it was interesting to see a team completely unwilling to put in an inch of effort. I’d like to say our Warriors are just that good, but I think my over 40 coworker basketball league could take them on! At one point in the game the ENTIRE Grizzly team stood still as the Warriors ran past them for a layup. It was crazy. To add salt to the wound, when we were up by 26 points in the third, Baron hustled for a steal during an inbound play and as he grabbed the ball Conley just stood there watching. Even Barnett commented the Grizz had other intentions tonight.

But don’t get me wrong, I’ll take it. Sometimes we need an easy win to get back in our ways. What was nice was to see Biens having a field day. Spinning left and right, I thought I was looking at an awkward version of the Dream! With some sweet hook shots, he was able to score 21 points and grab 17 rebounds.

See if we all stand over here … maybe they’ll miss!?!

Warrior Wonder: I’d really have to give it to the Grizzly Season Ticket holders. Do they really pay to watch that? I kid! Honestly this goes to Biens. Finally having a good game let’s hope he can use this confidence booster to help us win the remaining 6!!

Side Note: No YaoButta Winners. Next one coming up next week!

Photos courtesy of (AP Photo/Bill Waugh)

OPEN THREAD: Game #76- Warriors @ Memphis - P to the Anic

YaoButtaMing — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:41:43 -0000

Warriors (W-L): 45-30

Grizzlies (W-L): 22-55

Time: 5:00pm PST

TV: CSN Bay Area

Radio: KNBR 1050

We should have pressed this a while ago!

Now I'm trying to be as optimistic as I possibly can ... but we are in serious PANIC mode right now! Losing 3 of our last 4 games and looking sluggish at best, we are a full game out of the playoff hunt with only 7 games remaining.

Will this turn out like last year when the last game of the year determines our destiny? I hope not. Every game is HUGE!
After the jump, let's see what we face tonight!

Jump

If there's one bright spot to tonight's game, it's that we've won the past 3 games against the Grizz. More importantly, this couldn't have come at a better time for a much needed victory game. Now I'm not trying to overlook the Grizz, but if we lose tonight consider us done for the year. We can't afford to lose any more games with Denver playing well and considering their next three games are against teams under .500 we better take tonight seriously.

With the emergence of Mike Conley Jr. and Rudy Gay teaming up with Warrior killer Mike Miller, this is going to be tough. If we play lackadaisical like we did against the Mavs, it's going to be a loooong game.

This is what we are going to do to them!

If we are going to make the playoffs and win the majority of our remaining 7 games, we desperately need Jackson to step up. Unseen in the past 2 losses, he has to regain the leadership and take us to the playoffs. Monta and Baron couldn’t do it alone last game. Will Pietrus be back in time? I sure hope so.

WE BELIEVE! WE BELIEVE in you Warriors and trust that in 7 games we'll make the playoffs. Do you believe? What a way to start the weekend off early. Let's support our best Bay Area team this afternoon!

No Predictions but YaoButta's contest:
How many points are the Warriors going to win by? If tie please tell me the combined score of Monta and Baron!
Winners are tallied for end of season YaoButtaMing awards!

RECAP: Warriors 119, Lakers 123: Revenge of the Fakers

YaoButtaMing — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:04:30 -0000

What was the greatest game of the year ended in the worst possible way ... due to a STUPID call by a pretty good referee! I've never been one to bash on the refs because I feel it always comes back both ways ... but tonight's episode was worse than anything I've seen in years.

Let's see how it unfolded ...
jump

1st Quarter – They Attacked, but we defended.

With the evil empire storming upon the Oracle with their AT Walkers, our alliance held firm with our starting five of Baron (Solo), Monta (Luke), Harrington (Lando), Biens (Just Biens) and Captain Jackson. The crowd of Ewoks poured into the Oracle to root the Warriors on as annoying storm troopers snuck in peppered through the crowd hoping to make a scene.

The dark side was strong and our players were sluggish and careless to begin the battle. The emotional and physical ride of last night’s game had taken its toll, and it was clear from the start, no one was ready to run. Bad passes led to easy turnovers, and easy layups turned into failed attempts. Our team was hustling, but they looked like overweight hamsters on a treadmill, little legs running real fast but going nowhere.

Vader (Kobe), while not scoring, was directing his squad through the mess. With sharp passes and transition defense, he waited for his time to pounce. Sidekick Lamar Odom, the evil empire’s AT general, was still a force. He was grabbing boards on each side of the court and our Warriors were unable to penetrate past him.

Yet the Warriors were resilient and able to pull out the 8 point lead to end the first. Luke Skywalker sailed to the rim countless times stirring the Ewok crowd into a frenzy, making up for his missed shot attempts.

Warriors 28, Fakers 20

Yea, he's the one!

2nd Quarter – Sloppy Joe!

The second quarter picked up right where the first ended, as Skywalker’s shooting percentage was down. His creative plays towards the basket gave us the attack but no one on the team was able to finish. Baron, Harrington, even Biens grabbed rebounds but couldn’t put it in the net.

It was as if the conversation on the court sounded like this:

"Man, you so sloppy" Baron chuckles.
"What is this sloppy?" Biens was confused and forgot to box out.
"Hey that should be a new bay area slang" Jackson chimmed in. "You so sloppeee"
The three laughed. "Slooopppeee" Harrington exaggerates.
"Slooopppeee" all 5 are singing.
"FOCUS" Nellie screams as Biens picks up another foul.

The Fakers used this to their advantage as they quickly jacked up 3 pointer after 3 pointer. Vader wasn’t scoring much but he guided his team in all other categories, mainly assists. He drove to the basket and dished the ball out to Fisher countless times for the threes.

The Darkside seemed to be settling further onto the court when with 1 minute remaining in the half Baron and Monta combined for 6 points with incredible plays. Baron first drove through the Fakers, wrapping the ball around himself for an acrobatic layup and Monta floats a 3 point buzzer beater to end the half.

Warriors up by 11!

At the half Han and R2 pose w/ the fans.

3rd Quarter – The Dark Side is Strong

Hoping we would learn from last night’s game about coming out of halftime with some energy didn’t really sink in. Just like the night before, the Warriors seemed lackadaisical as they settled for ill advised jump shots and played porous defense. As our lead diminished, we then resorted to jacking up 3’s that hit rim and gave Odom more rebounds.

21 to be precise. It seemed as though he covered ever inch of the court and forced Biens into a quick 4 fouls relegating him to the bench.

The Warriors only had 2 bright spots so far for the game. The first was the defense Jackson and BD played on Vader. They controlled him from scoring but not assisting. Containing him was our only way to stay ahead in this game. Secondly, it was all Buike. Showing more heart than all the players on the court combined, he played very well. Intelligent steals and offensive positioning made it easier for BD, Monta and Jackson to get open. He was also able to grab 7 rebounds and make the open shots.

As the third came to a close, Vader still didn’t have too many points but the Fakers took the lead by one.

Back to his native pastime. Fouling out!

4th Quarter – Vader’s Revenge

The mood was darker and we all knew the time had come for Vader to take over. With only 10 points in the game so far, Vader became unconscious shooting the ball as if he was playing NBA JAM on Nintendo. Fade away 3’s with a hand in his face, turnaround jumpers, and crazy layups through traffic gave the Fakers an 8 point lead with 5 minutes remaining.

Suddenly Han Solo got the bright idea that if you can’t stop him, hit him in the face with your elbow. And it worked. As Vader’s head rung for minutes, it gave the Warriors enough time to crawl back into it. 2 minutes remaining, reminiscent of last night, the Warriors were down by 9 points when they made 2 incredible steals. Working all the way back, Baron ties the game with 3 seconds left at the free throw line.

YES! Fisher missed the buzzer shot to force overtime. Our hearts were pounding and our Ewok crowd was roaring. The force was in the air and we believed, we just believed we had a chance to close this out and win the series for the first time in a decade.

Overtime – The call that ruined everything

5 minutes was all that was in the way to victory. Special K (Buike’s nickname and I’m sticking to it) was HUGE! Lunging towards the basket on the first play creating a foul gave the Warriors the first lead. Monta contributed as he picked up his play nailing an open shot and creating another steal.

As our hearts pounded in excitement and fear, Vader once again assisted to Fisher for a 3 pointer. Clock winding down this is how it ended:

58 Seconds Left: Warriors with a 1 point lead.

43 Seconds Left: Fakers distribute the ball as they nail a 3 pointer to take the lead by 2.

30 Seconds Left: Monta drives to the basket and as the ball rims out Special K puts it in to tie the game. WHAT A PLAY!

9 Seconds Left: Fakers run the clock down as Odom grabs a pass in the paint for an easy layup. Fakers by 2.

4 Seconds Left: Inbound pass set in Faker territory. This is it. The last play of the game. Nellie’s timeout prepped the team to tie it or shoot a 3 for the win. As the whistle blew and the players wrestled for position … the unthinkable happened. Fisher fell to the ground grabbing Monta with him, and the ref Delaney, blew the whistle calling an offensive foul.

Game over. Episode over. YaoButtaMing’s emotional outburst … not over!

Vader and Baron ended the night with 30 points and 7 assists each. Jackson scored 29 but it wasn’t enough. Incredible game … but horrendous ending.

Warrior Wonder: Ok everyone … I have to give it to Special K, because he holds a special place in my heart! Let’s hear it in the comments. This guy kept us in both games!

Side Note: No winners in tonight’s contest. Try again next time.

SPECIAL THANKS TO TONY.psd for the great graphics!