(It's sweet to see Monta giving gifts out during the holidays, but lets hope he and the rest of the Warriors can give us fans the gift of a win tonight)

Warriors: 7-16

76ers: 5-18

Tip-Off: 4:00pm

TV: CSN Bay Area

Radio: KNBR 680

Sbnation Blog Buddy: Liberty Ballers

Happy Monday Warriors nation. 

It's the beginning of a new (work) week.  It's the holidays.  The San Francisco 49ers are playing Monday Night Football. 

Not only do you have variety, but if the Warriors are sucking, you have options for other entertainment during the evening.  Unless the Niners are sucking, too, then, damn, we're out of luck.

The Warriors are at the end of their road trip and just in time.  They're facing the Philadelphia 76ers, who struggling equally.  But crappy teams, sans the New Jersey Nets, seemed to find a way to break out of their funk.  Will the Allen Iverson versus Monta Ellis showdown tonight be like watching mirror images battling each other?  Derrick Rose seems to think so. 

Who will come out on top? Click for some predictions.

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Originally posted Dec 9, 2009 9:22 PM PST

(Floyd Mayweather looks excited about the opportunity to sit courtside.  He probably didn't get the memo who he was watching, though)

Professional sports, particularly Warriors basketball, have a huge toll on my emotional well-being.  Watching the Warriors self-destruct night-in-night-out against the NBA's worst ruins my evenings a majority of the time.  I curse at the television.  Make groaning sounds, in the most unerotic possible way.  I usually have to have a beer by halftime just to calm down the nerves of watching turnover after turnover.

Well, lucky for me the Warriors played, arguably, the worst team in the league tonight.  Meaning?  Maybe I can fall asleep easily without replaying all the blunders that I was witness to.

Anyway, tonight's recap retells the story that was the clash of the anti-titans of the NBA.  However, it will be told through the emotional highs and lows that the Warriors put me through.  Instead of focusing on the game, we're going to analyze the game through my feelings...

Preview/ Game Thread: Please don't be Nets win #3

Warriors Web Links: Should have won, and we did

Warriors vs Nets boxscore

Warriors vs Nets coverage

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(Monta, while diving for loose balls, makes a plea to the fans to vote for him for this year's all-star game)

Monta Ellis is making me eat my words.  And it has never tasted so good. 

I have blasted Ellis time and time again for being a one-dimensional player his first few years in the league: Ellis lacks a left hand.  Ellis is a terrible dribbler and passer.  Ellis only knows how to drive in straight lines.  Ellis doesn't help little old ladies cross busy streets. And the list goes on and on.

But for the 5^th night in a row, we're all witness to Monta's phenomenal evolution from "potential" to leader, lockdown defender, and a very strong candidate for an all-star appearance this year.  Monta's incredible 45 points paced the Warriors tonight and his 7 point outburst in less than a minute during the beginning of the fourth quarter reminded me of that dominance that I only see from...dare I actually say it.. superstars like MJ, Dwayne Wade, and Lebron James?  And I say this ALSO because he went shot 16 free throws meaning he's getting those superstar calls, like a superstar!  Or Kevin Martin to say the least.

Okay, I know this may sound ridiculous to say.  Almost as ridiculous as say all the weirdo love for 49er QB Alex Smith and his solid play against the worst above .500 team in the NFL.  The Warriors win over the Pacers could be of an equivalent battle of suckiness.  But Monta's ability to rally the rest of the troops in a very surprising come-from-behind win and trusting his teammates to make plays shows us a lot of his evolution as a player.  Disposing of crappy teams is a step in the right direction for Monta and the rest of the Warriors, right?

Final Boxscore: Pacers vs Warriors boxscore

For the Pacers perspective of the game: Indy Cornrows

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(What if Mike Dunleavy Jr. picked hairstylist as his career instead of NBA player?)

Warriors: 5-10

Pacers: 6-8

Tipoff: 7:30 PST

TV: CSN Bay Area

SBNation Indiana Pacers blog: Indy Cornrows

If there was one game this season to watch, I would say this one would be it.

Why?  Well, given how the fate of this season has seemed to play itself out already in the first 15 games, I would say this game has value....historical value.

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The Warriors have found the big man they've always wanted.

Chris Hunter, formerly of the D-league as of earlier yesterday afternoon, started the second half of the Warriors win over the Portland Trailblazers and shutdown Greg Oden.  This definitely secured the win as without Hunter's defensive presence in the paint, the Warriors might have been down by as many as a dozen or more like the first quarter where Oden dominated and helped the Trailblazers race out to an early lead. 

The Warriors haven't had this stellar of a debut by a big man since Marc Jackson, jokes Atma Brother #1.

Hunter's defensive presence, however, reflected a larger team effort from the whole dubs squad where defense might have been as important, for once, as scoring.

For more, see what the good folks at Blazers Edge have to say about the game!

SBN Nation boxscore

Warriors Web- Post Game Links

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The Warriors contribution to the development and fandom of the NBA industry should not be overlooked.  The number of D-league success stories that have passed through the Warriors system is a testament to the NBA's attempt at creating more career opportunities for players.  The number of stars that have began their careers at Golden State shows how much the Warriors can -- at times -- evaluate talent.  But more importantly, without the Warriors, we wouldn't have exciting games like last night, watching young rookies transition into rising stars in a matter of 48 minutes.  The Warriors are the reason why the "NBA is Fantastic!"

Okay, I'm just being facetious... but you know it's kind of true.  Anyway...

Even though the Warriors lost this game, there is much to love about what we saw from last night...

Warriors vs Bucks boxscore

Recap: Bucks 129, Warriors 125 (aka the Brandon Jennings show) [Brew Hoop]

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A Milwaukee Bucks fleece blanket to stay warm for the holidays? (more details, e-mail Howard Leibowitz at ahhsew@aol.com.)

Warriors: 3-5

Bucks: 4-2

Tip-Off: 5:30pm

Radio: KNBR1050

TV: CSN Bay Area +

Blog Buddy: Brew Hoop 

Which Warriors team will show up today?  The one that blows out teams by twenty (YES!) or the one that gets blown out by twenty (groan...)?  If I were to use the word "consistency" as the Warriors have used to this season thus far, that means we can expect them to lose tonight since they won last night.  BUT, this means we can expect them to win the next game! 

They're up against the Milwaukee Bucks tonight, a team that is surprising people possibly more so than the "We Believe" Warriors from a few years back.  You better believe Howard Leibowitz is selling major fleece blankets this season because of Brandon Jennings impact on his team.  Bucks fans: Get yours today!

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  Tom Abdenour in the community!  Teaching kids about eating healthy (via GoldenStateWarriors)

The number of "great" Warriors to be remembered as "great Warriors" is pretty slim.  The number of retired numbers that adorn the Oracle Arena are pretty limited.  With the way things are going right now, we wonder if there will ever be another Warrior that wants to be retired as one -- or a player that even comes close to having the achievements worthy of nomiation.

I argue that that next person is actually sitting on the Warriors bench right now. 

No, I'm not talking about the potential of Anthony Randolph to be a superstar, nor am I suggesting anything about Stephen Curry's future with the Warriors.  This dude has been with the Warriors 21 years and counting.

I'm talking about Tom Abdenour.  The Warriors' athletic trainer has seen it all and stuck with the organization through thick and thin.  This is more than we can say about former captain, Stephen Jackson.

This season, the Warriors need Abdenour to perform at his best.  Last season was quite an "off-season" given that various Warriors players missed a combined 200+ games last season.  What can we expect from him this year?  Hope he's got his rolls of tape ready.

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