OPEN THREAD: Game #70 - Warriors vs Wizards - GSoM Night, 350 People Strong!

Warriors (W-L): 32-37
Wizards (W-L): 37-29
Time: 7:30pm PST
TV: FSN Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680

Finally, after a month of selling tickets, the day has finally come, GSoM Night at The Oracle. The community came together in a big way (Oliver Miller big!) and purchased an amazing 350+ tickets. 350! I don't have the final count yet, but from the looks of things it'll get above 350. Wow. Thank you very much everyone. It's going to be crazy at the Oracle tonight with a near sellout and 350 members of the GSoM family at the game. I know a lot of us will be at the game, but many of you will be watching on tv, listening on the radio, or following over the internet. For those who couldn't make it, we all wish you were here at the game with us. You can still make it a great night by leaving comments in this open thread. You never know, we might just get on tv!

Remember the last time we faced the Wizards? The refs, Nellie, Arenas, 3 free throws, 0.1 seconds left? It all amounted to a 106-107 loss. It was a game we could have won, but we didn't. Let's move on and show thee Wizards that they cannot come onto our home court and beat us.

Look for a big game tonight

Jackson bounces back
Caron Butler is out for the game and the Warriors need to take advantage. He can basically do it all, defend, rebound, pass, and score. With him out, this should open things up for Stephen Jackson to use his passing ability to keep the offense flowing. The Warriors preview says Antawn Jamison will be guarding him, so Jackson should be able to do whatever he wants on the perimeter. He can beat Jamison off the dribble and create for himself and others. He could have a real nice all around game.

Arenas in the good 'ol days

Hibachi!
Whenever you play the Wizards you have to worry about Gilbert Arenas. In his career against the Warriors, he's averaging 27 points, 4.6 boards, and 6 assists. Those are some nice numbers. So Baron will have his hands full trying to guard Arenas and keep him under control. But it goes the same way too. Baron can take over a game too. What Baron has to be careful of is trying to do too much. We all know Arenas will get his 25+ points and carry the team, but Baron needs to not get in a 1 on 1 battle with Arenas. I don't think he will, but he's got to play smart and keep the offense moving and the defense solid.

Photo: Topps.com

One of my favorites...
Also, one of my favorite former Warriors returns, Antawn Jamison. He's putting up nice numbers this year at around 20 points and 8 boards per game. It'll be fun to see him back in Oakland. He always seemed like a down to earth guy who worked hard and just found ways to score. He has the little push shot that he just floats over the top of guys. He's developed his 3 point game and perimeter shooting overall. He's a much more refined scorer and over the years has proved he can be a consistent scorer night in and night out. His defense was never that good and having not watched too many Wizard games I don't know if he's become better, but at best, he's probably an average defender. I don't think he has the quickness to stay in front of any of the Warriors tonight.

DEFENSE!
Defense will be the key as it'll be tough to outscore this team by trading buckets. They are 2nd in the league in scoring so you know they can fill it up. The Warriors defense of late has been much improved so it'll be nice to see if that can carry over to tonight. I don't have to say this is a big game because every game from here on out is big. The Warriors need to take care of home court just like they have all season.

I'll see you at the game!

Vegas Odds: Warriors by 5.5 (as of 10:20 am PST)
Predictions:

• Warriors by 10
• Monta bounces back in a big way
• Stephen Jackson posts a near triple-double.
• GSoM gets on TV!

Don't forget to pick up your free FSN Baron Davis poster before the shootaround or before the game.