RECAP: Golden State Warriors 116, Minnesota Timberwolves 107 - Congratulations Nellie!

Nellie and his family after the game (Where's Lucky?) - "Go Grampie Nellie!"

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1333 wins? 1333 wins! Don Nelson now sits atop the record books as the coach with the most wins. Congratulations Nellie! It's an amazing accomplishment.There hasn't been much to celebrate or be happy about this year, but this is definitely a reason for both. Even though it hurts our chances in the upcoming lottery, this record is a slice of history that you'll never forget. It's not one of those where I'll remember where I was when it happened, but it's definitely one that I'll look back in a few years and be glad I was listening along on the radio when it happened.

He's been the Warriors best coach since himself back in the early 90's. We've had a string of horrible coaches during The Cohan Era with just one decent coach in Muss. I'm glad he came back and I'm glad he set the record as the Warriors coach.

This win was much easier than I thought it would be. The players didn't choke like they did in Toronto where they almost gave the game away. Despite letting the Timberwolves outscore them by 12 in the 4th quarter, the game was never in question as the Warriors put the game away in the 3rd by pushing their 11 point halftime lead to 21 by the end of the quarter.

How did the Warriors get Nellie the win?

Anthony Tolliver
This guy was on FIRE out there tonight. His 24 points in the first half was a major reason the Warriors opened up an 11 point halftime lead. He just couldn't miss! His 34 points is a new career high. It's pretty crazy what a D-Leaguer can do, isn't it? Or is it pretty crazy what the Minnesota Timberwolves can do for a D-Leaguer?

When Tolliver first got here, I liked that he worked hard out there and gave it his all. The problem was, this shooter, couldn't shoot. Lately, he's turned that around and has had some really nice games, a pleasant surprise. If expectations are low, it always feels like a big bonus when a player exceeds and blows past those expectations - like tonight.

Chris Hunter + Reggie Williams
Tonight, they were "the other" D-League players who had solid, not spectacular games. Tolliver out-shined them both. Hunter had an incredibly efficient day from the field, scoring 14 points on 7-8 shooting. Reggie Williams played 41 minutes, managed 12 points but also chipped in with 6 boards and 5 assists.

"I own you"

Stephen @$#!-ing Curry!!!
Wow, he's good.

27 points (12-22), 14 assists, 8 rebounds, 7 steals, 4 turnovers in 44 minutes

I predicted a triple double, but the kid nearly had a quadruple double! I knew he'd get some sort of revenge on the Timberwolves for passing on him, and Jonny Flynn for being picked ahead of him. I like to think that Curry is nice on the outside but on the inside is this cold blooded assassin. As Warrior fans, let's all be glad Minnesota took Flynn over Curry, otherwise we might have Jordan Hill, Brandon Jennings, or Jonny Flynn on our team. Yeesh. I shudder at the thought.

Most rookies hit that rookie wall about 2/3 of the way through the season and their production declines. What amazes me about Curry is that he just keeps getting better and better when you think he's going to slow down. Each month brings something new and I cannot wait until next season to see what he'll bring to the table when he's paired up with Evan Turner (please?) in the backcourt. David Stern should make this combo happen, it'll be good for the league and good for Larry Ellison's chances of buying the team.

Rebounding
Normally, rebounding is a problem on this team. But tonight, everyone chipped in. Rebounding wasn't the reason the Warriors won, lights out shooting was the reason, but it's always a nice surprise when the Warriors win the war on the boards.

Nobody had double digits in boards, but everyone chipped in. Curry and Tolliver had 8, Morrow had 7, Williams had 6, and Hunter had 5. Contrast that with the Twolves rebounding. Kevin Love had 18, Milicic had 7, and nobody else had more than 3. The Warriors outrebounded the Twolves by just 3. I'm sure Al Jefferson being out for "personal" reasons had something to do with that. But nonetheless, this smaller Warriors squad did the job on the glass.

What was great to see is the players seemed genuinely happy to get this win for Nellie.

Somebody tell Devean George to put some clothes on!
Tommy Abdenour looks a little uncomfortable.

Was there any question about this one? It's got to be Don Nelson. It's amazing, he's been coaching longer than most of the guys on the team have been alive. On any other day, I'd give this to Stephen Curry, but not for this one. Nellie deserves it.

Congratulations Nellie!