RECAP: Warriors 109, Rockets 107 - Houston You Have a Problem

by Fantasy Junkie on Dec 14, 2006 11:49 PM PST in Recaps

You all know what happened right? If not, let me help you out.

Before the game started, Murphy and Baron go through their pre-game ritual of lying on the trainer's table watching TNT.

Can't they get longer tables for the big men?

Nellie puts a little wrinkle into the starting lineup by starting Mr. Adonal "FOYAL" who just happened to play his biggest minutes of the year. Nellie made the adjustment after Biedrins got torn up by Yao in the last game because Yao proved to be too big and strong. This time around he tried out Foyle who would better be able to absorb Yao's punishment and also allow Biedrins to rest. I'm really not sure if it made a difference as Yao went for 38 points and 18 boards, but whatever, the Warriors won this time by 2 and lost by 28 last time. And Foyle got 4 blocks!

Box out Foyle, box out!

Just like on Tivo let's hit the fast forward button for 47 minutes and 55 seconds of game time passes. Bloop bloop. Bloop bloop. Bloop bloop. Okay...now...stop. 5 seconds to go. Rockets up 1, the ball in Baron's hands. Last year in a similar situation, Luther Head hit a game tying 3 that eventually led to a Houston win and a Warrior season collapse. This year, it was Baron's turn to be the hero. And boy did he come up big! Down 1, he knocked down the game winning 3 to put the Warriors up 2 with just 1.2 seconds to go.

The Oracle was going crazy!

But there was one last shot to be taken.

This looks just like that Stephen Jackson shot, except Yao's first three of the season misses and the Warriors escape with a win. Phew!

In conclusion, this game was all about Baron. 34 points (12-22 FG), 8 assists, and one big shot. We don't need to trade Baron for Iverson! We already have our franchise player. Play on Baron, play on.

The daunting 6 game road trip is just around the corner. At 12-11, if the Warriors can just go 3-3, they'll still be above water when they come back to The Town. Up next is RED HOT Phoenix. But until tomorrow's game, let's enjoy this big win over one of the top Western teams.

Warrior Wonder: Baron Davis. Distributer. Scorer. Leader. Winner. Warrior. Wonder.

Tweet Comment 12 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

that was so exciting

that i got an adrenaline rush while watching the play by play on yahoo, thats how awesome it was. as for 3-3 on the trip,it seems possible, but we need to prove we can play on the road since were 1-6 so far this year.

by mydedgerbil555 on Dec 15, 2006 12:11 AM PST reply actions

3-3 is feasible

mainly because we play 3 games in the Atlantic division. If we can pull an upset in Florida, we could be way above water coming back home.
I don't know if we stand a chance against well-rested Phoenix tomorrow.

by racsan on Dec 15, 2006 12:20 AM PST up reply actions

check out

highlights from the game on nba.com and barons monster dunk got "dunk of the night" and his wining shot got "play of the night" and they have an interview with monta, so a bunvh of good stuff.

by mydedgerbil555 on Dec 15, 2006 12:42 AM PST reply actions

Missed the game in person. . .

. . .but cheered and celebrated at home as if I was there! Me and my girlfriend were actually jumping up and down yelling at the TV. (Thank goodness for thick walls and kind neighbors).

G S DUB !!!

by mojo X on Dec 15, 2006 1:30 AM PST reply actions

We need AI

... to stay on the market, until oh, say February if this is how Baron is going to respond to all the rumors!

by hardcore on Dec 15, 2006 6:42 AM PST reply actions

hell yeah!

here's to the vets stepping up. baron of course but gotta give the adonal props for the blocks and hard d on yao. don't know how many people were able to watch the game but the play that made baron's heroic 3 possible was made by our very own mike dunleavy junior. w's down by four and dunleavy converts a hard reverse lay up with the foul and hits his extra point...he came through big time, nice job mike.

on a side note what do you all think is up with monta's production? think he's trying to get more distribution going and thinking too much rather than just attacking the rim? hope to see him get back going soon. nice, quiet competent night for B'Dris.

how good does it feel to finally come out on top in a last minute game like that?

BARON!!!

by redape on Dec 15, 2006 8:20 AM PST reply actions

correction

sorry, mike completed a scoop shot while getting mauled, not a reverse lay up.

by redape on Dec 15, 2006 9:31 AM PST up reply actions

Right

Baron was -- in a word -- terrific. Picked up right where he left off Tuesday, but tonight they needed his scoring.

Dun's scoop and FT were terrific, but he made an equally important play at the end: that last rebound BD snared to set up the game winner happened primarily because Dun dropped down to block out (W's blocking out?) Howard, who was otherwise poised to grab the ball. Finally, Nellie -- using Dun's length (and counting on his hands) -- had Dun fronting Yao on the Rocket's last chance ("sitting in Yao's lap" as JB put it), which forced Yao out to three-point land. And since the Rockets were putting all their marbles on him at that point (and, one wonders, why?), all he could do was throw up a 24 footer that was about three feet short. I'd give that shot to Yao all day.

Finally, despite the great end play by BD and cohorts, the key to this victory was that the team was hitting its FTs, especially at crunch time. They were, I think, something like 27-35, which at nearly 80% is a vast improvement over their average. If they can keep up the FT accuracy -- especially at game end -- they'll be guaranteed to win at least 6-8 games more than otherwise. And this was one of them. I know it's a mundane subject, but FTs are a huge key to any W success, regardless of how well they play otherwise.

Final irony: This victory came almost a year to the day after the Rockets came back and beat the W's in overtime with a surfeit of threes. It's good to see the shoe on the other foot. (Now, of course, not much has been said about the fact that we weren't seeing No. 1 out there last night -- and he's been known to make a difference, at times -- so let's not overdo it here, especially since all signs point to an almost sure, and likely lop-sided, defeat tonight in the Valley of the Sun. Hope I'm wrong.)

by johnl on Dec 15, 2006 10:36 AM PST up reply actions

DUN

Also, it should be noted, that the play that was called on Yao's desperation three was supposed to go back to Luther Head, who was inbounding the ball (This was according to Yao). Its the same play they ran last year to send the game to overtime against us. However this time as soon as the ball was thrown into Yao on the perimeter Dun immediately left him to cover Head forcing Yao into his second desperation heave of the night (there was no way he was going to make it twice). Great instincts by Dun. I'm the first to bash Dun, but we couldn't have won this game without him.

by yehyeh82 on Dec 15, 2006 12:20 PM PST up reply actions

Linkfest

From Deadspin: NBA Roundup: Baron Davis Takes The Helm

* Coaching Is For Losers. When you get the ball with the clock winding down and your team behind by two points, it's a bit odd to look to your sideline and see your coach doing a crossword puzzle. But that's what happened on Thursday, pretty much, to the Warriors' Baron Davis. So Davis just launched a 3-pointer, and hit it, giving Golden State a 109-107 win over the Rockets. Why no time out to set up a final shot? "I put the ball in the hands of my best player,'' Warrors coach Don Nelson said. "In an open-court situation, he's the boss. I'm not.'' Davis had 24 points.

From Slam The D.A.Y. of Baron vs. Yao

From MT's Hoop Junkie Blog

by Atma Brother ONE on Dec 15, 2006 9:03 AM PST reply actions

great game

i wish i was there..i was planning to go, but then after we got demoralized by houston last week, i wasn't so sure about breaking bread on another loss. but they showed a lot of heart.

but did anyone see how badly monta missed that 3 that dunleavy ended up rebounding/scoring the 3 pt play?! good lord that was a horrific shot..luckily md 20/20 was there to clean up that trash

the crowning achievement of ira newble's illustrious career

by JudBooshlur on Dec 15, 2006 10:30 AM PST reply actions

Wargh!

Foyle should get special mention for being awesome. Even if Baron hit the winning shot, Adonal guarded Yao the two critical times he missed that the end of the game.

If Adonal were 7'6", he'd be MORE than a match for Yao.