Recap: Warriors 108, Clippers 93- Now Lean Back!

by Atma Brother ONE on Jan 15, 2007 7:12 PM PST in Recaps

As predicted here on the mighty Golden State of Mind (also see everyone's picks for the rest of January), the Warriors were destined to win this game. They did not disappoint.

Final Box Score

Now that's what I'm talking about!

Pesky Defense
On paper for tonight's matchup with the Clippers the Warriors were seriously undersized and unathletic, but the Warriors made up for it by playing good, pesky defense. BD, Monta, Barnes, Dunleavy, Murph, Ike, Biedrins, and Azubuike were all trying to knock the ball away at every opportunity and get in the passing lanes. Down low the Dubs were actively trying to protect the house with a little Project S.W.A.T. It's an encouraging sign from a team that had showed us very little defensive intensity in the three previous blowout losses. This is the type of basketball we all want to see.

Nice Job on the... Offensive Glass?!
Yup, shocking. The Warriors were having one of those awful shooting nights (although they did step it up in the clutch) shooting 42.4% from the field, 23.8% from 3pt territory, and 67.6% from the expensive throw line (they ain't free for this ballclub!), but they came up big with 20 (count 'em!) offensive boards. That's an amazing feat for a squad this undersized against a beefy Clippers' team. Nice work by Murph (4), Barnes (2), Biedrins (4), Monta (3), and especially Dunleavy (6) in this area. That kept them in the game on a night when Ray Allen probably could've outshot the Warriors with his eyes closed.

What's with the Clips?

Sam tries to give Ref Jim Clark a little lovin', but he forgot his toothbrush in LA.

The Clips were simply outcoached. There's absolutely no reason why the Clips shouldn't be able to stomp on a Warriors' team only fielding 8 bodies, two of which have been recently dissed by their head coach publicly (see The Don Nelson Show on KNBR 1/11/07 and Dunleavy + Murphy = Mo' Money, Less Production). Here's some questions for Coach Mike Dunleavy Sr.:

How did the Clips let the Warriors win the battle in the paint? (Warriors 54 points : Clippers 30) Seriously, did the Clippers watch any game film from last season? They dominated the Warriors inside with Elton Brand, Chris Kaman, and Corey Maggette drawing fouls, knocking down free throws, and pretty much scoring at will. Anyhow, a big thank you from Warriors Nation for ignoring the Warriors' interior weaknesses.
Why did it take a full 2 quarters for your coaching staff to realize that the best way to stop Monta from gliding to the bucket at will was to give him room and dare him to shoot? I thought the kid was going to hit 50 at the rate he was going early on.
How can you be so eager to move Maggette when he's one of your biggest impact players? The Warriors had no answer for him at all tonight (as usual). Maggette got to the line 9 times today and finished with 18 points, 11 boards, 5 dimes, 2 blocks, and a pick. Hey, if you don't want the man, I'm sure Nellie would be happy to take him off your hands. Corey is one of the few guys in the league that forces you to defend him with your feet, not your hands. He's that explosive.

Sam Cassell shows his grill for everyone at the Arena to uh... enjoy?

Time to Trade!
Both Murphy and Dunleavy chipped in nice games today. Although Dunleavy came out firing blanks and making some silly mental errors early on, both he and Murphy stepped up over the course of the whole game and were a big reason this squad beat a division foe. Let's hope a lot of other GMs around the league saw their play today and were fooled into thinking this is how they normally play. Tonight was the exception, rather than the rule- a much welcomed exception of course.

Murphy attacked the hole?! Yes!

Dunleavy demonstrating his amazing court vision.

Their good play tonight was a mirage, not a trend. 8 times out of 10 you can count on it to NOT happen. Not exactly a formula for success. Let's hope some other front office liked what they saw tonight.

Maybe if we give Elton a big hug he'll demand the Clips trade him to the Warriors for Dunleavy and Murphy!

It's worth noting that Nellie seemed happy about Dun's play today (AP):

Nelson called Dunleavy a "disaster" on opening night and hasn't let up much since. But even Nelson was positive Monday, saying Dunleavy played a "great game for us."

"I wish he had tried to impress me that much the first 40 games," Nelson joked.

But Dun's dad had some tough love for him:

Dunleavy, Golden State's $44.5 million backup forward, was coming off a two-point game last Friday against Miami and has been a disappointment this season. The fans have been on him all season and even booed him when he went to the foul line during the 19-2 run that put the game away in the fourth quarter.

"It's one of those things where a player should get booed if he doesn't play hard, anything else ... you've got bad fans," Mike Dunleavy Sr. said.

Warrior Wonder
1... 2... 3...

BOOM!!

He could've easily just pouted and acted frustrated with the lack of help he's been getting , but instead Baron Davis came out to play tonight at a high level as usual. BD seems like he has plenty of things on his mind right now outside of basketball. Even after the big win he just looked like a sad, sad man when he was being interviewed on TV.

BD was the Warriors catalyst for great ball movement tonight dishing out 13 dimes. His shot wasn't falling tonight, but his leadership and on court smarts are a big, big reason for today's W. Stay strong dogg.

bd-lean_back
"Now lean baaaack!!"

Track of the Day: Fat Joe- "Lean Back"

* All Photos by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images

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B.D. moment...

So during the game, as the Warriors were making their big run in the 4th, B.D. pulled up and shot a long, (yet wide open) 3 pointer. The shot missed, but the W's got the rebound and Dris got fouled and went to the line. As the teams lined up for the free throws, B.D. was already walking to the other side of the court, head down, slapping his hands in frustration about missing the shot. While Dris was getting ready for his shot, Nellie called B.D. over to the bench. B.D. walked toward him, Nellie walked out to meet him halw-way on the court...and Nellie extended his hand out to Baron... to which B responded with some love. I couldn't see what Nellie said, but it seemed like a sort of "hey, you're doing great, forget that shot, you're our boss"... and Baron nodded as if he appreciated the support and confidence Nellie has in him.

Both my friend and I caught that exchange at the game, and we were real glad to see the chemistry they are building...it was great, amazing how the media only covers bad coach/player relationships, whereas Nellie and B.D. have a GREAT one.

by gsdubz on Jan 15, 2007 7:25 PM PST reply actions

great game

great game in many ways. I hope this is a sign of things to come. That Monta pass to Biedrins slam was amazing! Way to go boys, Troy and Dunleavy, welcome back!

by tadams1080 on Jan 15, 2007 8:10 PM PST reply actions

Indeed

The highlights over at TNT being replayed, Magic Johnson said "OOOOH Dunleavy! Wait a minute, that's not Dunleavy."

Classic.

I only caught the 4th quarter myself, but glad I did, they made their final run to close out the game after the Clips made it close in the 3rd.

by back2back51s on Jan 15, 2007 10:13 PM PST up reply actions

BD

Has quickly taken over JRich's position as heart and soul of the team.

Solid win.

by bradyk2 on Jan 15, 2007 8:10 PM PST reply actions

they finally played...

like a team from the 2nd quarter on - w/ monta bailing them out in the 1st quarter.

funny how much better we rebounded (even though we were physically outmatched size wise) when we had two big guys playing at the same time.

dunleavy finally played a little like he's 6'9". though he still needs to work on his post up jumper. and how much do they need ab? his length bothered them all night. and his rebounding goes beyond his #'s. i dont know what are rebounding differential is when he's in the game vs when he's out, but i think it's safe to say - big difference.

nellie coached well tonight. 1st time i've seen guys moving in the half court while baron was pounding the ball. after the 1st quarter, the clippers figured monta out by giving him like 5 feet to shoot the jumper. took them awhile but they finally adjusted by running pick and roll w/ monta to get him some driving lanes which lead to a defender having to step up and a nice pass by monta to barnes late for a dunk.

by the evil monkey on Jan 15, 2007 8:10 PM PST reply actions

lets make that trade!

whew, finally some good games! hopefully that will re-ignite those trade talks!!! I'm glad they played well and helped this team play, but we need consistent play at those spots (and from everyone else too on the team) and someone like Maggette and Rashard Lewis would def help.

Glad Dun and Murph contributed, but really, they're on display like Magloire over in Portland. They, too,will probably do better in a different system.

by dj fuzzylogic on Jan 15, 2007 8:30 PM PST reply actions

Considering a deal with the devil

What I'd give to win the rematch in LA on Wednesday...

by SkipT on Jan 15, 2007 11:24 PM PST reply actions

Credit is due

I was really surprised to see Murphy and Dunleavy not flub up under pressure.

Murphy showed us how potent we could be with a strong low-post presence. Yeah, yeah, we run and gun. But if the other team muscles us into half-court sets, the option sure would be nice.

Dunleavy shot terrible, but made a difference in other ways with his timely steals and rebounds. Keep the hustle up and we'll stop booing. I promise.

Funny, Andris hasn't showed up offensively for a while now. Doesn't matter, those go-go-gadget arms were made for rebounds. (16??? Amazing.)

I'm growing more convinced that Monta has Iverson quickness. Go on, get some tats, take 50 shots a game, and become a star!

The less Baron does, the better he plays. Yes, the circus shots in full coverage are great. But the 13 assists and five players in double digits make me love him more.

You know who looked like they were playing for a job? Matt Barnes. He realizes that if Murphy steps up, he becomes a cheerleader in a track suit.

Ike, four fouls in 13 minutes? Ouch. Better hope the weather gets better, because I'm sure Nellie's doghouse is pretty cold. And it doesn't look like you get out for a while.

by RonG on Jan 16, 2007 11:21 AM PST reply actions

Why not much of Kelenna??? =)

Haha just kidding guys...good win tonight, although I would like to see my potential brother-in-law get a little more clock lol. Really no need to go to him though I guess with Barnes and Ellis playing well...plus I'm sure coach wanted to give Dunleavy some play against his dad. Glad to see us end the losing skid...Go W's!

by bigluvin on Jan 16, 2007 12:28 PM PST reply actions

i love how

under the pesky defense part you named each individual player instead of saying everyone and each player was only 8 haha idk it just seemed funny. i wonder what would happen if someone else were to get injured and we had were down to 7 would we waive someone like carbarka and sign someone or what?

by travisl212 on Jan 16, 2007 3:54 PM PST reply actions

Haha

Yup, wanted to give everyone on the team a lot of credit for the pesky D. They stepped up.

by Atma Brother ONE on Jan 16, 2007 4:44 PM PST up reply actions

they would

get an injury exception...you MUST have at least 8 players in uniform to begin a game. The league would allow them to sign a player to a 10 day without waiving someone just to meet the minimum player requirement.