Recap: Warriors 113, Pacers 98 - At least your football team is good!

by Hash on Feb 5, 2007 8:04 PM PST in Recaps Comment 38 comments

Now THAT's more like it!

Let me just start by saying that it was like a refreshing drink of water to watch Dunleavy take a poor shot and find myself clapping in my living room instead of swearing at the television set.

Happy happy.

Joy joy.

Boxscore

Good thing your fans were too hung-over to see this one, Indy! (Check out the stands.)

Tonight we actually did it! We went out there and played like the Warriors that we are meant to be. Pretty much everyone that set foot on the court (with the exception of Sarunas) had a pretty respectable game! And as we all know, when this time fires on all cylinders even the mightiest NBA teams will fall before us. Hard.

One of the nicest things about a game like this is that it came on the road. I'll be honest, when Indy went on that run in the third quarter, I thought to myself, "Here we go..." I know that it sounds like I have no faith, but I think I'm accurate in saying that we've been shown very little on our road trips this season to make us think that anything otherwise would have happened.

Thank God I was wrong.

Unfortunately tonight's victory came at a serious sacrifice, as Monta was forced to leave the game with a banged up knee. Last I heard the X-Ray's were negative but at this point no one knows how long he may be out. With Baron listed as day-to-day, this leaves Sarunas as our lead point.

Think positive. This will give him a chance to get some serious court time with the rest of the team. And while Sarunas is neither Baron nor Monta, we're now very lucky that we picked him up in the trade.

Hopefully Sarunas stays healthy. I guess we could always throw Foyle up there.

Okay, let's throw up some props, shall we?

1) To the Warriors as a whole for actually crashing the boards. Three players in double digits on the glass? (Which incidentally gave them all double doubles?) Beeeeeeyootiful.

2) To Murphleavy for doing what they always do tonight, only this time in the opposing teams' jerseys. (In all seriousness, despite his poor shooting, it should be noted that Dunleavy almost got a triple double. I know. I'm weirded out too.)

3) To Stephen Jackson for answering the fans' boos with 36 points comprised of 4-6 3 point shooting and 12-13 from the charity stripe.

"Off the Golden Arches. Off Grimace's Head. Nothing but net."

4) To Monta for being on pace for a monster game before going down in the third. And 10 boards?! You get an extra juice box in your lunch tomorrow!

5) To Beidrins for pulling down a whopping 15 boards combined with 10 points, 4 dimes, 2 jacks, and a nice 3 swats!

We can only hope that we see more games like this down the stretch. Let's look forward to Minnesota and hope that Monta was merely the victim of a Charlie Horse tonight. (Remember those? Man those sucked.)

Warrior Wonder: Can I give this one to Murphy on a technicality? His lack of productivity was a contributing factor to our win. No? Well then Jax it is. Keep in mind that I'm giving this to him for sheer offensive effort. His supporting stats and turnovers tonight were a bit of a liability, but you can't argue with his shooting. Glad to have you, guy!

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Glad to have him too

but once J-rich is back I would like to see him on the bench and Al at the 3

Sadly we have nobody to play the 4

by Zig on Feb 5, 2007 8:07 PM PST reply actions

once J-rich is back

"I would like to see him on the bench"
I'd rather see him start?

by Skeptic con Urquell on Feb 5, 2007 9:01 PM PST up reply actions

Sorry that was totally unclear

J-rich starting and JAX on the bench but getting minutes (and not playing the 3)

Al at the 3 (not the 4)

And an imaginary 4 who we don't have helping out AB

by Zig on Feb 5, 2007 9:51 PM PST up reply actions

Sorry that was totally unclear

Just playin wit ya. I knew what you meant but I was in a good mood from the win and some green tea mochi.

by Skeptic con Urquell on Feb 5, 2007 10:26 PM PST up reply actions

im going to assume u mean

jax on the bench and u just used a misplaced antecedent (yes sleepy freud, i no my grammar, do u even no wat a freekin antecedent is?)cuz i really hope that u think jrich should be starting.

the good/bad about being a warriors fan: bad: 13 years...nuff said good: there GSoM

by mydedgerbil555 on Feb 5, 2007 8:16 PM PST reply actions

i no my grammer 2

so course i no wat a freekin antecedent is.

Remember, I took "Misplaced Antecedents and Dangling Participles" in the third year of my PhD program at Mydedgerbil University of Grammar and Spelling.

Thanks for testing me, though.

As far as Zig's comment: I dunno, my Golden Rule of chatroom behavior is not to correct people's grammar unless I really have no idea what they're talking about. You know what he meant, so why give him crap? We can't all be as literate as you... ;-)

by Sleepy Freud on Feb 5, 2007 8:37 PM PST up reply actions

here you go guy. Hope this works for you

"Well then Jax it is. Keep in mind that I'm giving this to him for sheer offensive effort. His supporting stats and turnovers tonight were a bit of a liability, but you can't argue with his shooting. Glad to have you, guy! "

Glad to have him too
but once J-rich is back I would like to see him on the bench and Al at the 3

Sadly we have nobody to play the 4

by Zig on Feb 5, 2007 9:57 PM PST up reply actions

touché

I guess I shouldn't assume I am responding directly to the blog without quotes

by Zig on Feb 5, 2007 9:55 PM PST up reply actions

by the way

today was an extremely good day cuz we beat our newest rivals, minnesota got blown out so we are now the ninth seed, and denvers down by 5 with 1:29 to go against the suns, and 24 is on 2nite! wow am i excited! we also play both minnesota and denver before the break as well as playing some very beatable teams. there is a very real possibility we could be at .500 with the 8th spot by the break.

the good/bad about being a warriors fan: bad: 13 years...nuff said good: there GSoM

by mydedgerbil555 on Feb 5, 2007 8:20 PM PST reply actions

damn

i was actually disappointed they won today. I pretty much am resigned to the fact that they won't make the playoffs...i hope i'm wrong and you can all shove that in my face. However i was disappointed they lost. Its just one more meaningless win on this season and furthers the mirage of a playoff "run" getting our hopes up once again only to crush them like a trash compactor. Come on Dubz, more L's = more ping pong balls!

Warriors, Stupidest franchise in the league. Purgatory is thy home.

by kenntoe on Feb 5, 2007 8:31 PM PST reply actions

I'm with you

I want to see Biedrins and Monta kick ass, but I also want the team to make a concerted effort get into the bottom 7 or so. I've pretty much stopped looking at the teams ahead of us and started looking at the teams behind us. We're really only one nice big losing streak away from serious Oden/Durant contention. Boston and Memphis are out of range, but Philly, the third worst team is only 7 games behind...

GS 23-26
Min 22-26
NJ 22-27
NO 21-26
NY 21-28
Sac 19-26
Por 20-29
Atl 18-29
Mil 18-30
Cha 18-30
Sea 17-31
Phil 16-33
Bos 12-34
Mem 12-36

C'mon Baron, rest that hammie a few more weeks...

by Sleepy Freud on Feb 5, 2007 8:49 PM PST up reply actions

wow

if they could play like that all the times the playoffs would be assured. too bad those 8 letters on their chest prevent them from doing so

by AJC3317 on Feb 5, 2007 8:57 PM PST reply actions

now can they play like this consistently

and no just because of one game that meant a lot of emotions

by bayareawarriors on Feb 5, 2007 9:23 PM PST reply actions

post game comments

I love Al and Jack. These guys are so baller status it ain't even funny. I love this team.

Al Harrington

On coming back to Indiana
"Home sweet home. But we got a win and that's the most important thing. Monta did his best B.D. (Baron Davis) impersonation until he got hurt. Then Jack filled in the rest of the way and had a great game."

"It's funny, I heard him (Jackson) talking to you guys and I was praying and hoping that one of us would have a big game tonight, and I'm glad it was Jack, for all that he has gone through the last couple of years. He's tough to guard. He's 6-8 and when he has his shot going he can put up a lot of points. Coming back tonight was not the same as the first time coming back with Atlanta. Tonight I just wanted to get a win in the worst way. Then (with Atlanta) I wanted to come out and get 40."

Stephen Jackson

On coming back to Indiana
"It's always emotional when you come back and play your old team. But me and Al got everything out of our systems before the game. They've been playing well lately. They've won six out of seven coming into tonight. So we really needed a win and our main focus was to play aggressive. In this offense, it is easy to get going. Everybody can get involved and that's how I was able to get into a rhythm. I thank the Pacers for everything they've done for me, for Donnie and Larry sticking by me for all the things I've gone through. But it definitely feels good to come back and beat your old team. I told Al before the game I didn't know I would play this well tonight; but I knew one of us would play well."

On playing point guard
"I have a new respect for point guards. You've got to be in great shape to play this position. But you can ask anybody here, I'm willing to do whatever the coach needs me to do. If they need me to play it again tomorrow night, I'll do so."

It ain't EASY, stoppin' TOO EASY

by gsdubz on Feb 5, 2007 9:23 PM PST reply actions

Great Game

Fun game that I caught the tail end of. I had been depressed watching this so called NBA team play the past couple of weeks, so it was nice to see a good win. Funny comment from J. O'neal after the game...

"We weren't ready to play,'' O'Neal said. "We've got to be ready to beat teams that we're supposed to beat. It's just one of those bad losses that you have.''

Damn, I thought we got past the "bad loss" stage for opponents. I guess we will never quit being the Warriors.

Playoffs!!??

by PAWarrior on Feb 5, 2007 9:35 PM PST reply actions

Well

4 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, a steal, all amount to an ADONAL DOUBLE!!!!!!!!1

Also:

I miss Dunleavy. :/

by Zorgon on Feb 5, 2007 9:43 PM PST reply actions

you miss dunleavy?

The only good thing Dunleavy did for the Warriors was leaving to a different team.

by djchuckdeez on Feb 6, 2007 2:23 AM PST up reply actions

Quickies

Man, I hope ya'll enjoyed that game because that was probably our playoffs. Haha, I know I was luvin' it!

First and foremost, Commissioner Stern needs to stop tripping about how the players dress or hoops clips on YouTube and or new balls or the no tolerance rule with arguing with refs and concentrate on cleaning up the game. Pass and crash fouls, flops to draw offensive fouls need to go. They're ugly to watch and dangerous as we saw tonight with Danny Granger's stupid flop on Monta. Monta looked like he was in a ton of pain. Yo commish- we pay good money to watch Monta have nights like he was having in the first half of tonight's game, not to see Granger, Jermaine (can you believe this contender for defensive player of the year tried to draw a charge on Monta?- what a joke!), or Dunleavy flop their way to foul calls. Just awful. I hope Monta's OK.
That was a sloppy, sloppy game by the Warriors, but they won big because of heart, rebounding, and good shooting from downtown. Props to Harrington, Biedrins, Foyle, MP2, Barnes, and Monta (10 boards in 30 minutes!) for the effort on the glass. Nice shooting by Jackson and Harrington from downtown.
Ike still gets lost when you double team him.
Dunleavy still can't shoot at all (a "smart" player wouldn't keep attempting so many shots that aren't going to go in), but he actually did a nice job grabbing boards tonight and passing. It was an anomaly- except for the shooting. He is what he is.
Troy Murphy was a complete non-factor.
Jermaine O'Neal's GOT GAME. I can't believe he was doubtful for tonight. He was making some amazing shots down low. I was really impressed by the man tonight.

The negatives:

I'm worried that Harrington is just an awful finisher. He's too casual going up with the ball and gets stripped way more than he should. Hopefully, he works hard on this. Maybe he's just exposing the ball too much when we goes up for layups?
The Warriors still need a backup PG. Monta filled in admirably tonight, but the ball movement really wasn't there all night. Sarunas- well, he's not really good. Without Baron, this team is awful handling and distributing the rock. 16 assists to 24 turnovers tonight- OUCH! If they didn't hit those 3's tonight (don't count on those continuing to drop on the road) and randomly dominate the battle on the boards, the Pacers would've blown out the Warriors tonight. It made Fantasy Junkie and I really nervous watching the game even when the Dubs were up by 20. Darrell Armstrong was wreaking havoc in those pressure situations and the Warriors were completely lost.
The refs were GOD AWFUL. That's all I'll say.

by Atma Brother ONE on Feb 5, 2007 9:47 PM PST reply actions

Jass

This alleged pg seems to have trouble dribbling against pressure. I hope Minnesota doesn't watch this game tape or else they'll full-court press us to death

by gsw4life on Feb 5, 2007 10:20 PM PST up reply actions

About Harrington:

He doesn't finish well, because he's not much in the hops department. More of a skilled player than a dynamic athlete.

I think Nelson will alwyas use Monta as the back-up point guard on this team. And he'll always have some skilled forward to help bring the ball up, when Davis is out. That's just Nellie.

by San Francisco Slim on Feb 5, 2007 11:31 PM PST up reply actions

Ball Movement

I wouldn't say the ball movement was poor all night. The reason they were up by so much in the first half is because of the great ball movement. They hit cutters in the lane, rotated the ball well, and moved well without the ball.

The 2nd half was ugly though. It looked like all of their assists came in the first half. It didn't help that Monta went down. He was cutting in the lane constantly and getting open where others could find him. Also, the pick and roll that worked with Biedrins in the first half, didn't exist in the 2nd half.

by Fantasy Junkie on Feb 5, 2007 11:42 PM PST up reply actions

Good point

You're right there were some pretty passes and movement in the first half. I guess the 2nd half just left a bad taste in my mouth in that regard.

by Atma Brother ONE on Feb 6, 2007 8:50 AM PST up reply actions

ditto

by TMC Forever on Feb 6, 2007 9:25 AM PST up reply actions

Rebounds

Is this like the first time since (forever?) that they actually outrebounded their opponent?

by semarubaka on Feb 5, 2007 9:51 PM PST reply actions

Oops

I mean since the trade

by semarubaka on Feb 5, 2007 9:52 PM PST up reply actions

This is the

Third consecutive game they've done it.

by San Francisco Slim on Feb 5, 2007 11:27 PM PST up reply actions

give Al some time, he is boarding more now

so it is good that Al is listening to Nellie. I think Al is not quite in shape yet for the shoot and run style.

by cohanmustgo on Feb 5, 2007 9:55 PM PST reply actions

Sarunas

Man he's awful. I'm not sure what he brings to the team. The offense was stagnant with him at the point and that's part of the reason the Pacers were able to hang around.

Instead of Sarunas, I'd like to see what Kabuki can do off the bench. He's far from a point guard but at least he's quick, fast, can handle the ball, and is a decent shooter. None of these things describes Sarunas.

by Fantasy Junkie on Feb 5, 2007 11:46 PM PST reply actions

i'm surprised nellie didnt put him in for

barnes. usually when barnes makes bonehead plays, nellie takes him out immediately. but today he had seven turnovers and nellie didnt make a peep.

btw, isnt that last picture on the recap the one where sjax gets rejected into the next stratosphere by darrell armstrong?

by the evil monkey on Feb 6, 2007 12:17 AM PST up reply actions

yah man

when i use roonie in nba2k7 he looks lost all the time..i try to force him to score but he doesnt do anything.

by djchuckdeez on Feb 6, 2007 2:24 AM PST up reply actions

Nelson's rotation is always a mystery

Dating Back to his Milwaukee days, one can never predict how Nellie is going to use his subs.

Just when I thought Kabuki and Powell were offically ahead of Sarunas and Foyle in the rotation, Nelson goes the opposite way. I guess it's match ups and the slow pace of Indiana, but my guess Sarunas and Foyle are still not part of the rotation.

I would think Kabuki gets more minutes than Sarunas over the rest of the season, although for right now all bets are off, since BD and Monta are day-to-day.

I agree with you. Sarunas isn't a good enough athlete for Nellie's system and is not shooting well enough to make up for that.

by San Francisco Slim on Feb 6, 2007 8:17 AM PST up reply actions

Awww.....

No Funleavy Foto Fun?

by semarubaka on Feb 6, 2007 12:16 AM PST reply actions

Kinda odd

There weren't any great Funleavy pics from the game. Shocking actually. The AP and Getty forgot their bread and butter for some reason.

by Atma Brother ONE on Feb 6, 2007 8:52 AM PST up reply actions

come on Stern

how about suspending Danny Granger for 1 game for trying to take out my boy Monta? The pacers flopped trying to take charges more than once in that game, and this time we had a serious injury? What's it gonna take?

by tadams1080 on Feb 6, 2007 8:21 AM PST reply actions

great win, proud of jax, monta and beens

i hope, hope, hope there's some good news about monta's knee. just like when baron was out earlier in the season monta just exploded, way to step up.
it's really tempting to vilify granger because our kid got hurt but monta's been taking tons of charges to create turnovers this season too. i do hope the league cracks down on it. it's bad for the game's flow and for the player's health. i don't want to watch basketball turn into the nfl with an injury each half.

by redape on Feb 6, 2007 9:06 AM PST reply actions

Agreed

All this flopping is just bad for the game period. There have been so many charges called where the secondary defender just slides in front of the offensive player just as he's one step away from releasing his shot (like a layup). How many times is that guy going to be there really in time and with established position?? If you're a secondary defender, that's really not going to happen a whole lot.

by yuletak on Feb 6, 2007 5:00 PM PST up reply actions

Murph, Diogu, and Leaver are Garbage

All I have to say is, watching those losers play ball for another team was a revelation. Every time Dunleavy threw up a jumper I KNEW is was a brick. One of the more comforting feelings in NBA basketball. I just can't believe there was a team willing to take those monster contracts AND give up live players. The fact that they gave up two studs is bewildering. Indiana can have their clean cut white boys all they want, I will take Harrington and Jax (gun toting and all) any day of the week. We may not be winning but our team is a million times better now and there is at least a hope for the future. If only they could go on a 7 game winning streak and get themselves a few games over .500. But who am I kidding, they will lose the next game by 23.

by garin423 on Feb 6, 2007 9:18 AM PST reply actions