I didn't believe it when I heard it on the radio, but my prayers were answered when I saw Pietrus start last night instead of Dunleavy. The crowd roared during the introductions, and the game was exciting from the tip off. I wanted to see how the Warriors would play with Pietrus starting, and see if this would light a fire underneath Dunleavy to play better.
Basically it did. Dunleavy came off the bench and came up with some impressive rebounds. He also shot some pretty bad "open" jumpers which caused me to cringe. "Open" jumpers you say? Yes, he couldn't hit too many open shots, but his hustle points increased.
Pietrus played well on the defensive end and had a sweet dunk in the second half to lift his performance as one of his best this season. I think these are signs to come. This is exactly what we need. We need both of these players to show us their true potential. I want Pietrus to remain in the starting line-up until Dunleavy can show he deserves the start.
What I was most impressed with is the 3rd quarter. Warriors outscored the Nuggets 35 to 15. This was monumental since we all knew they would somehow lose it in the forth. Turns out they didn't but were outscored 41-35. The only defense being played in that stadium was the occasional pietrus move and me (guarding my hot dog from the folks next to me).
Warrior Wonder: Davis played great. 23 points with 12 assists without making too many crazy fade-away 3pters. Biedrins also had a solid game shooting a whopping 1 for 1, and having 6 blocks. The kid is getting better.