When all of us GSoM fellas were splitting up the game recap and preview schedule and I took this game, I thought I was pulling off a heist. A nonstop scoring fest with fast breaks, active defense, and my man Allen Iverson? Grand theft robbery!
Um, no.
The Nuggets may have won, but Rocky the Mountain Lion still has nothing on Thunder.
(Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
Remind me to thank my potnas DJ Fuzzy Logic, Fantasy Junkie, Hash, and YaoButtaMing for letting me pick this game to cover.
You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand why the Warriors got blown out tonight, so I'll make it quick:
Nuggets = Varsity, Warriors = Junior Varsity
Let's face it as soon as the starting lineups were announced you knew it was going to be next to impossible for the Warriors to even keep this game close. One NBDL player, one training camp invitee, a second round pick out of high school, and a big kid from Latvia- it was like some inspirational us against the world flick. Too bad it wasn't a Disney movie with a great ending. It was real life.
Remember the Windex
Good lord! The battle of the boards was a massacre tonight. At the halfway mark the Warriors had yet to grab a single offensive rebound. The grand totals on the glass weren't pretty either with the Nuggets collecting 46 rodmans to the Warriors' 34. With the Nuggets pulling down 22 offensive rebounds it really didn't matter what kind of defense the Warriors played or how many points they scored.
Marcus Camby, Nene, Carmelo Anthony, and Reggie Evans looked like the Monstars out there!
It's time for Mullin and Higgins to go to Costco and pick up a gigantic bottle of Windex either before the February 22nd trade deadline or in the offseason. It doesn't matter how sweet of a backcourt and collection of swingmen the Warriors assemble if they don't have more depth at the 4 and 5 spots. If you teamed up Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan in their primes in the Warriors backcourt, the Dubs probably still wouldn't make the playoffs with these gaping holes.
Maybe the Sparkling Orange formula will do the trick!
You know I kind of miss Danny Fortson and his rebounding prowess. I even miss his inflated offensive rebounds- you know the Fortson miss, Fortson offensive rebound, Fortson miss, Fortson offensive rebound, Fortson miss, Fortson offensive rebound, Fortson miss type. (I'm not kidding. I swear I saw that happen dozens of times.)
Actually, this limited edition old skool wallpaper knocked some sense into me- I don't miss Fortson at all.
The Positives
- I don't think you can say that any of these guys weren't giving their all out there tonight. Sure they were grossly overmatched, but all these guys were hustling and trying hard.
- The Warriors actually shot better than the Nuggets tonight in the mile high altitude. They outshot the Nuggets from the field, from long distance, and even the charity stripe.
- Fast breaking! The Warriors had 24 fast break points to the Nuggets' 19.
- 56 to 56- Points in the paint were actually equal between the Dubs and Nuggs, which is surprising given Denver's plethora of bad boys down low.
- Kabuki had an INSANE block on JR Smith to protect the house. Sure the Nuggets still scored on that possession, but Kelenna's rejection was almost as entertaining as Space Jam.
- Barnes, Azubuike, Harrington, Powell, and even Sarunas did some nice things out there. Props to them for hanging in there.
Warrior Wonder
Matt Barnes had a great all around game with 13 points, 6 boards, 5 dimes, and 3 steals. He ran the point a little bit and made some pretty good decisions with the rock. You know- Barnes, Azubuike, and Powell would make an excellent bench for a playoff team. Too bad they guys have to play heavy minutes and major roles on the Warriors with the lack of talent on this roster and that nasty, never-ending injury bug.
Track of the Day: B Real, Coolio, Method Man, LL Cool J, and Busta Rhymes- "Hit 'em High" from the Space Jam soundtrack