OPEN THREAD: Game #82 - Warriors @ Trailblazers - 1 Dub. 1 Luv.

Warriors (W-L): 41-40

Trailblazers (W-L): 32-49

Time: 7:00pm PST

TV: FSN

Radio: KNBR 1050

Last night the Clippers came through in the clutch in Phoenix and the Warriors utterly destroyed the Mavs' JV squad at home in Oakland. So, as De La Soul would say Stakes is High! If the Warriors win or the Clippers lose tonight, the Dubs are playoff bound and the 12 year curse is finally over.

A Look Back
Last summer pre-Nellie, pre-Barnes, pre-Action Jackson, pre-TMNHarrington, pre-highway robbery of the Indiana Pacers, and pre-We Believe Playoff, the GSoM crew wrote this 2006-2007 Warriors preview for DIME magazine:

I'll always love that old skool Souls of Mischief and Bay Area classic track, but Infinity ends now. It's time for the curse to end.

Oh, THAT curse.

Why will it end? From the piece Fantasy Junkie and I wrote for ESPN's 2006-2007 Golden State Warriors preview:

Nellie- PLEASE bust out the sneakers tonight for good luck!

Guess who was the head coach of the Warriors the last time they made the playoffs? (Hint: It wasn't Mike Montgomery, Eric Musselman, Brian Winters, Dave Cowens, Garry St. Jean, PJ Carlesimo, Rick Adelman, or even Bob "NBA Cares" Lanier.) That's right: Don Nelson.

Believe this:

• The Warriors are 15-5 in their last 20 games.
• There is only 1 team in the entire league that has accumulated more home wins than the Warriors this season.
• The Dubs have won 3 of their last 4 road games.
• At the end of yesterday's last home game of the regular season Al Harrington exclaimed ""Y'all are going to see us next week, playing Dallas or Phoenix" to the Warrior faithful.
• The Warriors put up 106.3 points per game, while the Blazers put up 94.1 this season.
• The Blazers have absolutely nothing to play for.
• Brandon Roy, Zack Randolph, LaMarcus Aldridge, Joel Przybilla, and Darius Miles (remember him?) will all be in street clothes tomorrow evening, some at the Rose Garden and others- well, who knows where?
• The season series is split between the Warriors and Blazers: Nov 3 W 102-89 | Mar 11 L 87-106
• The Blazers have been to the playoffs in the past 12 years, while the Warriors haven't.
• Nellie has one million reasons to take the Warriors to the playoffs this season.
• The Magic 8 Ball said that the Warriors were making the playoffs this year WITHOUT A DOUBT back in October.

But NONE of that matters right now. Throw it all out the door. All that matters is getting a win tonight or watching the Clippers lose one to the Hornets in La-La land.

12 years, 41 wins, 40 losses, and tonight my friends is THE night that decides everything. It could finally be the end of the curse that has haunted Warriors Nation for over a decade. Win number 42 is over a decade in the making.

Vegas Odds: Warriors by 6 (as of 7:50am PST).

Predictions:

1. We Believe Playoff.
2. We Believe Playoff.
3. We Believe Playoff.
4. We Believe Playoff.
5. We Believe Playoff.
6. We Believe Playoff.
7. We Believe Playoff.
8. We Believe Playoff.
9. We Believe Playoff.
10. We Believe Playoff.
11. We Believe Playoff.
12. We Believe Playoff.
13. We Believe Playoff.

13 is our lucky number.

1 Dub. 1 Luv.

• If you're reading this, now is the time to speak up in the comments and show your support. Post something as simple as "Let's go Warriors! We Believe Playoff" before tipoff. The Warriors have never lost when the masses of GSoMers have done that!
• Go to Ballhype (check out Ballhype: Believe the Hype!) and pick the Warriors to beat the Blazers tonight (Games > NBA). While you're there make sure to pick the Hornets to beat the Clippers tonight as well.
• Head on over the SBNation brother site Blazer's Edge and congratulate them for a nice season and the R.O.Y. Also, thank Dave for his classy letter (see Open Letter to Warriors Fans). Check out their preview for the festivities too.

I'll close the most important preview/ open thread in the history of GSoM with some words from former Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Mora about tonight...

Yup, one game. That's all we need.

Make sure to give us your predictions in the comments before tip off and post any comments you have during the game right here.

UPDATE: In case you needed some more pregame hype, here's some links:

• Warriors are on the Brink of Playoffs, Clippers on the Brink of Insanity [TrueHoop]
• One Man Can Prolong Golden State's 12-Year Playoff Drought [TrueHoop]
• Big and last [OregonLive.com]
• Jockeying for position [SI.com]
• Wednesday a.m.: Do it for the kids, Warriors [Morning Buzz]
• Warriors' first playoff berth in 13 years in their hands [ESPN-STATS LLC]
• The Warriors’ First Must Win [Fast Break]
• Nelson’s Portland prophecy: Pure motivation or honest fear? [Talking Points with Tim Kawakami]
• Warriors Are Just A Win Away [Sportable]
• NBA Roundup: Tonight's The Night [Deadspin]
• Ballin’: Warriors Win and They’re In, Clippers Need Some Help [The Big Lead]
• Eleventh Hour NBA Playoff Scenarios [FanHouse]
• [a dog named clipper]

UPDATE 2: Live Box Score from Yahoo!

UPDATE 3:

You BETTER stay tuned for this Recap!