It's time to make some history.
Warriors: 3-2
Mavs: 2-3
Time: 7:30 pm PST
TV: TNT
Radio: KNBR 1050
I have to admit, so far this has been one of the most entertaining playoff matchups that I have ever seen. Granted, it would have been better if we had shut down the Mavs in Game 5 in Dallas, but we can solace in the fact that tonight the Warriors have the chance to close this epic struggle on their home floor. Will it make a difference?Twenty thousand screaming fans say it will.
The last place on earth the Mavs want to be.
Tonight the Arena will become the pulse of the Bay Area as the Warriors take the floor in their final Oakland standoff against the mighty Dallas Mavericks. And it is going to be anything but easy.
With their back against the wall, Dallas did everything that they could to prevent elimination on Tuesday. Insane shooting in the first (and overall), well rounded scoring from their starting 5 and bench, and perhaps most important, someone actually lit a fire under Dirk. Successful as the Mavs were, the Warriors did a magnificent job of preventing a routing, going shot for shot with Dallas while their crowd stood and watched in a horrified silence. (Personally, that was my favorite part of the entire game.)
We didn't get the win that we wanted, but we succeeded in slowing Dallas's momentum down in order to set the stage for tonight. The Mavs are going to get anything but peace and quiet in the Arena. It's going to be vital for the Dubs to feed off of this energy and gain command of this game from the first whistle. Contain Dirk, contain J-Ho (who has been an absolute nuisance to us this series), and make smart plays to the basket. We cannot afford to waste possessions tonight.
Everyone needs to be a beast. Monta and TMNT have not quite found their playoff rhythm yet, but they cannot rely on Baron and Jax, who along with JRich and Barnes have been carrying this team throughout this series.
And the fans? I don't even need to tell you what you have to do. Be LOUD. Be insanely loud. If the Warriors get the lead, get LOUD. If the Warriors lose the lead, get LOUDER. No respectable GSoM member should have their voice tomorrow. If you are at home, shout at your TV until your neighbors call the cops. Then when the cops show up, have them come in and get loud too. Be sure to offer them something to drink though. It's only polite.
The Mavs actually have the guts to step back into our house tonight. Let's play some 5 on 20,005!
Predictions:
- Warriors by 6
- Baron drops 30+
- TMNT wakes up with some NASTY inside plays.
- No one is able to hear a word the TV announcers are saying.
Make sure to give us your predictions in the comments before tip off and post any comments you have during the game right here.
GO WARRIORS!!!
UPDATE: (Atma Brother #1) Pre-game linkfest:
- Barkley Does the Bay -- Readers' Photoshop Creations [C.W. Nevius.blog]: Must see!
- Cheers to the Loyal Warriors Fans [Fanhouse]: GSoMers best read this!
- Warriors-Mavs, on to Game 6: An all-timer, no matter what happens next [Talking Points with Tim Kawakami]
- Keys to Game 6 [Fast Break]
- Crazy, But It Could Be Worse [SFGate]: Some very fishy officiating and stances by the NBA. Jason Terry shouldn't even be playing tonight.
- Stephen Jackson’s smackdown with Barkley [Morning Buzz]
- On Warriors-Mavs [Posting and Toasting]
- Matt Barnes: Mo Cheeks Almost Ended My Career [True Hoop]: Thank god Barnes met Nellie.
- The Universal Appeal of the Golden State Warriors [FanHouse]
- The Latest From the Charles Barkley/Stephen Jackson Beef [FanHouse]
- Avery Johnson: Dangerously perfect protege? [The Chronicle Sports Columnist Blog]
- Would Warriors over Mavs be the greatest NBA playoff upset? [FanIQ Blog]
- Don't Do It Baby [Son of Dippin]
- Eff it, this is too easy (The Warriors-Mavs series review, via pictures) [Stop Mike Lupica]
- Mirthful Miscellany: What's on Your Feeble-Ass Mind? [Straight Bangin']
- Daytime Melodrama Infuses Late-Night Series [Washington Post]
- Have you heard? Mavs vs. Warriors is a pretty good series [Valentine's Views on Sports]
- Thursday 05/03 A.M. Quickie: How Can You NOT Root for the Warriors? [Dan Shanoff]
- News & Notes: Don't F With the Warriors [I *Heart* Celtics.com]
- "Do I have ‘moron’ written on my forehead?" [Taking it to the Rack]
- I woke up looking forward to an NBA game. What happened? [FanIQ Blog]
- Fun With Photoshop: Bay Area Calls Out Mr. Barkley [Deadspin]
- The Problem with Golden State [BMac's Blog]
- Ballhype: Golden State Warriors: Hype it up!
- Unfortunately Barnes Baby! isn't going to be 100% for tonight's battle. (KillaCrossOver)
- Also, it looks like Snoop D-O-double G will be one of the 20,000+ in the hizzouse tonight! (MANUTEs BOLs )
- Take a look at what this Mavs' fan is selling on eBay: 2 Golden State Warriors "We Believe" Rally Towels
UPDATE 2: (Atma Brother #1) Don't sleep on the pre-game interview Fantasy Junkie, Hash, and I did for Deadspin :: Crunch Time For The Warriors ... And Their Fans!
UPDATE 3:
WARRIORS SHOCK THE WORLD!!
111-86
Warriors beat the Mavs 4-2 in the series!!
You BETTER stay tuned for this Recap!