Warriors (W-L): 28-19
Bobcats (W-L): 18-28
Time: 7:30pm PST
TV:FSN Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680
GSoM Night 3 has finally come. There are still some tickets you can order through Chris Murphy, but seats are seriously dwindling. And don't forget about GSoM Night 4. For those of you going, we're gonna have a great time. I'm really looking forward to the game for many reasons:
- 520+ members of the community are coming
- Another free t-shirt designed by Tony.psd himself - pick these up in section 212
- A chance to win some Warriors memorabilia, tickets, etc - look for your name on the JumoboTron at halftime to see if you've won
- Last but not least, JRich returns to the Bay
Remember to bring your t-shirt coupon to redeem your free t-shirt!
The GSoM crew will try to get to the table to hand out some of the shirts. Hope to see you all there!
Now, the preview...Make the jump like JRich on a monster putback
JRich last year
JRich this year
I'll be honest, the biggest reason I want to go to this game is to see JRich return and give him an ovation. To say "thank you" for the many years he made me proud to be a Warrior fan. When he could have quit, he worked harder. When he could have played selfishly, he always put the team ahead of individual goals. When the Warriors failed for another year, he apologized to us. I respect him for that and to that I tip my hat.
But we move on. The JRich era is over and while there were great memories, there were some painful ones as well. I'm not going to wish that he was back because that would be a waste of time. He hasn't played as well as Charlotte would have hoped when they traded for him nor has he given them the extra push to make the playoffs in the East.
In fact, Charlotte is a bad team (which probably means they'll give the Warriors trouble). But being a bad team in the East doesn't mean that you can't make the playoffs! At 18-28, they're only 1.5 games out of 8th place! Yesss! 9 of the 15 teams in the East are below .500. Yikes. Heck even the Knicks still have a shot at making the playoffs. Anyways, Charlotte has some other talented pieces. Gerald Wallace is an athletic freak and causes all kinds of problems on defense with the steals and blocks he collects. Emeka Okafor is averaging a double double and shoots a great percentage from the field, but shoots that same percentage from the line. Hack an Emeka? Then at the point, Raymond Felton dishes the ball well, but can't shoot at all. So you have some solid pieces on the team, but nobody that carries them on a night to night basis.
The Warriors on the other hand are coming off a HUGE win against the best team in the West, the Charlotte, I mean, Oklahoma City, I mean New Orleans Hornets. In a game that many thought they would lose, the Warriors pulled off a big win with a big 4th quarter. The team defense in that final quarter was some of the best defense I've seen all season. I would hope that this team could keep up the momentum it gained from that game, but sometimes it just feels like this team plays up for the top teams, but lackadaisical against the bad teams. They need to keep the intensity up for a full 48 minutes like they did against the Hornets. I don't expect them to because they rarely do it, but I can always hope.
The matchups will certainly be interesting. I expect Biedrins and Okafor to guard each other. But Harrington (assuming he starts) vs Wallace? That power forward matchup will be tough all night just like David West was. JRich vs SJax? Ooooh. JRich will have a tough time scoring. Monta vs Felton. I expect Monta to be able to beat Felton easily off the dribble. Lastly All-Star snub vs Jeff McInnis. Does anyone think Baron isn't a little insulted that he's not an All-Star? Does anyone think Baron won't have a chip on his shoulder looking to prove the coaches wrong? Look out McInnis, look out Charlotte. It'll be a track meet with the Warriors running all night and Charlotte trying to keep up.
Many of you may be wondering, is Chris Webber going to play tomorrow? Unfortunately, in an interview, Chris Mullin said the earliest he'll play is against Chicago next Thursday. He should be on the bench, but that's about as close to playing as he'll get. Speaking of Chris Webber though...
Tony.psd never ceases to amaze me with the ideas he has and his ability to deliver on those ideas.
And for those of you in the GSoM Night seats, Tony will be giving out some signs.
Tony will be giving out 2 of the Baron signs to some lucky fans. These make for some great one of a kind posters. Unfortunately, the Monta sign got stolen at Kinko's. Some jerk was waiting for Tony to turn his back and as soon as that happened, he was off with the stolen sign. Whoever that was, you're a sucka and not a real Warrior fan. That's just weak. Have some respect.
Anyways, I'm pumped for tomorrow. It'll be a wild and fun night at the Oracle. I'm looking forward to meeting some of you and taking in a Warriors game. If you're going to the game, what section are you in?
Predictions
- Warriors win by 12
- Baron and Monta combine for 60 points
- Brandan Wright gets to play more than 5 minutes against his former team
- JRich does not apologize after dropping 30
- The GSoM sections go crazy!