Warriors-Nuggets Preview: Third Time is a Charm

Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets

Tip-off: 7:30 PM PST

Where: Oracle Arena

TV: CSN Bay Area, TNT Radio: KNBR 680

Blog Buddy: Denver Stiffs

Golden State Warriors Tickets

Nemesis

Take the Nuggets out of the numbers, and Golden State is 8-4. Take the Warriors out of the equation, and Denver is 6-7. There is only one solution: Carthage Denver must be destroyed! And their elephants!

OK, so they don't have any elephants. Unless you could put Kosta Koufos and Timofey Mozgov in an elephant costume.. darn it, now I can't get that image out of my head. Bridgy vs the Elephant at midcourt. Anyway.... back to Nemesis.

Also called Rhamnousia, Nemesis personified the spirit of divine retribution against those with excessive pride before the gods..(Also, her statue had a crown with bunch of little Nikes on it.True story.) You know - like claiming "we've got this" before the last game against the Nuggets. These days, a nemesis is an opponent or rival you cannot best in competition - Denver is our nemesis. So far.

The best way to approach this game is with the humble confidence of Carl Landry, who said on Tuesday that he wants to play Denver again and win. It's a grind mentality - you don't run away from your challenges, you take them on until you achieve victory.

Keys to the game

Stephen Curry tames Ty Lawson

So far this year, Lawson has given Curry more trouble than any other point guard. If Steph can turn Lawson's quickness against him into a disadvantage we'll gain an edge at the point we've lacked with the Nuggets. Ty should be feeling pretty confident after two games - it's time for him to get schooled before he develops that excessive pride any further.

Get Iguodala talking

Not even sure what about, but he managed to get booted from the Utah game while saying something to Al Jefferson. Short of getting AI out of the game, the key is going to be keeping him so busy defending one player he can't do anything else. Unfortunately, that's going to be difficult.

Don't turn the ball over

Even if the guy guarding you is THAT annoying, don't chest-bump him and rack up 3 offensive fouls in one quarter. It doesn't help. (I'm looking at YOU, Jarrett Jack.)

After last night's games, we've slipped back half a game behind the Clippers, and the Nuggets have slid back a half-game against the Jazz. The news on the Bogut front is disheartening, but not totally unexpected. And the players we have active know how to get this done.