<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Don Nelson's 1,200th victory as an NBA coach required some patience -- and a second-half rejuvenation Saturday night in Oakland. The Warriors had whiffed in four attempts to give Nelson his milestone triumph. They also threatened to come up empty against New Orleans, until Mickael Pietrus led the charge after halftime and Golden State pulled away to a 101-80 victory before a crowd of 17,105. Pietrus scored 22 points. Andris Biedrins added 17 and Monta Ellis and Baron Davis each had 16. Desmond Mason led the Hornets with 24 points. Nelson became the second coach in league history to collect 1,200 victories. Warriors players presented Nelson with the game ball after Saturday night's win, a ball Nelson plans to bring to the arena tonight in Seattle to secure the autograph of Sonics executive Lenny Wilkens. Wilkens, the all-time leader at 1,332, is the only coach with more victories than Nelson. "It's good to get it out of the way," Nelson said. "The players did seem to get a kick out of it. I guess they read the papers, because I never mentioned it. ... It just means you've been around a long time. Look at the list of who has lost the most games and I'm there, too." Said Davis: "We've been trying to get it the past four games. I'm happy I'm part of that, his legacy. And it's great to get back to .500." Fittingly, the Warriors (10-10) emerged from their early haze with a Nelson-style second half -- they raced into the open court and played with verve and abandon. That's the way Nelson orchestrated most of his previous 1,199 victories, so it only made sense for No. 1,200. The Warriors played sluggishly in the first half, but they cranked up their defense in the second half and created fast-break opportunities. Nelson leaned heavily on a 1-2-2 zone defense, mostly to keep Hornets point guard Chris Paul from driving the lane. Paul, who scored 56 points in two games against the Warriors earlier this season, had only 11 this time. It was convenient for the Warriors to stare across the court at the Hornets, another team ravaged by injuries. Three customary starters, Peja Stojakovic (back spasms), Bobby Jackson (cracked rib) and David West (strained forearm), did not suit up Saturday night. So the Hornets turned to Mason, a 6-foot-5 forward who went 9-for-9 from the field and scored 22 points in the first half. But he played only 2:32 in the third quarter before leaving with a "dental emergency." Mason returned early in the fourth quarter, but by then, the Warriors had quickened the pace of the game and moved comfortably ahead. They led 73-62 entering the fourth quarter and didn't let the Hornets get close thereafter. "We knew they couldn't run with us," Ellis said. </div> Source
<div class="quote_poster">Warriorfansnc93 Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Dunleavy is becoming a man!</div> Please post source to back up this statement!
