<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'><span id="default"><span id="CCT_Article"> OAKLAND -- Last year, Warriors coach Don Nelson described his team's opening weeks as "a perfect schedule." Watch: Warriors Girls Video</p> Twelve months later, Golden State is facing something more akin to a perfect storm.</p> The Warriors knew things were going to be tough during their first seven games, regardless of the particulars, as soon as the NBA handed down a seven-game suspension to swingman Stephen Jackson for pleading guilty to criminal charges stemming from an altercation outside an Indianapolis strip club.</p> But the NBA's schedule-makers did not take any pity on the Warriors' circumstance. Instead they piled on with an opening stretch of games that seems almost calculated to test Golden State's mettle and rounded out the first two full months with an agenda that would make the Marquis de Sade swoon.</p> "Survival is the key word," Nelson said about life without Jackson. "We've got to keep our head above water, find a way to get off to a good start, and not lose a bunch of games early."</p> While Jackson is benched, the Warriors will play five games against teams that won 50 or more games last season: Utah twice, Cleveland, Dallas and Detroit. The only positive is that four of those five -- and five of the seven overall -- will be at Oracle Arena.</div></p> Source: Contra Costa Times</p> </p> </span></span></p>
The opening is going to be tough, indeed. They need to hit the gate running to start this season. I think if the Warriors start off at least .500 after the first few weeks, I think that will be good. There is a long road trip in about the third week. Hopefully they can prove strong on the road.</p>
The opening will be tough simply because of the rebounding situation and losing our 2nd best player on opening night.</p> Guys will have to step up big time and find some way to deny Utah the ball inside the post. I'm guessing we're going to go back to Don Nelson's version of zone defense to crowd the paint, but there is no telling who might find their range from 3 point land to fight their way out of it.</p> Transition points and open 3 pointers is our offense game, so hopefully we can win that way by going all-out early offense. We do have more center Depth, so I'd like to think that counts for something in slowing Utah's attack inside. POB and Biedrins, despite being weaker than Utah's best big men, might be able to bother some guys down low on post D because of their arm length, recovery time, and quickness.</p> I'd like to think the center position is where we shine this year. When we had Dampier/Foyle tandem we could actually beat the Lakers or avoid getting blown out at least. I think with Utah, we gotta find a way to control the paint or else they can control the tempo by breaking out on us or just slowing it down to a grind.</p>
