<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">OAKLAND -- Warriors forward Matt Barnes knows just what this season's run to the Western Conference playoff semifinals has done in terms of raising the bar for the franchise. Where simply making the playoffs would have been enough to send Golden State die-hards into paroxysms of pleasure before this season, that won't do any longer. "(The fans) waited 15 years for something like this," Barnes said in the wake of the Warriors' loss to the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, which ended the team's first postseason appearance in 13 years. "And this is just the beginning for them. We had a good season this year, but next year, they're going to expect better things from us." Warriors swingman Stephen Jackson put it more bluntly: "If we don't get back to the second round next year, our season is a failure. We want to build from this point on, and I think everyone is focused on that." The scrutinizing began early in the wake of coach Don Nelson's revelation Wednesday that he won't decide until July 1 if he will finish out the last two years of his contract, and it won't let up until training camp begins in Hawaii on Oct. 3. Other than at the coaching spot, status quo is not a very attractive option for executive vice president Chris Mullin. "We have an exciting team and a pretty good team," Nelson said. "To take the next step, you just have to keep working and keep improving the talent on your team, and that's what Mully's all about."</div> Source: Contra Costa Times
