Game 1: Golden State Warriors @ Dallas Mavericks

<span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%"><div align="center">Game 1-Sunday, April 22, 2007</div></span><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%"><div align="center">Starting Lineups</div></span><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%"><span style="color:#0000FF">Dallas Mavericks</span></span>C-Erick Dampier-7.1PPG-7.4RPG-1.1BPG-.6APGPF-Dirk Nowitzki-24.6PPG-8.9RPG-3.4APG-.79BPGSF-Josh Howard-18.9PPG-6.8RPG-1.8APG-1.2SPGSG-Devean George-6.4PPG-3.6RPG-.77SPG-.6APGPG-Jason Terry-16.7PPG-5.2APG-2.9RPG-1.0SPG<span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%"><span style="color:#FFFF00">Golden State Warriors</span></span>C-Al Harrington-17.0PPG-6.4RPG-2.3APG-95SPGPF-Stephen Jackson-16.8PPG-4.6APG-3.3RPG-1.3SPGSF-Jason Richardson-16.0PPG-5.1RPG-3.4APG-1.1SPGSG-Monta Ellis-16.5PPG-4.1APG-3.2RPG-1.7SPGPG-Baron Davis-20.1PPG-8.1APG-4.4RPG-2.1SPG<span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%"><div align="center">Key Reserves</div></span><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%"><span style="color:#0000FF">Dallas</span></span>SG-Jerry Stackhouse-12.0PPG-2.8APG-2.2RPG-.76SPGPG-Devin Harris-10.2PPG-3.7APG-2.5RPG-1.2SPGC-DeSagana Diop-2.3PPG-5.4RPG-1.4BPG-.5SPGSG-Greg Buckner-4.0PPG-2.1RPG-.9APG-.62SPG<span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%"><span style="color:#FFFF00">Golden State</span></span>SF-Matt Barnes-9.8PPG-4.5RPG-.9APG-.76BPGSG-Mickael Pietrus-11.1PPG-4.6RPG-2.6APG-.96SPGC-Andris Biedrins-9.5PPG-9.3RPG-1.7BPG-1.1APG<span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%"><div align="center">Rounding Out The Bench</div></span><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%"><span style="color:#0000FF">Dallas</span></span>PF-Austin Croshere-3.7PPG-3.0RPG-.7APG-.23SPGC-Kevin Willis-2.4PPG-1.6RPG-.4BPG-.2SPGPG-JJ Barea-2.4PPG-.8RPG-.7APG-.23SPG<span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%"><span style="color:#FFFF00">Golden State</span></span>SG-Kelenna Azubuike-7.1PPG-2.3RPG-.7APG-.5SPGPG-Sarunas Jasikevicius-4.3PPG-2.3APG-.6RPG-.5SPGC-Adonal Foyle-2.2PPG-2.6RPG-1.0BPG-.4APGPF-Josh Powell-3.5PPG-2.3RPG-.6APG-.4BPG<span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%">Key Match up-<span style="color:#0000FF">Avery Johnson</span> vs. <span style="color:#FFFF00">Don Nelson</span></span>It?s the match of the former and current Maverick coaches. Avery learned a ton from Nelson back in his days as a Dallas player and assistant coach. I thin really, this should be just as good a match up as anything that will be put out on the court. It is really a fight between the two tempos that these teams like to play at. Golden State likes to get out and run and play with mismatches on the court. They love to take out the opposing teams center and get their fast athletic players out on the open court. Just about every player on the roster can shoot and run with the best of them. Dallas on the other hand likes to play at controlled tempo. They get out and run when the time is right, but have no problem playing a walk it up defensive struggle. To me, this is one of the most intriguing match ups in the playoffs. It?s a battle of X?s and O?s. <span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%"><div align="center">X Factors</div></span><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%"><span style="color:#0000FF">Dallas-Two Headed Center Monster(Dampier and Diop)</span> </span>Dallas has to make sure that they keep the tempo slow enough that they are able to make Golden State pay for not playing a center full time. Now Damp and Diop aren?t going to score 20 points a game, but if they are able to out rebound the Warriors frontcourt and pull down between 10 and 15 offensive rebounds, Avery will make sure one of them will be out on the court at all times. They should be able to push Harrington around on the offensive end and get great rebounding position. Also, on the defensive end, they need to get back and clog up the lane and not let Golden States slashers get easy baskets in the paint. <span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:100%"><span style="color:#FFFF00">Golden State-Al Harrington</span></span>To me, for Golden State to have any chance of actually winning this series, Harrington has to be able to take advantage of playing center against Dallas?s Dampier and Diop. Since Harrington has came over to the Warriors, Don Nelson has been able to use him in his ?small ball? system and in effect played some of the best basketball of his career. He?s been able to use his quickness against slower centers around the league. For Golden State to win, he has to be able to make Avery take out his center on the court and go along with Nelson?s quick tempo. If he makes Dallas play with a smaller lineup with Croshere or Dirk at center, they will have a much better chance of winning some games. <div align="center"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%">Game One Result-Dallas Winner</span></div>I don?t see Dallas losing any of their home games against the Warriors in the first round. Dirk and company have been waiting for this for the last year since the were left with a bad taste in their mouth last time around. I think the Warriors win one of these games, but I?m thinking it will be either game 3 or 4 in Golden State. Note: I?m still not sure what starting lineup Avery is going with. I?ve seen everything from Buckner to Harris to George. I personally think Buckner is going to be coming of the bench. Harris has been coming off the bench the last 5-7 games as well. It does make some sense to have Terry and Harris in the backcourt since they would be matched up against Davis and Ellis, but I do think Avery could put Howard or George on Davis, the other on Richardson and then have Terry on Ellis. Bringing Harris off the bench also extends his game since he really doesn?t have to worry about early foul trouble. EDIT-Sorry that I dont have a lot of pics, but my computer is really starting to mess up. I was going to have pics for every part, but like I said, my computer is starting to F*ck up on me. I just wanted to go ahead and get it up so we can start debating on it. I will go back tommorrow and put some more photos on. :ranting:

 

Its ok, good game thread. GSW will be lucky if this series goes to 5 IMO. Your taking a 60 win team vs. a 42 win team. The fact that GSW has had Dallas's number means little to me, Dallas is better.

 

Im expecting a lot from the fans. We have home court advantage for a reason.This schedual completly sucks. This series got the last time slot for every game. Must be even worse to be East Coast

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (LAZY @ Apr 21 2007, 11:19 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Im expecting a lot from the fans. We have home court advantage for a reason.This schedual completly sucks. This series got the last time slot for every game. Must be even worse to be East Coast</div>Ya I was pretty surprised, we got the first time slot.

 

It'll be a pretty good series. It is a lot like when Dallas plays Phoenix because of the style that the Warriors like to play. I think that the series should be wrapped up in Dallas' favor in around 5 games. The series will either be a blowout, or it could be very tough and come down to the last game, imo. I don't think it will be in between.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (RaptorFan#1 @ Apr 21 2007, 08:16 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Its ok, good game thread. GSW will be lucky if this series goes to 5 IMO. Your taking a 60 win team vs. a 42 win team. The fact that GSW has had Dallas's number means little to me, Dallas is better.</div>actually, they're pretty close when healthy even disregarding who has whose number. The Warriors are an .800 team when healthy, and the mavs are a .814 team. You can't count the first 61 games of the season where the Warriors did not have their current team, all you can count is the last 21 games in which they were 16-5 against the hardest schedule in the league. I say it goes to at least 6 games.

 

I really think that the Warriors have a chance to take control of the series, with a win today. They're a very fast, run and gun team and the Suns and Golden State have exposed Dallas's weakness in guarding that. Watch out for the upset.

 

I think the reaction of this board will be great to see if it's a Suns-Warriors WCF. :HAHAHA:

 

I think this is the only series that has a chance at being an upset..Warriors have Mavs numberMavs will pull it out in 6 or 7 IMO

 

Goodness....This series is going no longer than 5. I dont care how well GS has been playing since their trade. Dallas is the best team in the league for a reason, and they have been the best team all year long. GS is too bad defensivley...They matchup well, and they have been playing well as of late, but Dallas is too good.

 

being screwed early by the refs while everybody on the warriors is ice cold x.x.

 

Warriors have their first lead up 2 15-13 :dribble:

 

starting to get our A game on, 12-3 run. They've gotten over their nerves.

 

This may turn out to be the best Sunday I ever had. Mavs are getting some beneficial calls from flopping, but GS has been great.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (ASUFan22 @ Apr 22 2007, 07:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>This may turn out to be the best Sunday I ever had. Mavs are getting some beneficial calls from flopping, but GS has been great.</div>The Mavs and warriors are both at more or less their worst right now.Not that I'm not ecstatic about the results also :dribble:

 

6-0 Run this time, seems to be developing like a game of runs, which would play towards GS because of the quick pace.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (L_C @ Apr 22 2007, 07:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>6-0 Run this time, seems to be developing like a game of runs, which would play towards GS because of the quick pace.</div>yeah, the good thing is that the warriors are nervous, whereas the mavs are simply cold, which tends to indicate that the warriors will heat up sooner.wow, in a random turn of events, baron has 9 first half reboundsedit 7:41 - Refs still raping us. Game now tied. Dirk's a thug, but we're owning him.

 

Josh Howard is having a great game and he is playing good defense and getting a lot of steals. Right now, these guys are all playing like there is no tomorrow or not another game and it's only the 1st half. When/If Dallas wins this series are they even gonna have enough left to take on the Suns or Spurs? This is gonna be one hell of a battle if they play like this through out the series.

 

Baron with 11 rebounds at halftime? :wtf1: I don't think I've seen him get more than a couple today.Chucky "no rings" Barkley just said we were the worst time in the playoffs. what a fool.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Cavsrules @ Apr 22 2007, 07:45 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Josh Howard is having a great game and he is playing good defense and getting a lot of steals. Right now, these guys are all playing like there is no tomorrow or not another game and it's only the 1st half. When/If Dallas wins this series are they even gonna have enough left to take on the Suns or Spurs? This is gonna be one hell of a battle if they play like this through out the series.</div>Suns and Spurs? You mean the Houston Rockets who have a center that was great against Dallas two years ago and much better/stronger now. One of the best scorers in the game and some of the best role players. That'll be a tough series too. Even if Dallas wins tonight, I love how the game is so physical. I love this. Will the world end if the Suns, Nuggets and Warriors are all in the 2nd round? Will guys like ballerman and celticballa and michael bryant put a gun to their head?lol, I'm getting way too ahead of myself. If I get my hopes up like this it'll hurt when reality sets in because Dallas and San Antonio are both going to win in 5 or 6 imo. What if's are still fun to think about.