<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> OAKLAND, Calif. ? Don Nelson has seen it all in the NBA, so he knows what he's looking at. On Monday, he knew he was watching a legitimate title contender that he helped construct. "I see the best team in the league," he said before the Mavericks visited their former coach, who now leads the Golden State Warriors. "And a team that I feel will be the champion. "They have to do it first, but they've already proven they're the best team in the league. Now they just have to do it under playoff conditions. I think they're terrific. I'm very happy for them." Nelson's team is struggling to make the playoffs. The Warriors are one game behind the Clippers for the eighth seed. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are charging toward the No. 1 seed. It's something from which Nelson gets a vicarious thrill, given the role he had in creating the team. "There's a lot of satisfaction in knowing that Avery is a great coach," Nelson said. "I knew that a long time ago, before he ever started coaching, and he's proved it. "I'm happy about that. I'm happy about the moves they made, the players that they acquired and the additions that made their team stronger." Three players that Nelson drafted, or traded for on draft day, have particularly impressed him ? Josh Howard, Dirk Nowitzki and Devin Harris. "Dirk is the MVP. Josh has really improved, and Harris is really developing nicely. It just goes on and on. They got all the pieces." </div> Source
