DubThugs
The DubThugs is my new name for our team. Even my dad was commenting to me how different the team looked on TV last night. "They are much more athletic" he said.
"Its like they are a whole different team"
Exactly.
Last night during that run midway through the second quarter, I got giddy. It was starting to sink in. I was never going to have to wait for Mike Dunleavy to be something he is not. Instead, I was watching Al Harrington make moves not seen in a Dubs uniform since Chris Webber was a rookie. You know.....an actual athletic post move and finish. I had to pinch myself, because even though we (I feel like I can say we again) were everywhere on the court, making steals, getting out on the break, I knew that the Lakers still had the great equalizer. Kobe. In the end, we all knew what happened. Baron went down, and so did our chance to win.
But now that its been a few days, I want to address some positives and point out that Warrior fans (for the first time in a long time) have something to be excited for.
Stephen Jackson: I even wrote about him on this blog back on December 1st. He is a bad dude. I'm willing to forgive his indiscresions in Indiana, and give him a new beginning in Oakland as long as he continues to:
be 6'8, freakishly long, athletic and generally a bad ass dude. It was so refreshing to see him play with some emotion on Saturday night in his debut. He took the mic and addressed the crowd, and then, played his best game of the year, and almost pulled out the win for the Dubs. Frankly, if they had Baron they would have won the game, and Jackson would have been the hero. Instead, Dubs fans were just offered glimpses of what we haven't had in a long time. A seriously tall guard/forward combo, who can shoot, drive, defend, and make free throws. The Warriors get a lot of deflections in the way they are always switching their defensive schemes. You can add Jackson to the list of Davis, Barnes and Biedrins as guys who always seem to come up with the ball when its to be had in their area.
Indiana fans were quick to point out that Jackson often gambles for steals on defense, and waits around in the back court to complain to the refs while his man is busy streaking up the court. I did notice a bit of this on saturday, but Dunleavy used to do that too, but without offensive production. I think Jackson is going to get a legit chance to play a lot of minutes for Coach Nelson, and is going to get plenty of shots to stay happy. I'm glad he is on my team, because frankly the Warriors have been so soft for so long.
Al Harrington: While anything other than an aweful debut would have contributed to a win, last night, we saw probably what Chris Mullin had in mind when he aggressively went after Harrington in the off season. Like Jackson the night before, Harrington did everything but rebound the basketball. He had 31 on an array of post moves, aggressive drives, jumpers and three pointers. I also saw him initiate the break a bit, which is going to be needed because that is one thing that Dunleavy was very capable of doing. I was so giddy to see an athletic post player making solid basketball moves that translated into points. Because lets face it, both Dun and Murph just couldn't finish with any sort of regularity.
Sarunus J.........: I don't know how to spell his name correctly yet, so for now, he is just Sarunus. He is another thing that a winning team needs. A decent back up point guard. Not sure he can defend anyone, but as long as he can run the offense effectively while Baron takes a breather, I think we will be ok. Definitely an upgrade on Keith McCloud.
I think Josh Powell is going to get some run too. Did anyone else see that shot block he had during his brief stint in the 2nd quarter? That was a serious rejection! Dude is another type of player we haven't had. An athletic front court player. I think Nelson will figure out what he has with Powell and he will start to get some consistent mintues as well.
I'm really looking foward to tomorrow night, not only because I'll be at the O for JKidd and Vinsanity, but because I think the Dubs are going to get their first win with the new squad. It was unfortunate that the first two games of the new era went down as they did, but both the Cavs and Lakers are solid playoff teams. Their are only 40 games left, and the Warriors are currently 4 games under .500 and thus out of the playoff picture. I think they can make it, but I'm not sure they will. One thing for sure is that it will be exciting to watch, as this team as they are now assembled will be one of the more entertaining outfits in the league. The Warriors already lead the league in fast break points scored, so with the addition of Jackson, Harrington and Powell all running the lanes now instead of the other stiffs, those statistics are only likely to go up.
One interesting side note about tomorrow's game will be the return of Jason Kidd to Oakland. In the past, Jason has gotten the better of the Dubs, but I just don't think he is going to have enough fire power without RJ (Richard Jefferson) in the lineup.
Regardless, I'm just so excited that the slow white era in Oakland has transitioned into something much faster.
"Its like they are a whole different team"
Exactly.
Last night during that run midway through the second quarter, I got giddy. It was starting to sink in. I was never going to have to wait for Mike Dunleavy to be something he is not. Instead, I was watching Al Harrington make moves not seen in a Dubs uniform since Chris Webber was a rookie. You know.....an actual athletic post move and finish. I had to pinch myself, because even though we (I feel like I can say we again) were everywhere on the court, making steals, getting out on the break, I knew that the Lakers still had the great equalizer. Kobe. In the end, we all knew what happened. Baron went down, and so did our chance to win.
But now that its been a few days, I want to address some positives and point out that Warrior fans (for the first time in a long time) have something to be excited for.
Stephen Jackson: I even wrote about him on this blog back on December 1st. He is a bad dude. I'm willing to forgive his indiscresions in Indiana, and give him a new beginning in Oakland as long as he continues to:
be 6'8, freakishly long, athletic and generally a bad ass dude. It was so refreshing to see him play with some emotion on Saturday night in his debut. He took the mic and addressed the crowd, and then, played his best game of the year, and almost pulled out the win for the Dubs. Frankly, if they had Baron they would have won the game, and Jackson would have been the hero. Instead, Dubs fans were just offered glimpses of what we haven't had in a long time. A seriously tall guard/forward combo, who can shoot, drive, defend, and make free throws. The Warriors get a lot of deflections in the way they are always switching their defensive schemes. You can add Jackson to the list of Davis, Barnes and Biedrins as guys who always seem to come up with the ball when its to be had in their area.
Indiana fans were quick to point out that Jackson often gambles for steals on defense, and waits around in the back court to complain to the refs while his man is busy streaking up the court. I did notice a bit of this on saturday, but Dunleavy used to do that too, but without offensive production. I think Jackson is going to get a legit chance to play a lot of minutes for Coach Nelson, and is going to get plenty of shots to stay happy. I'm glad he is on my team, because frankly the Warriors have been so soft for so long.
Al Harrington: While anything other than an aweful debut would have contributed to a win, last night, we saw probably what Chris Mullin had in mind when he aggressively went after Harrington in the off season. Like Jackson the night before, Harrington did everything but rebound the basketball. He had 31 on an array of post moves, aggressive drives, jumpers and three pointers. I also saw him initiate the break a bit, which is going to be needed because that is one thing that Dunleavy was very capable of doing. I was so giddy to see an athletic post player making solid basketball moves that translated into points. Because lets face it, both Dun and Murph just couldn't finish with any sort of regularity.
Sarunus J.........: I don't know how to spell his name correctly yet, so for now, he is just Sarunus. He is another thing that a winning team needs. A decent back up point guard. Not sure he can defend anyone, but as long as he can run the offense effectively while Baron takes a breather, I think we will be ok. Definitely an upgrade on Keith McCloud.
I think Josh Powell is going to get some run too. Did anyone else see that shot block he had during his brief stint in the 2nd quarter? That was a serious rejection! Dude is another type of player we haven't had. An athletic front court player. I think Nelson will figure out what he has with Powell and he will start to get some consistent mintues as well.
I'm really looking foward to tomorrow night, not only because I'll be at the O for JKidd and Vinsanity, but because I think the Dubs are going to get their first win with the new squad. It was unfortunate that the first two games of the new era went down as they did, but both the Cavs and Lakers are solid playoff teams. Their are only 40 games left, and the Warriors are currently 4 games under .500 and thus out of the playoff picture. I think they can make it, but I'm not sure they will. One thing for sure is that it will be exciting to watch, as this team as they are now assembled will be one of the more entertaining outfits in the league. The Warriors already lead the league in fast break points scored, so with the addition of Jackson, Harrington and Powell all running the lanes now instead of the other stiffs, those statistics are only likely to go up.
One interesting side note about tomorrow's game will be the return of Jason Kidd to Oakland. In the past, Jason has gotten the better of the Dubs, but I just don't think he is going to have enough fire power without RJ (Richard Jefferson) in the lineup.
Regardless, I'm just so excited that the slow white era in Oakland has transitioned into something much faster.
posted by DailyDub at 8:29 PM
2 Comments:
something faster...and blacker?
it's okay to say it
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