Thursday, February 14, 2008

Warriors vs Suns: Fast, Meet Faster

Remember this game?

Well, last night's was just like it.

We saw running right from the gate from both teams. Ball movement in and out of seemingly impossible angles. Verticality on dunks, layups, and rebounds. Athleticism on full display on the only stage where it is most appropriate-- national television.

As Jeff van Gundy put it:
"We should let them keep playing. We should let them play all through all-star weekend. In fact we should have these two teams play each other 16 times in a season."
For the first time in a few weeks, the Warriors focused for the full 48 minutes and came out with a strong victory. Nellie ventured into his bench and put Azubuike and Croshere back into the rotation. Together, the two combined for 7 points and 4 rebounds, but provided two momentous plays. Croshere offered a massive block to start a Baron-Monta fastbreak, and Azubuike nailed a triple while the game wound down to preserve the lead. Jackson added another trey to cushion the lead to 6. Barnes added on to the good all-around play, finding his efficient energy man prowess again with 13 points on 6-11 shooting, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals in 25 minutes.

The Warriors' usual winning and good team play formula is this:
W = playoff team + national television + running

Last night was no exception to either Baron or Monta, of whom words do no justice for their play.

Baron:




Monta:



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