Ok. Now is as good a time as any to jump in here again. First, let's get a couple things straight about Golden State:
1. It sure is an exciting time for the Warriors right now, but the entire season has actually been fascinating and thrilling.
a. Monta Ellis and Biedrins both had breakout seasons, which is not something that was apparent during the Dallas series (although Monta did get the recognition with the most-improved award). I think it's interesting how little of a presence Monta had during this last series, I think there's a number of reasons why, but it's hard to describe how absolutely nuts he was during the regular season, simply careening to the basket with no regard for who might be in his way and floating to the finish. He also possesses a preternatural calmness and is, at the age of 21, destined to become the league's next Chauncey Billups.
b. Dunleavy and Troy Murphy (and McLeod and Diogu), who were simply deadweights here, were finally unloaded for SJax, Baby Al, the nonentity Josh Powell, and Sarunas, who pretty much doesn't play a minute but is the best cheerleader a team could have. Seriously, watch the Warriors bench during the next series. Sarunus is the one jumping and hopping and clapping and grinning in his warm-up suit the entire time. The Pacers unloaded their problems and got some nice boring white guys in exchange, but we got the better deal. We got tremendous players with tremendous hearts (see my most important point re: SJax below).
c. J-Rich was essentially out the entire season until February, and when he came back Baron was out pretty much for the entire month of February. Playoff pushes bring a sense of elevated purpose and determination, but the 21-5 record starting with the March 5 game against the Pistons, Baron's first game back and their first true game as a whole, uninjured team - that was no fluke. Next season they will be between 4th and 7th in the West, so squeaking in as the 8th seed was exciting but a bit misleading.
2. Stephen Jackson is not a madman. Come on, people! He is passionate, and he has quite a temper (and he knows it). That's about it. The brawl and the gun incident aren't even worth getting into. He is fiercely loyal, he has a hard time controlling his temper, he is so respectful and reverent of Baron (who he always calls "our franchise player") and his teammates, Tim Duncan has called him the best teammate he's ever had, etc. But the idea that he is a loose cannon is silly. Here is a nice article about him.
3. The Warriors aren't just running on emotion, and their style is not helter-skelter. They are tough and scrappy and smart. The fact that they are the Mavs' achilles heel is just funny and certainly does not mean that ultimately they are a better team than the Mavs. It's an interesting situation. It was too bad that they squandered the nine point lead they miraculously managed to get in game 5 after having played terribly the whole game, but it was the Mavs who were on borrowed time with that matchup, not the Warriors. I think that was clear (hello 2005-2006 Pistons). It was sweeter to win at home, anyway. The Warriors are not a well-oiled machine like Dallas or the Pistons, and they use that to their advantage. Don Nelson is really freaking smart. They are a tremendous team and they have such heart, and all of these people like Matt Barnes and Pietrus and SJax are finding their places at last. It's a great story, and they play great basketball. Also, Baron and Avery Johnson's press conferences after game 6 were so eloquent and touching. Seriously, public speaking in the best traditions of oration. In the absurd post-game glow I believe I even invoked Pericles. Things will even themselves out eventually (unless the Warriors careen into the finals!), but the energy and emotion and momentum and masterful fucking basketball - this is what sports fans live for!
Anyway. It's going to be a fun playoffs! After half of this first Pistons/Bulls game it seems safe to say that the Pistons will dominate but the young Bulls will take a game or even two. I feel confident about the next Warriors series, and I pray to God that the Suns will hold off the Spurs because we can run with the Suns!
Two great quotes from the Warriors/Dallas series:
Monta Ellis, on not being nervous before the first game: "Basketball is easy."
Avery Johnson in the press conference after game 6, on why the Warriors won the series: "They just did a good job, of having good offense and good defense."
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Nicely put, Phoebe.
In my limited experience watching and following the Warriors, it seems like they get a lot of mileage out of being a team that no one is built to match up against. They're really tiny, like a talented college club who just couldn't find anyone taller than 6 9.
They're also well distributed. I think lots of NBA teams in the modern playoffs rely heavily on the double/triple team or hack-a-shaq, the neutralization of one talented player. Frequently, this is very effective. But with teams like the Warriors, you have to play a more conventional, straightforward defense. Perhaps you're not even sure who is the most dangerous player that night. This element of surprise is quite brilliant.
They also seem to put a lot of stock in rhythm. There was some post-game interview with Chauncey after the first win against the Bulls and he was like "there won't be another game like this." Absolutely right. He's been in enough playoff series to understand that a team up 1-0 must be extraordinarily protective, because the other team has a certain momentum/revenge edge going into game 2. The fact that the Warriors went nuts in game 6, rather than preserving their energy for game 7, proves to me that they understand the rhythm of a series. They would not have a game 7 in Dallas, and they realized that. When the Cavs were up 3-2 against the Pistons last year, people rightly predicted that the Pistons would still take the series. I chalk that up to the Pistons understanding the crucial nature of game 6 far better than Lebron and co.
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