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the joys of Warriors domination, a beginner's guide
so, the Warriors won last night, eliminating the Dallas Mavericks 111-86 in the first round of the playoffs. i'll spare you the fan rant, except that WOW, THEY FUCKING BURIED THE MAVS.
it was, as Marv Albert said "destruction" and "the biggest upset in NBA playoff history." Marv Albert has been calling basketball games for a long time.
so, you might not be in to basketball; even if you're from the Bay, you might be wondering what all the hoopla is about. hell, they didn't even win the championship, or the finals; this was just the first round! i've never played much by way of organized sports, though i enjoy being a sports spectator and occasionally catch televised games of preferred sports. i couldn't name the court positions for basketball players.
so, again, what's the big deal? it boils down to the victory of the underdog, with a sprinkle of drama. if you're curious, and maybe want to be a sports poseur, the keep going.
love the underdog:
= the #8 playoff seed beat the #1 seed, only the 3rd time in the history of the league.
= they had a very poor start to the season, turned it around, and barely made the playoffs for the last spot, #8.
= Dallas had an incredible season, 67 wins, which is something like tied for 3rd best of all time. they have several relatively big-name players that can be organized in to a very dominating force.
= the Warriors have been a mediocre team for many years - not terrible, but not terribly good. they had a slight reputation as a "farm team," where players would get experience and then move on to other teams to shine.
= the Warriors made late trades, as late as January, to get players that have meshed with the team and become key players very quickly.
= the Warriors' key player, Baron Davis, mildly pulled a hamstring in the first quarter and went on to play most of the rest of the game with 20 points by adapting his game style.
= they beat the Mavericks with superior motivation, teamwork, and coaching, and managed to throw in some fucking wicked slam dunks, alley-oops, one-legged side-hopping three-point shots, etc.
= they did all this in front of a sold out home crowd at the Oakland Colosseum.
love the drama:
= there were games with tension, ejected players, fines, players flying in to the stands, half-court baskets, and other action.
= the Dallas coach, Avery Johnson, played for the Warriors under their current coach, Don Nelson, and was certainly out-coached by his former boss.
= Don Nelson coached Dallas a couple of years ago.
= Don Nelson's son is the general manager of the Dallas team.
= Don Nelson is suing the Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban for around $7 million in a contract dispute.
so now you, too, can join in on Golden State Warrior fever! if you live in the Oakland, the greater Bay Area, Northern California, California, the West coast, etc. you can even spout factoids and gloat with local pride. heck, even hot celebs are grabbing ringside seats for playoff games in Oakland! yeah!
- emilio
it was, as Marv Albert said "destruction" and "the biggest upset in NBA playoff history." Marv Albert has been calling basketball games for a long time.
so, you might not be in to basketball; even if you're from the Bay, you might be wondering what all the hoopla is about. hell, they didn't even win the championship, or the finals; this was just the first round! i've never played much by way of organized sports, though i enjoy being a sports spectator and occasionally catch televised games of preferred sports. i couldn't name the court positions for basketball players.
so, again, what's the big deal? it boils down to the victory of the underdog, with a sprinkle of drama. if you're curious, and maybe want to be a sports poseur, the keep going.
love the underdog:
= the #8 playoff seed beat the #1 seed, only the 3rd time in the history of the league.
= they had a very poor start to the season, turned it around, and barely made the playoffs for the last spot, #8.
= Dallas had an incredible season, 67 wins, which is something like tied for 3rd best of all time. they have several relatively big-name players that can be organized in to a very dominating force.
= the Warriors have been a mediocre team for many years - not terrible, but not terribly good. they had a slight reputation as a "farm team," where players would get experience and then move on to other teams to shine.
= the Warriors made late trades, as late as January, to get players that have meshed with the team and become key players very quickly.
= the Warriors' key player, Baron Davis, mildly pulled a hamstring in the first quarter and went on to play most of the rest of the game with 20 points by adapting his game style.
= they beat the Mavericks with superior motivation, teamwork, and coaching, and managed to throw in some fucking wicked slam dunks, alley-oops, one-legged side-hopping three-point shots, etc.
= they did all this in front of a sold out home crowd at the Oakland Colosseum.
love the drama:
= there were games with tension, ejected players, fines, players flying in to the stands, half-court baskets, and other action.
= the Dallas coach, Avery Johnson, played for the Warriors under their current coach, Don Nelson, and was certainly out-coached by his former boss.
= Don Nelson coached Dallas a couple of years ago.
= Don Nelson's son is the general manager of the Dallas team.
= Don Nelson is suing the Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban for around $7 million in a contract dispute.
so now you, too, can join in on Golden State Warrior fever! if you live in the Oakland, the greater Bay Area, Northern California, California, the West coast, etc. you can even spout factoids and gloat with local pride. heck, even hot celebs are grabbing ringside seats for playoff games in Oakland! yeah!
- emilio
Comments
Thank you, Mahalo, Gracias!