|---THE WARRIOR ZONE---|Warriors Report: March 8-March 14, 2010March 14, 2010, 11:31 PM - In what has been a very bittersweet four-game stand for the Warriors, we have gone miraculously undefeated to jump to sixth place in the Western Conference, and are on a season-high seven game winning streak. Unfortunately, it has come at a great cost, as captain
Stephen Jackson suffered a broken toe, and may not return until the playoffs. Nonetheless, we persevered, finishing off the slumping Rockets, Bucks and Thunder. Unfortunately, the injury bug got us again as
Ricky Rubio fell victim to his second strained achilles of the season (joining fellow Spaniard
Rudy Fernandez on the IR, who is suffering from the same injury).
With Fernandez not quite ready to return, fan favorite
Salim Stoudamire, who has been playing quite well off the bench as of late, was inserted into the starting lineup. Furthermore, rookie
Chase Budinger has played big minutes off the bench. He has not been effective.
Steve Nash and
Anthony Randolph have continued to be sensational, both putting up superstar numbers. Randolph has sewn up the most improved player award, while Nash could be on his way back onto an All-NBA team. The wins have put us at 38-28, a half-game above the 37-28 Clippers and Nuggets for sixth. We also have a very comfortable hold of a playoff spot, with Dallas five games behind us, and the Thunder falling out of the playoff race with five straight losses.
I highly doubt that we can beat the Clippers in LA, but that will be followed by a home stand against four teams below .500. The injuries are bad, but the timing could have been far worse. Also,
Rudy Fernandez could return very soon. I think I'm starting to believe again.
Golden State (35-28) 108 @ Memphis (25-37) 97March 8, 2010 -
Michael Conley has a career night, dropping a career-high 41 points. His heroics were far from enough however, a the red-hot Warriors dominated the lowly Grizzlies. The game was a wash from the beginning, with Golden State scoring the first 15 points. The home team was forced to play catch-up from start to finish, and long story short, they lost. Conley had a huge game, but it was negated by
OJ Mayo's awful game (13 points on 5-19 shooting), and their 17 turnovers to the Warriors' 8. Conley on the loss
"Its only a career night if you win, and we didn't. 41 points, 4 points, it doesn't matter if you don't win." The Grizzlies fall to 25-37, and 8-23 in 2010. The Warriors' win streak increases to four and puts them at 35-28.
Player Of The Game: Steve Nash (21 points, 13 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 4-6 3PT)
Nelliepoints
1. Nash: 21/2/13
2. Jackson: 21/8/4
3. Morrow: 25/2/1
Houston (39-25) 108 @ Golden State (36-28) 122March 10, 2010 -
Anthony Randolph has his first career triple-double, and the Warriors blew out the Rockets. Why aren't they happy? After
Chris Bosh landed on
Stephen Jackson's foot following a botched layup attempt, Jackson limped off the court and would not return. The Warriors overcame a 57-48 halftime deficit, but it came at quite a cost. Anthony Randolph had a career high 11 assists to go with 25 points and 13 rebounds for his first-ever triple-double, as he lit up the Rockets' twin towers
Yao and Bosh, while
Steve Nash had yet another great game and
Salim Stoudamire put up 21 points off the bench. However, the good news was overshadowed by the bad: Stephen Jackson would miss up to six weeks with a broken toe.
Player Of The Game: Anthony Randolph (25 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, 4 blocks)
Nelliepoints:
1. Randolph: 25/13/11
2. Nash: 23/3/7
3. Stoudamire: 21/0/3
Milwaukee (28-36) 97 @ Golden State (37-28) 120March 12, 2010 - No
Stephen Jackson, no problem. Behind another huge game by
Anthony "Meal Ticket" Randolph, The Warriors blew out the visiting Bucks, doing further harm to their diminishing playoff hopes.
Michael Redd's poor shooting put his team behind early on, and the trio of Randolph,
Steve Nash and
Anthony Morrow sealed the deal.
Joe Alexander scored 12 of his season-high 19 points in garbage time, but the end result was still as crushing 23 point defeat for the Bucks, who look to continue the recent tradition of falling just short of the playoffs.
Player Of The Game: Anthony Randolph (28 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists)
Nelliepoints:
1. Randolph: 28/12/5
2. Nash: 22/4/11
3. Morrow: 23/5/5
Oklahoma City (30-36) 100 @ Golden State (38-28) 104March 14, 2010 - In the game that killed the Thunder's playoff hopes for good, the Warriors edged out their visitors 104-100 to win their seventh straight. However, it was another costly win. as
Ricky Rubio suffered a strained achilles late in the fourth quarter. The game was close throughout, with the two teams trading leads. With a minute remaining,
Steve Nash sunk a three in
Ben Gordon's face to put Golden State up 2. On the next possession,
Russell Westbrook, who had 23 points, was called for the charge, injuring Rubio. A miscommunication on defense led to
Andris Biedrins posterizing
Nenad Krstic to give them a four-point lead with twenty seconds. After dribbling out a considerable amount of clock looking for a decent look, Gordon threw up a bad three point attempt, much to leading scorer
Kevin Durant (who had 32)'s chagrin.
Anthony Randolph grabbed the rebound, and dished it to
Anthony Morrow, who dribbled out the clock. Following the game, Durant blasted Gordon.
"What was that? I can't play with selfish guys like that with no basketball IQ. This is my team damn it. MY TEAM." The swingman was fined $5,000.
Player Of The Game: Anthony Randolph (23 points, 16 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 assists)
Nelliepoints:
1. Randolph: 23/16/3
2. Nash: 25/3/8
3. Biedrins: 15/9/1[+] Rudy Fernandez | Strained Achilles | 2/27/10 | Day-to-Day
Stephen Jackson | Broken Toe | 3/10/10 | Out 4-6 Weeks
Ricky Rubio | Strained Achilles | 3/14/10 | Out 2-4 WeeksNelliepoints StandingsMarch:Nash: 19
Randolph: 13
Morrow: 6Jackson: 5
Biedrins: 4
Stoudamire: 2
Overall:Randolph: 97
Nash: 81
Jackson: 66Morrow: 25
Biedrins: 16
Fernandez: 15
Rubio: 7
Stoudamire: 2
Pacific Division Standings:(1) Lakers 45-20 | GB: 0
(4) Kings 39-26 | GB: 6
(6) Warriors 38-28 | GB: 7.5(8) Clippers 37-28 | GB: 8
Suns 28-37 | GB: 17
Playoff Picture:1. LA Lakers 45-20*
2. Portland 44-22*
3. San Antonio 40-24
4. Sacramento 39-26
5. Houston 39-27
6. Golden State 38-287. Denver 37-28
8. LA Clippers 37-28
----------
Dallas: 34-34 | GB: 4.5
---Around The NBA---
After leading his Cavaliers to a 3-0 week,
LeBron Jameswon East Player of the Week honors for the week of January 7-13, averaging 32 points, 8 assists and 7.7 rebounds.
Brandon Roy led the Blazers to a 4-0 week, averaging 22.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 9 APG, earning himself the honors for the West.
A five game winning streak has the Philadelphia 76ers in fifth place in the (l)Eastern Conference, with a 31-32 record. Philadelphia is undefeated in March, and
Elton Brand is looking like his old self, averaging 23.6 points and 9.8 rebounds for the month.
"I think we can beat anyone right now. We have the right chemistry now, and the only way is up from here", says the eleventh year power forward.
A blowout home loss to the Knicks (lol) gave the Timberwolves their 46th loss, making them the first team eliminated from playoff contention, with the Clippers and Nuggets having won 37 games apiece. The Wolves have by far the worst record in the league, and hope that new general manager Larry Riley can help turn the tide for the young team. Its doubtful.
A win against the ninth place Washington Wizards improved the Boston Celtics to 47-19, making them the first team to clinch a playoff seed. After posting a losing record in February, the Celtics have gone 5-1 so far in March.
Yao suffered a strained wrist in a game earlier this month, and have been slumping ever since. The Chinese Center has averaged just 12.2 points on 37% shooting in the last five games, and its no coincidence that the Rockets have lost all five, causing them to plummet to fifth place in the tough Western Conference.
Chris Bosh on the losses:
"This sucks." 
)
The Lakers and Clippers could be on the verge of an inter-city first-round playoff series. The 50-20 Lakers seem to have a lock on the #1 seed, while the Clippers are 41-31, just a half game ahead of eighth. The series would likely be a great one, with the Clippers playing (usually) inspiring ball lately and 
The Bobcats have won 5 straight games, including one that ended the Warriors' ten game win streak (at the Oracle Arena, no less!). The Bobcats are led by sixth man of the year favorite and leading scorer 
Washington star 
The Spurs, 46-24, have all but clinched the Southwest Division title. Hot on the heels of a six game winning streak, San Antonio is hitting their stride. With the struggling Rockets falling to 40-31, the Spurs have now set their sights on the 49-23 Blazers, who have won 9 of their last 10. 
nice one 