JANUARY 10, 2005
THE GAME: CHICAGO BULLS vs. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Golden State started this game the same way they ended their previous one in Canada.
Rugged defense, combined with some fine shot selection on the offensive end, had the visitors taking charge early on in the United Center. The Bulls were being led offensively by
Antonio Davis’s hustle and Kirk Hinrich’s efficient passing, but they were no match for
the Warriors’ trio of Davis, Richardson and Murphy who once again played as if they had been on the same team for years. With the help of another one of Mike Dunleavy’s shooting displays, they
closed the 1st quarter leading 19 – 29.
In the second period,
Baron davis took charge of his team’s offense and proceeded to dunk, shoot and pass at will, to hold off a comeback attempt by Chicago, courtesy of T
yson Chandler and Luol Deng. With the added points the Warriors’ bench contributed,
the half time score was 41 – 55.
Baron Davis did it all on offense for the Warriors in the first half, including some high-flying dunks on top of Chicago’s big men…
The start of the second half saw the Bulls mount a partially successful comeback attempt, spearheaded by rookie combo guard
Ben Gordon, who took it upon himself to shoot the ball on every occasion he deemed appropriate. That worked well enough in the first 5 minutes or so, but when Ben got cold from the field, it was time for some hot Warriors’ basketball to make a showing… In
an amazing 7 minute span until the end of the 3rd quarter,
Jason Richardson went on a scoring rampage, Troy Murphy on a rebounding spree, and Baron Davis on a passing extravaganza to make this undoubtedly the best piece of basketball the team had played so far in th season. Scoring 26 points in 7 minutes and letting in only 4 on defense,
Golden State was up 54 – 85 at the end of the 3rd. With a 30-point lead in their favour heading into the 4th period, all the Warriors had to do was take it easy, play adequate defense and bring their third unit on the court, strolling to victory. Almost the entire quarter was
garbage time, with
Golden State blowing Chicago out, 79 – 107.
J-Rich’s third quarter scoring heroics helped the Warriors get an insurmountable lead over the Bulls, thus making it easier on everybody in the end…
POG: BARON DAVIS 15pts – 17ast – 6stl –7/9 FGs
GS TOP PLAYERS:
JASON RICHARDSON 27pts – 5/7 3pt
TROY MURPHY 14pts – 12rebs
The Aftermath: The Warriors win their fifth game in a row after they traded for Baron Davis, and are currently one of the hottest teams in the NBA, only one game below .500 . Things are definitely looking up for the Oaklanders, who hope to get a winning record and playoff birth for the first time in 10 years.
GAME OF THE DAY:
MINNESOTA 94 – LA LAKERS 96 (Kobe Bryant 19pts – 8rebs – 4ast)
But it's good to see that the Warriors are getting on track. Jason Richardson is a beast. 
