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IT is
perhaps the greatest upset in National Basketball
Association (NBA) history. The manner in which the
Golden State Warriors finished off the top-seeded Dallas
Mavericks was shocking and mesmerizing. There they were,
save for Jason Richardson, cast-offs and journeymen
players—Baron Davis via Charlotte/New Orleans, Stephen
Jackson late of San Antonio and Indiana, and Matt Barnes
by way of Sacramento, New York, and
Philadelphia—dunking, three-point-shooting, and jawing
their way with reckless abandon.
By all
rights, it should have been over in five games were it
not for four bad calls that sent the Warriors back to
Oakland for a sixth match. Maybe it was for the best, to
win it right before the 20,000 faithful who have not
savored a playoff appearance since 1994 and a second
season win since 1992 (against Seattle to whom they fell
3-1).
And now
in 2007, they’ll be playing in the second round for the
first time since 1991 when they got bounced in five by
the edition of the LA Magic Show (with rookie Vlade
Divac and vets James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Byron Scott,
and (ex-Warrior) Terry Teagle.
As
incredible as it seems, Golden State thrives on its
underdog image and has made a career out of beating
higher seeds.
Warrior
King returns
IN 1989,
Chris Mullin (now the Warriors’ general manager),
finally beat his demons in the bottle and checked out of
rehab to be one of the league’s best players. With
Mullin’s 26.5 ppg and steady support from Mitch
Richmond, Winston Garland, Rod Higgins, Otis Smith, and
Ralph Sampson (his last pro team), G-State finished
fourth in the West with a 43-39 record. In the playoffs,
they met Midwest Division champs Utah Jazz (51-31)
behind John Stockon, Karl Malone, Thurl Bailey, and
Darrell Griffith.
The
Warriors displayed nerves of steel in the last three
minutes as they outlasted the Jazz 123-119 in Game One. They repeated their feat with another
masterful 99-91 win in
Salt Lake City
before sending the deflated Jazz home for the summer
with a 120-106 demolition in front of a raucous home
crowd. Mullin was incandescent in the post-season,
upping his scoring to 29.4ppg while adding 5.9rpg and
4.5apg.
Crossover heroes
AFTER
falling short of the playoffs the previous year, the
Warriors unveiled one of the highest-scoring acts behind
“Run-TMC” as the trio of Mr. U-tep two-step Tim Haradway,
steady Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin collectively
scored 72.5 ppg. They finished 44-38; their best record
in nine years. Back again in the post-season, the
Warriors took on Midwest Division champs San Antonio
Spurs (55-27) who were led by the Admiral David Robinson
(then in his second year in the league), Sean Elliot,
Terry Cummings, Willie Anderson, and a young point guard
named Avery Johnson.
The
Spurs held serve in the first game 130-121 with a
monster game by Robinson. But Golden State stole one in
the Alamo Dome with a 111-98 win that shifted the
momentum. When the series moved over to Oakland, the
Warriors took the pivotal third game 109-106 that
knocked the wind out of San Antonio’s sails. The speedy
Warriors ended the Spurs’ misery in Game Four with a
series-clinching 110-97 win.
Freefall
AS much
as Golden State put their faithful on an emotional high,
they would invariably get knocked out of the succeeding
second round that would be followed by a disappointing
freefall the following season.
After
eliminating the Jazz in 1989, the Warriors scintillating
run ended as they got bounced by the Phoenix Suns of
Kevin Johnson, Tom Chambers, Eddie Johnson, Armon
Gilliam, Jeff Hornacek, Dan Majerle, and Steve Kerr (who
called the Warriors’ history-making Game Six win against
Dallas with Marv Albert) in five games. The following
season was a hugely disappointing one as they missed the
playoffs tumbling to 37-45.
In 1991,
Golden State once more fell in the second round this
time to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. In the
off-season, Warriors brass felt that they were
mercilessly pounded inside by the Laker’s half-court
game and a decision was made to break up Run-TMC. Mitch
Richmond was traded to the Sacramento Kings for top
draft choice Billy Owens. The defense did improve and
the Warriors finished third in the 1992 Western
standings. But they were upset in the first round by the
young and exciting Seattle Supersonics with Ricky
Pierce, Derrick McKey, Michael Cage and young studs
Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton. In 1993, the team would lose
a combined 312 player-games to injury and they missed
the post-season bus.
Full
Nelson
THERE
aren’t many coaches who have created lasting imprints
with several franchises. There’s Phil Jackson who made
the NBA All-Rookie team with the New York Knicks and
played on their two championship teams of the 1970s. He
coached the Chicago Bulls’ dynasty in the 1990s and
guided another with the Los Angeles Lakers’ three-peat
from 2000-’02.
Pat
Riley won a title with the Lakers as a player and
mentored them to four titles in the 80s. He masterminded
the Knicks renaissance of the 90s as well as the Miami
Heat’s ascent that culminated with a title in 2006.
But for
Don Nelson… his championships may have all come with his
time with the Boston Celtics, but he’s turned around the
fortunes of many a franchise. He turned Milwaukee into a
steady contender in the early 80s before employing his
creativity with the Golden State Warriors during his
first go-around with them. After an aborted stint with
New York, he turned the Mavericks (with terrific support
from Mark Cuban) into a power before he turned the reins
over to his assistant and former point guard Avery
Johnson. And now Nelson is reunited with Mullin in
Golden State where both are once more weaving their mojo
with the same type of game that they once ran.
No
matter what happens in this second round, the Warriors
will have put their imprint in this seemingly tepid
season. The excitement is back in the Bay Area where
they momentarily overshadowed the controversial chase by
Barry Bonds of Hank Aaron’s home-run record. It’s been a
great spring for them. Now they just have to build on
the gains or let history repeat itself. |
