Makes Love to Pressure

I am personally embarrassed for the Bay Area tonight when the crowd at the Oracle did the wave late in the 4th quarter when the team needed their support.

Tonight’s game was not Stephen Jackson’s night. Tonight’s game was a microcosm of his play style when he was a high-strung Indiana player. On defense, he wasn’t able to guard Josh Howard. While on offense, he settled for jumpers and long distance 3s. When he did drive inside, he relied too much on the referee whistle and thus lost the ball, even getting T’d up at one point.

Taken by Rocky Widner (NBAE/Getty Images)

Good thing tonight, the Golden State Warriors did not need Jackson to be on his game. The other players on the team finally contributed productive minutes to the cause.

Kelenna Azubuike also contributed well, chipping in 15 points and 7 boards including a clutch five points when the Mavericks came within four late in the 4th.

The star of the game was Al Harrington. His hustle, energy, and inside play kept the team in the game early when the Dallas Mavericks rolled to a 12-0 start. As Jim Barnett said in the telecast, when Harrington is decisive with the ball, then good things happen for him and the team. Harrington finished the game with 14 points, 9 boards, and 2 block shots, all with a sprained knuckle in his shooting hand.

Other notables were Monta Ellis with 30 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 0 turnovers, which makes up for the ugly five he had in the previous game against the Nuggets. Andris Biedrins, even at 95%, is back to doing his thing. He protected the paint well tonight, changing a number of shots and put in a double-double of 16 points and 15 boards including an astounding 6 for 6 at the free throw line.

Although there were some nervous minutes in the game, the Mavericks team looked like a lost cause. When the players relied upon to carry the team is named Brandan Bass and Malik Allen, then you know something is wrong. Josh Howard was a beast in the beginning of the game. His fadeaway jumper was un-guardable and he hit them with regularity. But, for some reason, the Mavs decided to go away from him as the game went further along.

The reason why the Mavs lost though was going small to matchup with the Warriors. You don’t go small with the Warriors especially if your small players can’t protect the paint. With Eric Dampier out of the game, the Warriors drove into the paint at will. There were a number of times where Ellis was able to stroll down the lane for a layup with the Mavs front line watching him pass by.

With the win tonight, the Warriors have the same record as the Mavs and the Nuggets at 45-28. Unfortunately, due to head-to-head play and conference records, should the season end tonight, the Nuggets would be 7th, Mavs would be 8th and the Warriors would be on the outside looking in at 9th.

So with nine games left in the season, the Warriors will have to win one more game then either the Nuggets or the Mavs to secure a playoff birth.

Stephen Jackson’s Line:

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Elie Seckbach The Embedded NBA Correspondent interviews the Golden State Warriors.

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This was one game where Stephen Jackson should have taken more shots from behind the arc. Having gambled with small ball early on, Coach Nelson allowed the Denver Nuggets to get in a rhythm on the offensive end with an array of inside moves over the small Warriors’ front line. Kenyon Martin practically had a field day with Al Harrington as the only post defender on the floor.

With the Nuggets on overdrive, the Warriors dropped down to a double-digit deficit. For as much as the Warriors could score, the Nuggets was able to match on the other end.

The Warriors don’t have any quit in them though, so it was not surprising to see them climb back to take the lead on the superb inside play by Andris Biedrins and Jackson’s hot shooting from the outside.

But, when the 4th quarter rolled around, the Nuggets jumped ahead by 10 as the usually focused Monta Ellis had a couple sloppy turnovers and the Warriors settled for tough fadeaways.

Taken by Garrett W. Ellwood (NBAE/Getty Images)

Stephen Jackson’s Line:

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Taken by Ben Margot (AP Photo)

Stephen Jackson showcased his all-around game on national TV in tonight’s game versus the Portland Trailblazers. He made shots, handled the ball, set up teammates, hit free throws and played outstanding defense.

The Golden State Warriors came out of the gates lethargic and hesitant. The telecast announcers informed the viewers that Baron Davis had caught the flu after having visited a sick relative in LA. With the leader of the team playing at half his usual level, the others were out of wack for the first quarter. Andris Biedrins missed easy layups including 3 in a row during one possession. The atmosphere even affected Capt Jack. Normally a free-flowing type of shooter; Jackson passed a couple wide open looks behind the arc, content to pass it down low to a teammate.

The Blazers came out hot at the start of the game. LaMarcus Aldridge was abusing Biedrins and Harrington on the block; he consistently made hook shots in the paint over the Warriors’ frontline. Steve Blake had his usual hot game from deep range against the Warriors. Some of the shots he took where reminiscent of those Jackson took against the Lakers on Sunday night. Each successive three was further and further out and hit nothing but net. Only the hot touch from Al Harrington late in the first half kept the Warriors close.

When the third quarter rolled around, the Warriors made a conscious effort to drive the lane and either get easy shots from kick-outs or draw a foul. The third quarter was Jackson’s time to shine. Coach Nelson put Jackson on Aldridge to start the half. With Aldridge’s length, you would think he could just shoot over Jackson anytime he wanted. But, Jackson kept Aldridge further out from the lane and got in tight when he tried to face up. With his length and tenacity, Jackson was able to effectively shut down Aldridge’s post game. Aldridge was only able to score two points on Jackson in the second half.

Having played great defense, Jackson was given the green light to do his magic on the offensive end. When Jackson has the ball in his hands, good things happen for the Warriors. During an out of bounds play, Jackson delivered a spot on alley-oop to Monta Ellis that worked to perfection. Later on, he had one of his patented slow-motion drives to the basket which seems to always work. And of course, the night wouldn’t be complete without Jackson stepping into a three and draining the shot to give the Warriors’ the lead.

With the game well in hand, fans was treated to the sight of an all bench unit for the last five minutes of the game. A lineup of CJ Watson, Marco Belinelli, Brandan Wright, Austin Croshere, and Kosta Perovic. Belinelli showcased his quick release to the delight of the fans. And Croshere had another one of his rim-rattling dunks to seal away the victory. Croshere always cracks me up; when the Warriors are leading or losing by a landslide, you can always count on Croshere to throw down an amazing dunk to spice things up.

The next four games for the Warriors will probably decide their playoff hopes.

@ Denver on Saturday
vs Dallas on Sunday
@ San Antonio on Tuesday
@ Dallas on Wednesday

Two back-to-backs against playoff contenders. With the rest the starters received in this game against the Blazers, they should be rearing to go against the Denver. Hopefully, the clutch shooting by Jackson and co. can put the Warriors over the top.

Stephen Jackson’s Line:

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Tonight’s loss was frustrating on many levels. From the missed opportunities in the beginning of the game to the botched call at the end.

Stephen Jackson was hot in the first half, scoring 17 of his 29 points on drives to the hoop and threes. But, the other Warriors couldn’t seem to find the bottom of the net on point blank shots. Andris Biedrins, normally money within two feet of the basket, missed a couple layups. Monta Ellis couldn’t finish above the rim and Baron Davis had a number of runners rim out.

Taken by Rocky Widner (NBAE/Getty Images)

The second half did not come easy for Jackson nor the Warriors as a whole. The Lakers stepped up their defense and forced the Warriors to over dribble and settle for contested jumpers. None more glaring than the back-to-back threes by Davis and Jackson that allowed the Lakers to close the lead within 5 midway through the 3rd.

Only on the inspired play of Kelenna Azubuike in terms of points off the bench and rebounding along with Ellis’ quick hands were the Warriors able to climb back from an 8 point deficit to send the game into overtime.

There were two plays which the Warriors would probably want back. The botched alleyoop from Davis to Ellis which would have pushed the lead to four and Ellis losing vision on Derek Fisher in the corner that shaved a 4-point lead down to one. If Davis could have taken care of the ball and Ellis stayed with his man, the Warriors wouldn’t have been in the situation at the end where the game could be decided by the referees.

There is a lesson to be learned from this type of game, though. When defending a staggered screen, grab and hold onto your man until he falls on top of you, clutch a body part in pain until the whistle blows in your favor, then hop up and run back on offense.

Stephen Jackson’s Line:

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