I live with three Milwaukee Buck fans, four if you count the friend of mine who lives with us only on the weekends. And anytime I mention the Golden State Warriors and making the playoffs, I immediately hear something along the line of, “have fun with Dallas, out in four, and I would rather build my team through the lottery.” My response: I DO NOT CARE.
I have done the lottery thing, had my date with the ping-pong balls, had my heart bounce around in that tumbler for 12 straight years, and never came out with that perfect someone I can take home to My Mom. Even with her leniency growing each year I never found anyone even remotely acceptable.
Jason Richardson was probably the closest to what my Mom wanted when we picked him, and if I brought home Andris Bierdins she might only just complain a little bit. My Mom likes the immediate impact players, the Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony type. We could have brought home Kevin Garnett or a Rasheed Wallace with the 1995 first overall pick, but instead decided to take Joe Smith to the alter.
See, I speak for most of Warrior Nation (Warrior Nation = Shark fans + 49er fans + Raider fans + Giants fans + A’s fans) when I say we’re just happy to be there, we’ve been waiting 12-years. To give you an idea of how excited we have been this past month at the possibility of making the playoffs, Monday night at the Oracle Arena, home of the Golden State Warriors, 5,000 fans were there to watch their team play the Portland Trailblazers. If the Warriors could beat the Trailblazers they would get the eighth seed. The game was in Portland, 636 miles away.
It is by far a worse of feeling to have gone 12-years in a sport like basketball or hockey without making the playoffs than not winning a championship because half the teams in the league make it.
Why my friends do not seem to understand is we reached our primary goal. We reached the goal of all lower echelon teams, we got the kiss on the first date. Anything more is just great. Taking one game from the Mavs will simply send us at Warriors Nation into ecstasy. A series, I couldn’t even fathom. I’m just looking forward to watch from the television, as I sit in the heart of Badger Country, how the Oracle treats its first playoff game in 12-years.
Eastern Conference
Detroit Pistons versus Orlando Magic
Grant Hill, playoff basketball, never thought that I would be able to say that with a straight face. Pistons in 5
Cleveland Cavaliers versus Washington Wizards
Rematch from last year, not nearly as close. Cavaliers in 4
Toronto Raptors versus New Jersey Nets
Air Canada versus Team Canada (kind of). Air Canada and Company in 6
Miami Heat versus Chicago Bulls
Closer, but same result. Heat in 6
Western Conference
Dallas Mavericks versus Golden State Warriors
Just went numb from writing the Warriors into a playoff match up with the season officially being over. Mavs in 6 (hope I’m wrong)
Phoenix Suns versus Los Angeles Lakers
Won’t go the seven like it did last year. Suns in 5
San Antonio Spurs versus Denver Nuggets
Duncan decides to play playoff basketball. Spurs in 6
Utah Jazz versus Houston Rockets
The most exciting first-round match up. Rockets in 6
Posted by Josh Pearlstein at 4/19/2007 8:02:00 PM |
