The Bay Area has a rich sporting tradition, and with this tradition has come rivalries such as the Giants and Dodgers, 49ers and Cowboys (or Packers), Cal and Stanford, and more recently, the Sharks and Ducks (or Stars). This weekend, while the 49ers face an old rival from the 1980's, Cal, Stanford, and Golden State go up against squads that have figured prominently in their recent past.
San Jose kicked off the proceedings Thursday by destroying former goalie Miikka Kiprusoff and the Calgary Flames 6-1. One game after a losing effort in which they unleashed 57 shots (a franchise record) against Nashville, the Sharks had a record 9 assists from their defensemen (Christian Ehrhoff, Rob Blake and Dan Boyle each had three) in the rout.
Calgary was San Jose's first-round opponent in the 2008 playoffs (taking them to Game 7 in a hard-fought series). This year the Sharks, clearly in the upper-echelon of the West, could very well face the Flames (who seem to have regressed this year) in the first round again.
Unlike the Sharks, the Warriors are almost assuredly not going to the playoffs, but after their efforts against the Timberwolves and Pistons, Golden State is playing fairly well going into their grudge match against the Clippers and Baron Davis (it sounds funny even now).The game will air locally on CSNHD and KNBR 680 at 12:30 Pacific.
Boom Dizzle and his coach have been somewhat at odds over his role in the offense, which is much more methodical (ie. slower-paced) than the somewhat relentless attacking syle that Davis became used to in Oakland. Sounds like someone misses "Nellie Ball" already.
Baron is still piling up stats, however, and has averaged over 17 points and nine assists over his last five games. He curently ranks fifth in the NBA in assists per game (7.6), but is averaging around six fewer PPG than last year (15 vs. 21.8). In fact B. Diddy is averaging near-career-lows in almost every category, including field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, free throw percentage (and attempts), and even assists.
Though all the focus will be on Baron, the Warriors will also face Marcus Camby for the first time since his trade/give-away to the Clippers. Camby will pair with Chris Kaman to form a double incentive for Nelly not to play small-ball.
Marcus has helped the Clippers to a top-three ranking in blocks per game. The Warriors will counter with Ronny Turiaf, Andris Biedrins, and Brandan Wright, each of whom are in the top 20 in BPG.
Despite their new additions, the Clippers have struggled, and despite a win over Dallas on Sunday, find themselves in prime 25 percent ping-pong-ball position early in the season at 1-6. Losing Elton Brand, while not exactly making Philly a superpower in the East, has helped the Clippers stay near the bottom of the league in points per game for most of the young season.
L.A. is also dead last in point differential (-13.37 so far), while the Warriors have kept thier games much closer, often losing in the late 4th quarter. This is reflected in Golden State's -2.88 rating. In fact, if the Warriors weren't shooting so poorly from downtown, they might well be over .500.
Of course, the Clippers lost Correy Maggette as well. Maggette has both benefited and hurt the Warriors, providing easy points at the line, while also spending significant time both on the bench hurt, and stalling the offense with his static play in the half-court. In fact (although this is as much Monta's fault as is it is Maggette's), the Warriors fast-break has not been nearly as explosive as it has been in the last few years with Baron or J-Rich leading the way.
Maggette shot only 2-7 in last night's loss to the Pistons, but he scored 9 points at the foul line. He is averaging around 17 points per game, well off his 22.1 average last year, but has been bother by various injuries, and will hopefully regain his touch, as well as get to the line even more as he heals completely. Meanwhile, how will L.A. fans greet him tomorrow?
It may not have the season-defining importance of Cal-Oregon State or Stanford-USC, and viewers won't see a tag-team shoving match between Steve Nash, Shaq, Yao and T-Mac, but the Warriors and Clippers game will definitely be one of the most intriguing of the pre-Ellis 2008-2009 season.
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