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Game Preview #13: Golden State Warriors @ San Antonio Spurs - Nellie Ball Rolls Into Town

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Epicocity (no such word exists, FYI) of failness of the Facebook moment above aside, a 2-game win streak equals the Spurs' own mini-dry spell of three straight losses has been broken, and broken in dominating fashion indeed.  We delivered an expected beatdown on a Wizards team in disarray, and followed that up by locking down Brandon "Slim" Jennings and the surprising Milwaukee Christmas Deers as the defense passed the Fred Silva Scoring System with flying colors.

We're up 2-1 so far going into the last day of this four-game home stretch, and standing in our way is the all-too familiar and all-too funny at most times Golden State Warriors, who unsurprisingly halted Dallas' five-game win streak. They own Cuban and his Mavs, we all know that. But can they handle them Spurs? Let's find out.

 

Star-divide

Seriously, I love the Warriors. From the Run TMC days of Don Nelson up to the second Nelson era characterized by dysfunctional, comedic and at times dramatic (see: greatest playoff upset ever, 2007) turns of events, this team keeps most fans tuned in.  If someone ever makes a list of the greatest soap operas in sports history, I'm putting my money on the 2006-2009 Golden State Warriors.  They're that tabloid-worthy.

As a tribute to the advent of one of the most popular social networking sites around and for all the wrong, dumb, stupid and hilarious (unintentional or not) things that Facebook has given us (and we haven't even tackled Twitter yet, which is going to be more painful), ladies and gentlemen of the crazy jury of PtR, here is your Spurs on Facebook, Part 1 (now with bonus Warriors on Facebook material, too!)

 

I Love You, Teammate

Now I understand why we believe a Dubs player immediately when he says, "It's pretty bad around here."

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All Is Fine In Nellie Land

Next to Gregg Popovich and Phil Jackson, Don Nelson just might be my third-most favorite coach of all time. Okay, let's Kanye West-icize that:  OF ALL TIME!

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Why Hipuks Hates LOL-ing

DeJuan Blair seems to be a master at it, and George Hill is quickly catching up since he's hanging out with Blair too much, maybe. (h/t: Fernando TD 21 of SpursTalk for the Blair avatar)

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Of Three-Point Shots and Sandwiches

There's a saying, "birds of the same feather, flock together." There is unity behind the three-point line, but consistency?  Now THAT I am not sure of.  As for our 3-ball specialists defending... I think I'll just leave you with Matt and his college graduation photo:

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Who Says Pop is Too Old for Technology?

He may not know how to upload a profile picture yet, but he's got the updates down already.  Hallelujah!

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Just a reminder though: this is all in the name of fun and I hope nobody gets cranky that his or her favorite Spur wasn't included. We'll get in touch with their accounts in Part 2.  And oh yeah, the accounts featured here and the instances are purely fictional. Well, sort of. I'm kinda hoping they've actually happened in real-life.

The_Real_PREVIEW after a second of scrolling.


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Golden State Warriors @ San Antonio Spurs
Where: AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX
When: November 25, 2009, 7:30 PM Spurs time
Watch: Fox Sports Southwest


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How They Stack Up
 
6-2 Home 3-2
0-4 Road 2-6
100.8
Offense 109.6
97.5 Defense 111.7
46.3 FG% 48.6
36.5 3-pt% 39.8
74.2 FT% 75.2
43.1 Rebounds 37.2
12.8 TOs 16.1
5-5 Last 10 4-6
Won 2
Streak Won 2
3rd, Southwest Position 4th, Pacific

 
Country/Time Zone Game Time
ARGENTINA 10:30 PM
West Coast
5:30 PM
Philippines 10:30 AM
Central Europe 2:30 AM
Palestine/Egypt 2:30 AM
East Coast 8:30 PM
George Karl's Dinner Table
6:30 PM
Perth, AUS 8:30 AM
Tokyo, JP 9:30 AM
Sydney, AUS 11:30 AM

Spurs
(6-6)
Matchups

  Warriors
(5-8)

Tony Parker
Disciplined

Point Guard

After hurdling THE Brandon Jennings quite well, the Spurs go up against rookie of the year wannabe Stephen Curry, who has to be the happiest Warrior after Stephen Jackson left for Charlotte and took his 15 shots a game with him. Curry seems to be handling the point guard duties well for Nellie's team, and he can very well shoot from trifecta land with the best of 'em so the Spurs need to check that. Tony Parker, on the other hand, always bounces back from a subpar showing, and historically has played well against small ball type of teams. Can Curry stay in front of TP the whole game? I don't think so.

Advantage: Spurs

(There should be ATS white boxes around their mugs but they don't want to show themselves)


Stephen Curry
So unlike Dad

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Keith Bogans 
A Fascinating Beast

Shooting Guard

I googled "bogan" and that's the definition that Urban Dictionary gave me. Here's more: "The majority of the species are hideously repugnant and unintelligent, and yet they manage to breed in ever-increasing numbers and populate an area known as the outer west." Now that's off-topic right there. Meanwhile, Monta Ellis, despite the reported word war with coach and trade rumors, is having a really good season (20 pts, 5 rebs, 4 ast per game so far) and he just flat out destroyed the Mavs last night, even flirting with the infamous Ian Mahinmi Triple Bumble. He will get his, but the Boogeyman should make Monta work a bit harder and might even rattle some skeletons in Monta's closet.

Advantage: Warriors


Monta Ellis
Moped Madness

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Richard Jefferson
Thank goodness he's no Corey Maggette

Small Forward

If you think about it, RJ is some sort of Maggette clone or Maggette is some sort of RJ clone, whichever suits you better. Both can drive and finish strong, have decent perimeter games, and really fish for fouls effectively. We should be cancelling them out, but I expect Rage to be at his tiny-eared best against run-and-gun type teams, similar to how he dominated the defenseless Raptors.

Advantage: Spurs


Corey Maggette
Thank goodness we didn't sign him

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Antonio McDyess
Slicin' and Dicin'

Center

Miki Moore doesn't like to bang inside and mostly shoots jumpers. Really, he sucks and it only goes to show that by just being born tall, you can land an NBA gig. (see: Muresan, Gheorge or Thabeet, Hasheem for further evidence) McDyess and the other bigs should dominate this Miki dude.

Advantage: Spurs


Miki Moore
Strictly Big Man Fodder

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Tim Duncan
Not The Rock in Pounding the Rock

Power Forward

Yes, that's how mad the Mad Scientist is. You can switch Maggette here but I thought he was better matched up with RJ, so Anthony Morrow it is. He should be able to draw out Timmy or whoever's guarding him to the perimeter, but on the other end, he will get killed. That's just the harsh reality of small ball. (Vlad Rad started last night, but I'm sticking to ultra small ball concepts, so forgive me)

Advantage: Spurs


Anthony Morrow
Undrafted Wonder

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George Hill
Coach's Pet

Bench & Role Players

Our bench has been otstanding the last two games, to say the least. Against the Warriors, Anthony Randolph might try to restore the truthfulness of the Fred Silva Scoring System, and if you look further down the G-State bench, there's some talent there - PtR favorite enemy Raja Bell, Kelenna Azububuzkizoompalohmpa, Ronny "I Wasn't The One Who Jumped Over The Aston Martin, Kobe Did" Turiaf, former Spur Speedy Claxton and Vladimir "Snowboarder" Radmanovic. Name NBA guys, but Don Nelson is their coach so we get the automatic win. And just to sneak in a last word about benches, Asst. Coach Keith Smart used exactly ONE reserve against Dallas. ONE! Since when did that last happen? When Mike D'Antoni was coaching Phoenix? Nellie's making them crazy over there, I tell ya. (real reason was injuries, if you still care)

Advantage: Spurs


Anthony Randolph
SSLS: Strictly Summer League Superstar

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Gregg Popovich
Does not care about you or the regular season

Coach

Too bad Don Nelson the elder went down with pneumonia and won't be at the game, thus dramatically increasing the Dubs' chances of winning. Still, Pop does not take kindly to defense-last teams. (see: Phoenix Suns, 2005-2007)

Advantage: Spurs


Don Nelson
Small Ball or Bust
  images via yahoo.com  

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Other Factors

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Intangibles

Last year, we were pretty inept offensively and we still destroyed them. This season, we have shiny new offensive weapons so I'll just let you do the math.

Advantage:  Spurs

Mojo

Don Nelson is not with the team. Big mojo booster for the Dubs. And yes, they clobbered Dallas again.

Advantage:  Warriors

Winner:  Spurs

The Spurs have won 2 in a row, and they're not about to let some trigger-happy dysfunctional team ruin the team's momentum
Prediction:  Spurs win big.

Keys To The Game

  • Defending the Three and the Fast Break - A 7SOL-type team gets its momentum and adrenaline rush from making threes and getting out on the break. We've proven years back that we can play that type of game and I have no doubt we can still do it this season, but let's not get too carried away. At the end of the day, defense still wins championships.
  • Bench Production - The Spurs bench has been getting it done during the team's last two wins. Hill, Bonner, Blair, Mason and the others should have a field day scoring against the porous Warriors defense. The key word here is should.
  • Mentality - Despite their record, the team shouldn't take this Warriors outfit lightly - they just beat Portland a few days ago and the Mavs last night.

Strength of Schedule

We'll be playing every other day for the rest of November. This game marks the end of a four-game homestand where we hope to salvage a 3-1 finish. After which, we'll have the roadie against Houston before resuming another three-game stretch at the confines of the AT&T Center.

The Dubs are in the second half of their Texas SEGABABA after 3 of them played all 48 minutes in a win over their most favorite opponent, the Dallas Mavericks.  They'll get two days off after this and then head home where another Cali-based team called the Lakers will be waiting.

 

Last Time They Met

Our last meeting with the Warriors resulted in a very convincing road victory with the score of 101-72, and had everyone (except SiMA) believing that the Drew Gooden hovercraft was for real.  We all know how that fling ended.

Some Other Reading

Warriors

Golden State of Mind - The Warriors' SBN blog is one of the most enjoyable blogs around. You gotta give it to Warriors fans, no matter how hard Nelly tries to destroy this franchise, the fans just keep coming and coming at you in waves.  I also happen to have a few countrymen over there who help run the site, but I know crystal clearly that I'm with the better team. Booya.
Warriors World - The TrueHoop blog for the Dubs. I was hoping it was a link to the home page of that trippy cult flick "The Warriors", but alas, it is not. Still, their tagline says it all: "We Got Suck and Salary Protection." Perfect.

Spurs

48 Minutes of Hell:  Best damn TrueHoop affiliate out there. Always a must visit Spurs site.
Project Spurs:  Now featuring live chats, call-in shows and podcasts (in Spanish too).

The (sort of) Daily Twitter

George_Hill3 

Good morning Tweetas! Up early got to get some thing done. Like cut this hair on top of head cause I kno it looks a mess.. But what's up SA!

 

manuginobili 

http://bit.ly/8MHsLJ 2nd HEB Commercial: "Winner takes all" // 2da publicidad HEB. "El ganador se lleva todo".

 

MoneyMase 

I was born 1 mile from the Verizon Center, and know how influential that building was in the revitalization of DC. He leaves a legacy bigger than basketball

 

tp9network 

good win for us lets keep it going!! bonne victoire pour nous faut continuer http://bit.ly/5cyzYY

 

DeJuan45 

RT @BadAss_Jazz: OK SO CALL OF DUTY MODERN WARFARE 2 is going to be the death of our resltionship-n take the joy stick lol!!!

 

You can also find all the official Spurs Sports & Entertainment Twitter accounts here:   http://twitter.com/spurs/official/members

Other things of possible interest

I am officially declaring every Spurs-Warriors game as Filipino heritage night.  Same goes for every team facing Golden State.  I don't even know the social implications of my actions, but what the hell.

Seriously, the Bay Area has been invaded by our kind of immigrant third-worlders. I went there last August and didn't feel like I was in the great US of A at all, save for the serious lack of potholes on roads and dollar signs on every price tag in Costco and Walmart.  Sadly though, the ratio for every Filipino Spurs fan to Filipino Lakers fan is probably .00001 to 1. It should be a little less far apart if you compare it with Filipino Warriors fans. That only goes to show that I'm a fairly rational furriner who has seen the light.

So here's a little background.  I come from a relatively obscure country, and right now Filipinos owe everything to Manny Pacquiao for putting us again on the map (the last time was during People Power in the 1980s, a few years after Imelda Marcos became famous for her shoe collection and spraynet peppered 'dos). So what else do I have to say? Nothing really... just that we are of the kind and generous sort, sprinkled with funny bunches of crazies in between. How crazy? Let our spelling talents speak for ourselves.

And as a bonus, here's what our friendly neighborhood criminals behind bars do in their spare time. Thank you, MJ! I really mean that. I think.

Watch the Thriller video that made them famous here.

Star Wars Status Updates  -  Also, this is where I got today's inspiration for the Facebook spoofs.

Where to Tune In

TV 

This game will be aired by the Fox Sports Network. If you have cable or satellite, you'll have to look up your individual channel (Fox Sports Southwest). And of course, there's always League Pass for the haves.  For the have nots, read on.

Online

As always, NBA League Pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash.  Almost every Spurs game will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area..

Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate.  In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email to dmenendez@gmail.com for more assistance.

Spurs League Pass audio is still free this year, so check it out.

Radio

If you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM).

Comment 27 comments  |  9 recs  | 

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Not to say that you’re other work isn’t great, but to say that you’ve outdone yourself with this post would be a huge understatement. In the obviously carefully chosen words of Mr. WVATS:

Wow. Just freaking wow.

When the tooth fairy's own tooth falls out, it is taken during the night by Princess Peanut.

by the little o on Nov 25, 2009 3:36 AM CST reply actions  

Amazine preview! FB accounts were otstanding!

On the Warriors, they did have only eight healthy players… But I still don’t know why everyone didn’t play. Turiaf, Biedrins, Azubuike, George, Wright, Bell, Claxton, and Watson were all out with injuries. Maggette isn’t fully healed. They might have CJ Watson back for our game, so, yeah, shudder.

"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50

by theonlyromeo on Nov 25, 2009 3:42 AM CST reply actions  

I was reading about the Warriors while writing my comment. So apparently, the only guy that they didn’t play is Chris Hunter. Dunno who he is either. That figures.

"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50

by theonlyromeo on Nov 25, 2009 3:44 AM CST up reply actions  

I read they signed Chris Hunter under a hardship exemption because so many players are inactive. Basically just a body so they could dress the minimum 8 players. He’s done well in the D League. As did Ian.

by doggydogworld on Nov 25, 2009 2:29 PM CST up reply actions  

I don’t know who CJ Watson is. I just picture Earl Watson.

by BlaseE on Nov 25, 2009 8:01 AM CST up reply actions  

Oh and mom, FTW.

"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50

by theonlyromeo on Nov 25, 2009 3:48 AM CST reply actions  

LOL at the twitter piece….

...Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is forty five.

by alamobro on Nov 25, 2009 5:48 AM CST reply actions  

What the hell, man. How are we going to make previews after this one?

Straight from the No-Stat Zone to your computer!
Dunkin' Cheerleaders

by LatinD on Nov 25, 2009 6:20 AM CST reply actions  

Very very nice preview! The Dubs oughta be worn out for a week after last nights victory over Dallas. Let’s do this.

(And I couldn’t find a story to post as a fanshot, but rumor has it that Tyrus Thomas is on the block for the Bulls. I’d make a call, atleast.)

by Ed (dfjmed) on Nov 25, 2009 7:11 AM CST reply actions  

bq.He may not know how to upload a profile picture yet, but he’s got the updates down already. Hallelujah!

DeJuanBlair LOL

by spursfan_needs_counseling on Nov 25, 2009 7:50 AM CST reply actions  

…and I don’t know how to quote a post.
That facebook thing was really good! Thanks for the great preview!

by spursfan_needs_counseling on Nov 25, 2009 8:52 AM CST up reply actions  

great preview, recced…hopefully the GSoM guys come see your facebook stuff

by BlaseE on Nov 25, 2009 8:02 AM CST reply actions  

Wow, just AMAZINE. I haven’t laughed that hard in quite some time. I especially liked Pop’s entry. Here’s hoping we continue the winning tonight.

My people call it "sarcasm." - Lauri

by CapHill on Nov 25, 2009 10:08 AM CST reply actions  

Leave it to RC and Timmeh to find the elusive “do not like” button. I’m still looking for that bastard function.

That was too good, Mark. Just too good.

Try the new PtR--now entirely BAT-FREE!

by Lauri on Nov 25, 2009 10:19 AM CST reply actions  

Seriously, they should make a petition to make that function a reality.

by silverandblack_davis on Nov 25, 2009 6:43 PM CST up reply actions  

BWHAHAHAHAH!! oh man thank you for the laughs…those facebook posts were fucking amazing

"There are two things in life that should never go together.....those two things are cheese and herpes..." - Santa Claus

by Cello the great on Nov 25, 2009 10:42 AM CST reply actions  

You’re good, just plain good. BTW – I’m going to the Houston game! A former student came through with a suite pass to the CIty of Houston’s suite. Guess I’d better not wear my most austentatious Spurs outfit with black and silver bling that night. I’ll have photos of the suite, but may be too far away to get good ones of the game.

by janieannie on Nov 25, 2009 11:03 AM CST reply actions  

GSoMer here....

Just stopped by to check things out, and DAMN! I love your preview. :)

I think the last time the Warriors won in San Antonio was in 1996, all I am hoping for is a competitive game. Good luck to all!

PS. Good to see there are actually Flips outside the Bay Area. :D

by Badly Browned on Nov 25, 2009 12:21 PM CST reply actions  

Well done

Wow, this is holiday worthy for sure! Let’s see if Los Spurs can keep the good times rolling against the Mav’s arch rival in GS. Happy Thanksgiving all!

by Big50 on Nov 25, 2009 12:35 PM CST reply actions  

I won’t be here tonight—I’ll be frolicking with my nieces and nephews and the rest of my kickass family. We’ll all sit around and share lolcats and funny videos while we watch the Spurs game. It’s a change from the way I usually spend my nights, but I’m looking forward to it anyway.

I hope we win tonight, and I hope you all have a very happy Thanksgiving (if you’re from the U.S.) or a very happy Thursday (if you’re not).

Viva las Espuelas!

Try the new PtR--now entirely BAT-FREE!

by Lauri on Nov 25, 2009 12:48 PM CST reply actions  

I got my first chess set from a Philippino family friend. I was in second grade and I have never forgotten my wonder at seeing a bunch of small pieces standing tall in a glassy dome on a snazzy looking board. Probably the only memory I have from that period. And this was in Libya.

This is one LOLcats preview. You have me in stitches.

by LionZion on Nov 25, 2009 1:21 PM CST reply actions  

LOL!

Loved it, first time reader! Why is Blair always laughing though?

Anyway I’m a Filipino Spurs fan.. and yes I have noticed that there aren’t many. That makes me prouder to be one! Hope the Spurs have a comfortable win!

by bdictjame on Nov 25, 2009 4:11 PM CST reply actions  

I hate the fact that most Spurs games start just as I have to head off to teach the last class of the day. Fortunately the semester only has 1 and 1/2 more weeks.

Oh yeah, nice preview.

Going for the first even year championship!

by Sh!fty on Nov 25, 2009 6:34 PM CST reply actions  

Thanks guys, I knew Golden State wouldn’t let me down :)

And yay, heritage night seems to be sorta working!

by silverandblack_davis on Nov 25, 2009 6:44 PM CST reply actions  

I just got back from a week of escort duty (accompanying some visiting relatives from CA). Wow, I missed a lot of Spurs games and all the great posts here at PtR. I missed the game but I just have to catch up on everthing. Great preview Davis!

by TD21 on Nov 26, 2009 12:51 AM CST reply actions  

For a second there I thought you were a prostitute.

If you haven't lived with a squirrel, you haven't lived. - Bob Ross

by Hipuks on Nov 26, 2009 4:22 AM CST up reply actions  

Lol. Then something’s definitely wrong ’cause I went home with way less cash than I started the week with.

by TD21 on Nov 26, 2009 7:49 AM CST up reply actions  

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