Mavericks Can’t Help But Root For Lovable Golden State Warriors

OAKLAND--The underdog Golden State Warriors have captured the hearts of America this spring with their adventurous style of play and fearless, never-say-die attitude. Their home games are raucous celebrations, driven by 20,000 screaming fans trying to will their team to victory. The enthusiasm has become so infectious that even their opponents, the Dallas Mavericks, have jumped on the bandwagon.

“It’s real hard not to root for these guys,” Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki said after Sunday’s loss.
”They play with such joy and abandon, and the atmosphere here is so electric, that you can’t help but get swept up in it. When this series started I was totally rooting for us, but then, slowly but surely, I was transformed. Now all we have to do is make sure to win Game 5 in Dallas so we can give the Warriors a chance to finish the series in front of their home crowd.”

The Mavericks were heavy favorites coming into the series, but seem to have been blind sided by Golden State’s fast paced, chaotic style of play and surprisingly effective defense.

“Who knew these guys could play like this?” said point guard Jason Terry, who has the unenviable task of defending Baron Davis. “We thought we were going to take this series in 5 games, or possibly 6, but he we are down 3-1. I tell ya, these guys are a joy to behold. From Baron Davis’ slashing drives to Stephen Jackson’s fearless jump shooting to Jason Richardson’s acrobatics, I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun getting beat. 2007 truly is the year of the Warriors.”

Following Sunday’s loss, the Mavericks gathered at their practice facility to watch tape of the game and marvel at the Warriors’ high flying, relentless attack. Laughter and applause echoed through the room as the players and coaches cheered on their new favorite team.

“Now I want to slow the tape down here and I want you to focus on Baron Davis,” said coach Avery Johnson. “As you can see, he has the ball at the top of the key, he’s dribbling away, he’s looking around, and then – wham! – he drives into the lane like a bolt of lightning and nails an uncontested lay-up. Totally uncontested. Where’s the defense? It’s nowhere to be found. Here, let me rewind that again. Check out the look on Dirk’s face as Baron is whizzing past him. It’s priceless.”

But the play that drew the biggest applause from the Mavs was Davis’ half-court buzzer beater to close out the second quarter.

“Look, he’s dribbling up the court, then he let’s go a prayer,” Johnson said. “The ball is in the air, the crowd is frozen with anticipation, and then…it’s good! It’s good! The crowd is going nuts! It’s like everything these guys throw up in the air goes in. I’ve never seen anything like it - except for every time we played them during the regular season. I guess we could try and play a little better defense, but that would ruin the fun wouldn’t it?”

There may be just one person in the Mavericks organization who is not swept up in the Golden State Warriors love-fest, and that person is Mark Cuban. The Mavs owner appreciates the Warriors’ talent and execution, but still believes he has the better team.

“We’re going to come out on top in this series. I truly believe that,” said Cuban. “Golden State has done a great job exposing some of our weaknesses, but I think we can turn things around once we get our composure back. You just watch. Our home crowd is going to be nuts tonight. They’re going to be screaming at the tops of their lungs. They’re going to blow the roof off the joint. I just pray, with every fiber of my being, that they are not wearing yellow t-shirts.”

Email Button Print screen button