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When you're setting out to make History, it's always wise to start with two Bruins. And Golden State Head Coach Don Nelson is no dummy, so he inserted hard-working Matt Barnes into his starting line-up for crucial Game 6. Nellie knew that it was do-or-die, because going back to Dallas for a Game 7 was not a palatable option. So he gave the nod to Barnes, despite Matt's strained hamstring. And Barnes didn't make Nelson regret it. Barnes led the team in Assists with 7, and if he had gotten 3 more, he would have had a Triple-Double, because he scored 16 Points and grabbed 11 Rebounds. His facialization of Dirk Nowitsky (who had a horrible game) on a dunk was one of the exclamation point plays of the 111-86 laugher.
But Barnes wasn't the Bruin of the Hour. That award definitely goes to Baron Davis. Baron's remarkable performance, after he sustained knee and hamstring injuries early in the game, will go down in History with games by Willis Reed, Michael Jordan, and Kirk Gibson as some of the guttiest exhibitions of Sports Heroism ever.
Baron was already suffering from a recurring knee ailment when he pulled up lame with a strained hamstring. He came off the court, and went to the locker room. They taped up his hammy, and sent him back. He tried to come back, but had to again return to the locker room. Finally, he re-emerged and re-entered the game, which was still close. But he could barely move -- He couldn't drive and penetrate on Offense, and he was a liability on Defense because he couldn't stay in front of his man.
But Baron overcame it all. On Offense, he resorted to outside shots, and he hit three in a row from Downtown while scoring 11 straight Golden State points in the 2nd Quarter. On Defense, he just called for help when about to get beat, and his teammates' pre-arranged help compensated beautifully for Davis' immobility. Gimpy Davis was able to defy the pain and still snatch a Steal, pull down, 10 Rebounds, dish out 6 Assists, and score 20 Points. So Barnes was just 3 Assists short of a Triple-Double, and Baron was just 4 Assists shy of doing it too. How often do two guys from the same College both attain Triple-Doubles for the same Pro team in the same game?
The Bruins' heroics notwithstanding, the Mavs were down only 2 at the Half. But then, between Golden State's solid team Defense and Novitsky & Co.'s ice cold shooting, the Warriors took over in the 2nd Half, scoring 18 straight points in the 3rd to blow it open. In front of their raucous home crowd, who hadn't seen a Playoff Game in 13 years, the frenetic Warriors were just the better team. If it weren't for Jerry Stackhouse's torrid shooting in the first half, the Mavs would have been out of the game much earlier. He was the only guy from Dallas who really showed up. You knew Dallas was in trouble when they were relying on Devean George to hit outside jumpers.
So with the victory, Golden State becomes the first 8th-seeded team in NBA History to beat a 1 Seed in a Best-of-7 Series. 8-Seeds have won only two other times, but both times were in Best-of-5 Series.
So Baron and Barnes have etched a new entry into the NBA Record Books by shocking Mark Cuban's team. Cuban was shown on TV frequently, but the game was so out of hand, that he wasn't as demonstrative as usual -- just sad and quiet -- which was still satisfying to see. Because how long until he starts complaining about the Refs costing his team the Series? C'mon Mark, just because so many people hate you doesn't mean that the Referees are conspiring against you. They're too busy conspiring against the team with the least White players (if you believe that ridiculous new study that just came out -- and you shouldn't).
Now that the Warriors have dispensed with the winningest team in the League, is there any reason why they can't win it all? Not really. They can certainly compete with their next opponent, be it Houston (probably) or Utah. They beat Houston 2 of 3 this year, and the Warriors are gellin' NOW. Then would come Phoenix (probably) or San Antoinio. The Lakers showed that Phoenix can be compromised by ONE GUY, so a five-man team should be able to make a real Series out of it. And if they win the West, they should win it all, although the Pistons are no slouches, speaking of five-man TEAMS. All five of their starters average in double-figures (sort of like next year's Bruins?).
But with Darrick Martin's Raptors on the brink of extinction, the double-Bruin Warriors are definitely the team for UCLA fans to support. And Baron and Matt, with their ballsy performances, are sure to make those fans proud to be Bruins.
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One little note about someone we hate as if he were a trojan: Danny Ainge was shown getting hugged by Charles Barkley in an old highlight. When Barkley saw it, he groaned and said Ainge is the guy who "turned the Celtics into the Clippers." Nice, Gnarls! Ainge deserves it, just like he deserved Horry's towel being thrown in his face. And it's understandable that Chuck was perturbed, since he had boldly predicted that the Warriors were going to get blown out of this Series.
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Below are a few photos that feature a Cowboy hat, in honor of Dallas going down. Also, there is a photo of one of our new products, that bears a few letters that you have been requesting...
We now sell BLUE shirts that you can wear proudly to Pauley and the Rose Bowl when the Bruins ask you to turn the venue BLUE.
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