Utah at Golden State: Game 3 Notes
Baron Davis = Superstar
-I need to get myself one of those “We Believe” T-shirts.
-I think it’s safe to assume that Biedrins and Kirilenko are the two guys in this series who spend the most time working on their hair. Think they compare notes and compliment one another when they cross paths on the court? I wouldn’t bet against it.
(Don’t worry Matt Barnes, I’m fully aware of that mini-mohawk thing you’ve got going on. It’s a good look for you.)
-ESPN brought us the game tonight. Here’s my question: How is Hubie Brown — who called the game alongside Mike Tirico — still on top of his game while Dick Stockton has turned into a bumbling fool? I mean, they’re both ancient, but one guy is decisively better at his job than the other. I’m confused.
(NBA TV ran game 3 of the Pistons/Bulls ECF series from ‘89 this week — the one where Mike (at the absolute zenith of his athletic powers) hits an impossible running jumper over Rodman and Zeke to win the game. Hubie and Dick were calling the game for CBS, and it’s shocking to observe how much Stockton’s skills as an announcer have declined over the years. Sad, really.)
-In the first quarter, Baron juked D-Fish with one of the nastiest right-to-left crossovers you’ll ever see. So mean.
-I know it’s been beaten to death, but how about that Oakland crowd. And congrats to the ESPN producer who made the decision to break out the decibel-level reader.
(The last time I heard an arena this loud, ironically enough, was when the Bulls and Jazz played in the Finals about a decade ago. The Delta Center was so loud that Phil Jackson had to wear earplugs.)
-Kirilenko might be my favorite shot-blocker in the whole League. I love his reaction (or lack thereof) after stuffing a shot. He’s like a KGB assassin after making a kill. Just puts his head down and walks away as if nothing happened. Cold-blooded.
-Hubie Brown in the first quarter: “Don’t you love it? You gotta love it when young guys have soft hands!” Um, whatever you say, creepy old guy.
-After Biedrins dunked over Kirilenko with extreme prejudice midway through the second quarter, I screamed out loud, and then the following question popped into my head: Have two white guys ever been featured in a SLAM-a-da-month? Could we be witnessing history tonight?
-Halftime score: Dubs 70, Jazz 49
(Was there any doubt, I mean any doubt whatsoever, that the Warriors would win tonight? The NBA even trotted out Dick Bevetta for crying out loud! The Jazz might as well have stayed in their hotel rooms and ordered themselves some porn or something.)
-I don’t know if this is new or not — it’s certainly the first time I’ve noticed it — but Golden State’s crowd loses major points for breaking out the thunderstix. You cannot be considered a great crowd and still resort to thunderstix. Whoever made the decision to hand those out is a douchebag, pure and simple.
-Seriously, does Golden State ever miss a three point shot attempt when they’re playing at home?
(Another thing about this Warriors team: They’re one of the few squads - if not the only squad - who keeps the game immensely watchable regardless of the score. They could be leading by 50 and you would feel guilty if you flicked over to another channel.)
-Alright, I’m convinced: Baron Davis, thanks to these Playoffs, is now arguably the most exciting player to watch when coming off a screen. Did you see that spin move to split the trapping double team in the third quarter? He practically disappeared. Diiiiiirty.
(Speaking of disappearing, what a great 360 degree bank shot by The Baron in the fourth quarter. The last time I saw him do something like that was against the Pacers when he was an explosive guard for the Hornets. Ah, memories.)
-So many great things about the Baron Davis dunk on Andrei Kirilenko:
*How high Davis got, and how viciously he dunked it. I mean, he cocked that waaaaaaay back.
*Adonal Foyle busting out the Mutombo-during-the-dunk-contest face. Welcome to the Playoffs, big fella.
*I hate to compare anyone’s dunks to Vince Carter’s (because it’s usually an insult to Vince), but that dunk was the closest thing to the one Half-Man threw down on Zo in Miami last season.
*So much for that white-on-white slam-a-da-month.
*I can’t decide which dunk was better: Baron’s on AK-47 or Kevin Johnson’s on Dream in the ‘94 Playoffs. Tough call.
*I love Mike Tirico’s reaction: “OOOOOHHHHHH MAAAN!!!” Yes, Mike. Glad to see you’re awake.
*There’s a good chance that Kirilenko’s wife filed for divorce immediately after witnessing the dunk.
*The fact that two of my buddies called seconds after it happened, and the fact that we both just started screaming into our cell phones. No words were needed.
*And my absolute favorite moment of the playoffs so far: Stephen Jackson calmly dusting off Baron Davis after the throwdown. I almost fell out of my chair laughing when I saw that.
Mini postgame analysis:
-Man, Don Nelson is one cranky son of a bitch now that he doesn’t have something to sip on during the postgame press conference. He chewed a reporter’s head off because dude had the gall to ask him about Golden State’s defensive strategy against Boozer. Chill out, coach. Have a cold one. Oh wait, you can’t. Sucks to be you.
-In order for the Warriors to tie up the series in Game Four, a few things need to happen: the bombs need to keep falling (they hit 15 of them in game 3); Baron needs to have another monster game; they need to keep Utah’s rebounding edge under 15; and it would be nice if Deron Williams found himself in foul trouble early on again.
OK, we now have a series. And it’s a great one. I can’t wait until Sunday night. Oakland, baby. Oakland.
83 Responses to “Utah at Golden State: Game 3 Notes”
May.12 at 4:12 am
Chou says:
first!
May.12 at 4:27 am
Bozaframa says:
I loved the forearm to AK47’s mug, THEN the flush. OOOOOOHHHHH MAN!!!!!
May.12 at 4:30 am
mutoni says:
holy crap. i thought russ was the only person who stayed up this late.
May.12 at 4:58 am
paul wall says:
Is B-Diddy turning into LJ’s Grandmama? He’s wearing a corset!
May.12 at 5:00 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Haha. I got home tonight in time for the end of the rebroadcast and the Baron dunk again, and just—I can’t even think of the words.
May.12 at 5:18 am
Darksaber says:
Incredible playoffs by the Baron. Inspiring stuff. The crowd in Oakland is on some loud soccer type spiel, fantastic. Hope this series goes seven games. The contrasting styles of both teams shows how you can win in basketball. Never would have thought a “live by the 3″ team would be this succesfull in the postseason. I love this game.
And that dunk by Baron? Even better than the fastbreak one he stuffed on KG years back. Wow.
May.12 at 5:20 am
Darksaber says:
Whoo!! dusting off the man: words fail me. immeasurable coolness factor.
May.12 at 5:22 am
Darksaber says:
Russ, how the hell did Stephen get up so high to flush it, two handed none the less, all up in AK47’s grill in the first half. his knees were at Andrei’s neck!!! Whoooo! indeed.
May.12 at 6:28 am
Cheryl says:
Why is Baron wearing those rubber thingys that old guys werar to hide their beer gut? Awesome game. You gotta be a fan of the Warriors if you love basketball.
May.12 at 6:56 am
Slobodan Chutzpah says:
Or maybe Kirilenko’s wifey didn’t divorce him but instead just cancelled his “annual freebie pass”.
May.12 at 6:57 am
Slobodan Chutzpah says:
If you, indeed, know what I’m saying.
May.12 at 7:30 am
Darksaber says:
We do Slobo, we do.
May.12 at 8:57 am
Boing Dynasty says:
That was a nifty slam dunk.
May.12 at 10:29 am
Rod Strickland says:
Baron Davis=GOD
May.12 at 10:30 am
Rod Strickland says:
GOD=Baron Davis
May.12 at 10:36 am
ALX8725 says:
Baron was an absolute BEAST playing with a sore hamstring and a cold. He felt like tonight was the night to make layups that have a difficulty degree of 1 billion, spilt the pick and roll traps with an AND1 spin moves to find a cutting Jax at MACH speed, and then he decides to posterize AK47 for the hell of it. Some of the funniest stuff I’ve read about Baron tonight, “I never knew Baron owned an Ak47.” and “AK47 found his place tonight…. as the Beard’s ottoman.” How did SLAM leave Baron out of their Top 50 in the preseason?
May.12 at 10:37 am
ALX8725 says:
http://www.sfgate.com/c/pictures/2007/05/12/sp_warrior4qtrgame34942kw.jpg
May.12 at 10:48 am
yo says:
AK-47 is now Andrei .22
May.12 at 10:54 am
ALX8725 says:
Not too long ago, Baron Davis had a street in LA named after him. Soon thereafter, the city had to renamed the street because too many people had died trying to cross it. No one crosses Baron Davis and lives.
May.12 at 10:59 am
Jake Appleman says:
the baron dunk brought “boomshackalacka” back, all the way from the first nba jam.
May.12 at 11:16 am
mutoni says:
“I think I was late on the help,” Kirilenko said with a grin. “At least I got to be on the poster.”
May.12 at 11:21 am
Rod Strickland says:
I think Spaulding looks good imprinted on AK’s forehead.
May.12 at 11:23 am
Ben Osborne says:
C’mon NBA photos, have a pic for us!
May.12 at 11:24 am
ALX8725 says:
The Warriors didn’t like Lil Wayne’s “Make It Rain” so they remixed it in the form of Game 3 of the Warriors/Jazz series.
May.12 at 11:28 am
mutoni says:
the pics for the dunk have all been pretty crap-tacular.
May.12 at 11:30 am
ALX8725 says:
Mutoni, check out SFgate.com for pics for that dunk. I tried posting a link for one of the pics but it is “awaiting moderation.”
May.12 at 11:35 am
mutoni says:
hey, sfgate.com, quite being jerks with your photos. i don’t want to be reminded of the fact that baron clobbered ak-47 in the grill before dunking.
May.12 at 11:43 am
deestarbuckz the Notorious H.A.T.E. says:
WOW…
May.12 at 11:46 am
Rod Strickland says:
It’s good to see Monta with his chin up again.
May.12 at 11:48 am
ALX8725 says:
I’ve been raving about Monta all season to my friends outside of the Bay Area that don’t get a chance to watch him regularly… and his performance in this year’s playoffs aren’t helping my claims at all…
May.12 at 11:53 am
Rod Strickland says:
How many times can Baron top himself in one playoff run? The expectations for game 4 are two half court buzzer beaters, seventeen crossovers, fourteen no look pass-assists, and a dunk over the ghost of Mark Eaton. And he’ll still top that!
May.12 at 11:59 am
mike says:
GOTDAM
May.12 at 12:02 pm
mike says:
GOTDAM Andrei Kirilenko welcome to SLAMADAMONTH
May.12 at 12:05 pm
derreck says:
Let’s not get carried away with the DUNK, is it legal to give a forearm shiver to the opponents head to clear room for your dunk. Didn’t see it in the actual play but Baron gave AK a monster forearm to the grill to clear room, coincidentally the same way Vince cleared room from Zo with the off-arm. Hubie is so washed up. I don’t know where he was but I started listening to him washed up on TNT broadcasts and he was boring and outdated. Then he was coach and everyone was like WTF? Then he retired again as a coach and he was a hot commodity so ABC through him on as their lead analyst when he was washed up three years before that? He is worse then Doug collins and the Kevin Harlin combo combined! ABC PUT MARK JACKSON ON ALL YOUR TELECASTS…HE’S HILLARIOUS…
May.12 at 12:07 pm
dez says:
BARON DAVIS DUNKED ON EVERY RUSSIAN EVER!!
May.12 at 12:07 pm
Mike says:
The perfect ending to that ridiculous dunk sequence would have been if Baron had not just showed the world his girdle and nipples, but had just flung his jersey into the crowd and jogged off to the locker room without saying a word to anyone.
May.12 at 12:09 pm
Mike says:
Baron’s beard is exceptionally strong.
May.12 at 12:09 pm
Alpha-bet says:
B.Davis?…Slam-of-da-year!
one of the best yoke outs of the 2000’s
May.12 at 12:19 pm
mutoni says:
derreck, shame on you for hating on hubie. the man is an institution. your basketball iQ increases dramatically just by listening to one of his broadcasts.
May.12 at 12:26 pm
bootlace says:
derreck=fun police
May.12 at 12:41 pm
ALX8725 says:
bootlace, dont you mean: derreck = no fun police.
May.12 at 12:52 pm
Dylan Rice-Leary says:
This has been one of the finest playoff seasons for any single player that I have ever seen. Baron and company are playing videogame ball and winning. I love it. ESPN can choke on it. If I hear one more complaint about the playoffs missing all the league stars, I am justy going to smile now after what I’ve been seeing.
May.12 at 1:18 pm
k says:
GET UP SONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
May.12 at 1:22 pm
Michael says:
Itwas only about 3-4 years ago that Baron Davis was considered the best pg in the league. I think SI had it in their NBA preview a couple years back.
May.12 at 1:38 pm
J-Bird says:
Kirilenko should be forced to retire after Baron messed on him like that.
May.12 at 1:39 pm
sixthman6 says:
@ derreck, i think the refs usually let the forearm go as long as he doesnt extend his arm, that might be the actual rule too i believe
May.12 at 2:45 pm
Co Co says:
I think I caught a cold from B Diddy during his post game press conference. He was sniffling after every sentence.
May.12 at 2:57 pm
Kyle S says:
What a golden god. That was the most exciting game I’ve seen since the Horry shot in 2001. Thanks, Nellie, for letting them offa the leash. http://the-second-coming.blogspot.com
May.12 at 3:32 pm
klaus says:
i am from austria, which means i stayed up to watch the game at 3 a.m. and it was worth every second of it, baron davis is the truth
May.12 at 4:09 pm
MTLien says:
anyone know where i can find the biedrins dunk?
May.12 at 4:27 pm
Tariq says:
Like my momma used to say: “Gully is as gully does.”
May.12 at 4:56 pm
mutoni says:
you momma had a way with words, tariq.
May.12 at 5:00 pm
Tariq says:
Merci, Marcel, as Ryan would say.
May.12 at 5:43 pm
slate says:
Baron D for president!!!!! I’m getting me one of those blue waist wraps Diddy wears. THIS JUST IN:AK-47′S WIFE FELT SO SORRY FOR HUBBY,SHE SAYS HE CAN HAVE A THREESOME WITH ANY TWO WOMEN HE WANTS.
May.12 at 6:08 pm
Andrei Kirelinko says:
Dammit, I shouldda gotten there earlier! Leave me alone guys!! I bet you won’t laugh as much when Baron dunks on Carlos next GAME!!!
May.12 at 7:08 pm
shu says:
yap. Who didn’t see this win coming? I sure did. I actually wanted to see whatever that AND1 announcer dude’s name is come out and say “OOOOOOHHHHHH BBBAAAAAAABBBBBBBBYYYYYY!!!!!! BBBEEEE DIZZZZZZZZLLLLLLEEEE!!” and grab the ball and chuck it into the crowd and the game would be over. Not that it wasn’t over after the half, as your game notes clearly show. Game four should be closer but I’m still expecting GSW to tie it up. Ya, I hope that’s a slamadamonth, with AK on the cover. UTAHCOVER.
May.12 at 7:18 pm
shu says:
btw, where has Baron been the last…. 4 seasons? Shouldn’t he have a signaature shoe by now? Shouldn’t he be on a first name basis with the entire league by now? I don’t think it was all injury that set him back. Wasn’t this the same team that finished 2005 going 15-1 or something ludacris like that? Why is it that this dude can’t bring it every night every season like this? It’s a disservice to everyone if he avoids the spotlight this much. I think he needs an article explaining himself. Ya, he can be on the cover but with JRich if possible. I don’t think NBAJam gets mentioned on this site enough. How can Bill Laimbeer’s combat basketball be mentioned more than the best NBA video game EVER?
May.12 at 7:34 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Baron Davis has always been there if you knew where to look. Remember when one of Tracy McGrady’s first-round exits was helped along by two straight Baron triple-doubles?
May.12 at 7:51 pm
ALX8725 says:
shu, Baron has been tearing it up at GSW for awhile now. Honestly, aside from that posterizing dunk, us GSW fans have seen this kind of play from Baron for awhile now, so it’s not as surprising to us as it is the rest of the country. He hit like… at least 5 clutch shots to win games last year. Baron DOES bring it every night. It’s just that because he’s the best player on a team that used to have not much talent up until Jan. 07′ (it was only him and Jrich carrying the show, before Nellie showed up, then Jax and Al; and then Monta and AB developed greatly under Nellie) so he would try to do too much, and eventually get injured because of that. Baron does have his own signature shoe, he’s under Reebok. Shu, you’ve never watched the Warriors play your home team?
May.12 at 8:52 pm
T Calarco says:
The picture of the dunk that I saw shows Baron’s hand placed squarely on Kirilenko’s forehead. Is that correct, or was the picture altered?
May.12 at 8:54 pm
Drolfe says:
Baron put one on JO like that in an opening round a few years back, didn’t he?. Like that, but really nothing like that. Goodness gracious me.
May.12 at 10:26 pm
CBeezy says:
Baron Davis is the new Chuck Norris
May.12 at 10:29 pm
ALX8725 says:
Baron has posterized plenty of people. He put KG on a poster back when he was in Charlotte too.
May.12 at 11:29 pm
bootlace says:
ESPN kept highlighting that Baron Davis tied a career playoff high with 9 assits, that cant be true can it, especially since he had those 2 triple doubles against Orlando.
May.12 at 11:43 pm
mutoni says:
according to basketball-reference.com, diddy had three games of 10 assists or more in that series against orl in 2k2. as always, listening to anything espn says is detrimental to your mental health.
May.13 at 12:46 am
illydiva says:
Can’t say anything about Baron’s dunk on AK that hasn’t already been said, but whomever doesn’t appreciate Hubie calling the games is missing a few ____. Of all the jokers they have calling the games right now, Hubie is the best. He should call them all…and if we can’t have Mark Jackson as his podna, then Mike Tirico will do.
May.13 at 1:02 am
1hush D says:
Hubie Good. Everybody else suck. Where the hell is Brent Musberger? The Blue girdle must be a gut protector, elbow deflector. Too Easy was huge but Gstate needs WarJak to step up in game 4…………./////////Nellie should sign a contract with a beer company and drink his beer despite the League’s requests. The contract would simply provide the beer and cover all fines associated with drinking it at the press conferences. And he should go back to PBR, independent and virtual brewery.
May.13 at 2:11 am
Simmy Sosa says:
Anyone see Stephen Jackson boost himself off AK47 and throw down? That was equally nasty!!!
May.13 at 3:55 am
hansosword says:
KJ over Dream.
May.13 at 3:59 am
DeePee says:
Kudos on calling out GSW management for passing out the Thunderstix — I refused to use them at the Giants/Cardinals 2002 NLCS Game 4 (the last postseason game I could attend/afford), and I refused to use them Friday night. If you ever catch me using them, I’ll probably be doing the wave as well, after which I’ll die from shame. Also, I still don’t know how Jackson kept a straight face while dusting off Baron-the-Posterizer. Classic.
May.13 at 4:01 am
sush carter says:
YAY AREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
May.13 at 1:05 pm
mad max says:
i never knew californians could ball. much love and props to my man BARON DAVIS!!!!!
May.13 at 2:55 pm
shu says:
Please take a look at this picture. Let the link load, it’s at the very bottom of the page. It’s that dunk, but… http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=659394&start=0
May.13 at 3:07 pm
KA says:
just damn.
May.13 at 4:11 pm
vince w says:
AK just used up his free pass cuz Baron just f***ed him!!!!
May.13 at 4:16 pm
joe says:
I must say, getting to watch the game on FSN Bay Area > having to hear Mike Tirrico and Hubbie Brown. Thanks Bob Fitzgerald! Ill be there today and I’ll let you know first hand if Dick Stockton is in fact a talking corpse.
May.13 at 8:59 pm
Chris says:
Baron Davis is a MAN
May.13 at 9:19 pm
ALX8725 says:
Jessica Alba graces the Oracle Arena for the 2nd time!
May.13 at 11:30 pm
james says:
Golden state will lose and that tacky yellow yuck they cry like babys too much to go to play det or san but if they make it there they get crushed nuff said if they lose tonight they are done i think LUCK has run out on them GO SPURS
May.14 at 12:21 am
jj says:
one game away from the conf. finals!
Jessica Alba or not… JAZZ WIN
May.14 at 12:34 am
ALX8725 says:
yeahh… Jazz played pretty damn well tonight. Highlight of my night was getting to see Jessica Alba.
May.14 at 12:47 am
jj says:
Won’t argue there…
May.14 at 2:49 am
Carl Denney says:
Baron is the next Shaft!