Counting W's for Week 12

By: Atma Brother #1 of Golden State of Mind

Warriors Weekly Rewind
After a difficult opening to 2008, the Warriors have rebounded with 3 wins in their last 4 games.

• Game 35: Warriors 130, Spurs 121- Most hoops junkies don't exactly classify the Spurs as exciting, but that's exactly what this overtime thriller was.
  
• Game 36: Warriors 91, Trail Blazers 109- At least CJ Watson aka KBLX aka 102.9 aka Mr. 100 had a nice debut!
  
• Game 37: Warriors 116, Grizzlies 104- Warrior killer Mike Miller finally, finally (!) came back down to earth.
  
• Game 38: Warriors 106, Pacers 101- You could tell the Roaracle crowd wanted this W in the worst way and the Pacers obliged in quarters 2, 3, and 4.
  

This week the Warriors make their way through mid-America where the weather is colder than most Bay Area folk could ever imagine. All of their games are on the road, but don't be misled. They have a cupcake schedule this week and a great chance to get a 6 game winning streak going. Every single opponent they'll see this week has a sub .500 record. Don't be surprised if all of these teams are in the lottery come May. And don't be surprised if the Warriors return home on Martin Luther King Day as one of the hottest teams in the association even after playing a pair of back-to-backs away from the Bay.


Tuesday January 15: Warriors @ Timberwolves
The last time these two squads squared off the Warriors gave us some more presents the day after Christmas at the Roaracle. Although the Dubs got that W, the Timberwolves played well in the 2nd half and made it closer than it needed to be. That might not get it done away from Oakland, so the Warriors will need to put in an even better effort this time around.

The T-Wolf who did the most damage that night was Al Jefferson, the only real deal player Minnesota got back in the trade with the Boston Celtics. Jefferson nearly went for a 20-20 against the Warriors and he's fully capable of exceeding those numbers this time around. You don't hear enough about this young big man because he's played on two awful teams the past two seasons, but he's good enough to merit some All-Star consideration even in the mighty Western Conference with his averages of 20.2 ppg, 11.8 rpb, plus a swat and a pick nightly. If the Warriors focus their gameplan on shutting Jefferson down with some double teams and pack the zone down low, they're going to enjoy watching the rest of his supporting cast fail trying to pick up the slack. The Timberwolves are going to need career nights from guys like Marko Jaric, Craig Smith, Rashad McCants, and Sebastian Telfair if the Warriors focus on shutting down Jefferson. I'm willing to gamble that that's not going to happen.

The Timberwolves are the league's worst team by far at a dismal 5-31 (.139) and for good reason. They're bad and we're not talking about the way Michael Jackson was super BAD in the 80's. The Warriors have the ability to put Minnesota away by the half which will hopefully open up some playing time for rookies Marco Belinelli and Brandan Wright. Ideally Nellie will also be able to rest his starters and save them for the big match up the following night.
Prediction: 1 for the W column


Wednesday January 16: Warriors @ Pacers
The Dubs couldn't have gotten off to a worse start against the Pacers this past Sunday. That simply can't happen on the road in the Pacers' building. Indiana isn't fielding a good team and if they were in the West their record would be much worse. However you can't discount how much the Pacers' home crowd would like to get one against Stephen Jackson and the Warriors. Former Warrriors Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, and Ike Diogu would probably love to win this one too. It's going to be loud- not Roaracle pumped up mind you- but emotions will definitely be riding high for this fun game.

BUT Jackson and Al Harrington are going to want this game even more than the Indy crowd and the three former Warriors. These guys have heart and it's going to be on full display at the Conseco Fieldhouse. This is a closely knit Warriors team and don't think for a second that their teammates aren't going to do their absolute best to help their friends get a nice, convincing W against the team that sent them packing for the much warmer and cooler (!) West Coast.

When these two teams first squared off after the 8 player mega trade last year in Indiana, the Warriors came out firing and took an early lead of 16 points. They of course went on to blow out the Pacers with Jack leading the way with 36 points. Remember that was with Baron Davis sitting out nursing an injury. I'm just saying...
Prediction: Another one for the W column


Friday January 18: Warriors @ Bulls
This Friday's game in Chicago will be nationally televised on ESPN which should be blessing for everyone involved- except for the Bulls. The Warriors love the spotlight and a big win and game from Baron Davis would really help his cause for a well-deserved Western Conference All-Star selection. Warrior fans would love to see their squad and players get their proper due on the national screen as they outgun one of the league's big disappointments in an arena where so much 90's NBA history has gone down.

On the other hand the Bulls are going to hate trying to keep up with the Dubs, especially with everyone watching and talking about their struggles. This season the Bulls have been surrendering 99.7 ppg and scoring only 93.9 ppg. They're also one of the league worst shooting teams at 41.7%. That just won't get it done, especially against a team like the Warriors who can surge to a big lead with their fast paced offense and hot shooting before you even know what hit you.
Prediction: Another one for the W column


Saturday January 16: Warriors @ Bucks
When the Bucks came to town over a month ago the Warriors got an Yi-sy 30 point win. Since then the Bucks have gone 7-14 and they're rumored to want blow up their whole team, so expect another fairly Yi-sy win. Last time the Warriors did it by outhustling the Bucks and getting hot from outside. The Warriors nailed 15 of 22 treys that night good for 68.2% which is unlikely to continue, but their advantages in speed and athleticism still remain intact. There's a reason why not even a single Bucks' player had a positive or even neutral +/- stat the last time the faced the Warriors. They just can't keep up and they aren't a very good team.

One thing that could nullify the Warriors hustle advantage against the Bucks is the fatigue factor. It's worth mentioning that the Warriors would be emotionally drained after their game in Indy and national spotlight Friday night festivity. Nellie will have to play his cards right this season and make sure his starters have enough energy and aren't burnt out by the time they reach this Saturday game. In such a tight Western Conference playoff race with 10 teams fighting for 8 spots, these are the game you can not drop under any circumstance.

The Bucks are another Central Division team in some chaos that the Warriors are only going to make worse. It's a great week to be a Warriors fan!
Prediction: Another one for the W column


Overall Week 12 Prediction: 4-0


What are your predictions for week 12 for the Dubs?
To make things easier for tracking everyone's picks for the Warriors all season long use Ballhype's NBA Games section and make sure to join the Golden State of Mind Community group.

Also definitely keep posting your Warrior thoughts and questions in the comments. We'll make sure to get to them next week in a W Column Mailbag.