Bay Area Sports Blogging

The game against the Lakers which the Warriors won 108-106 was a gift from the Lakers. If Coach Jackson were to have kept dumping the ball down-low to Bynum, the game would have long been over. But they went away from that option which led to the late game heroics by Baron Davis.

But a win is better than a loss, so I'm sure the Warriors aren't going to return the gift. The win also pushed the Warriors into 7th place in the conference. Utah has dropped like a rock these past few weeks with a crazy long losing streak. McGrady has all but given up on the season as the Rockets looks more like bottom feeders than a top-tier team. The team to watch out for is the Portland Trailblazers. They are on a roll with wins over a few playoff caliber teams. I wouldn't be surprised if they squeak into the playoffs.

This upcoming game against the Detroit Pistons starts at 12:30EST, which is 9:30PST for us in the Bay. I hope FSN replays the game later in the day, I'm not sure I can get up that early on a Sunday.

Anyhow, looking at the team comparison below, Pistons are in the black in every category. In fact, they are +8.0 in points per game. They have the most stifling defense in that regards. They also lead the league in keeping the ball safe.

However, the Warriors seem to play the Pistons tough for some odd reason. You would think with the Pistons have the advantage with their length and strength in the post, but the Warriors usually keep the games close.

Keeping the game close and winning the game are two different things though. In their game at the Oracle, the Warriors had a 22-point lead going into halftime. But the Pistons chipped away and eventually won the game by feeding the ball to Wallace in the post. He was pretty much unguardable with his turn around jumper. But, Stephen Jackson was suspended at the time so he may be the missing component to a possible victory.

Unfortunately, in a trade earlier this week, the Pistons picked up a Warrior-killer in Walter Hermann. Against the Bobcats last year, Hermann scorched the Warriors hitting jumper after jumper. With him onboard and the early start time, the chances of a Warriors are mighty slim.

Starting: Davis, Ellis, Jackson, Harrington, Biedrins
Bench: Barnes, Azubuike, O'Bryant, Wright, Mbenga, Hudson, Croshere, Perovic (dleague), Pietrus, Belinelli

Starting: Billups, Hamilton, Prince, McDyess, Wallace
Bench: Maxiel, Hermann, Brezec, Murray, Johnson, Hunter, Hayes, Afflalo, Samb, Stuckey (inj)