The Warriors were on a roll, winning three in a row and three out of the last 5 games. The 2 big wins came against good teams with getting a win versus Utah and making a comeback against Chicago and pulling out a win. Each and every tie, there is a constant theme, the theme that has been throughout the season. The captain, the leader and the heart and soul of the Warriors, Monta Ellis has been leading the way, if not by statistics, then by leadership and example. The loss to Charlotte was irritable as the Warriors blew a 16 point lead and let an old Warrior Stephen Jackson beat them with a winning shot. Nevertheless, the game was once again lead by the dynamic duo backcourt as Stephen Curry finished with 27 points and Ellis finished with 21 points. The next three games were good solid wins as the Warriors beat the Utah Jazz, the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls, in their respective order. The game against the Bulls was a great showing of how defense is a key to winning. The Warriors should be playing this smothering “D” night in and night out. Once again, the undersized guards lead the troops with Curry finishing with 23 points while Monta ended the night with 33 points.
However, they followed up that impressive win with a devastating loss to the Phoenix Suns. Not that the Suns aren’t any good with Steve Nash and Grant Hill leading the way (I forgot about Vince Carter), but I think the Warriors are much younger and have younger legs that even if neither team played defense, I would assume that the Warriors would just outscore the Suns. But the Suns came out blazing and started to run away from the Warriors right from the jump. Ellis finished the night with 21 points but was unable to maintain the momentum that let them get within 5 points in the fourth quarter as the Warriors fell 104-92.
With the longest home stand of the season, the Warriors have a 7-5 record with two more games to go. If the Warriors continue to play at a good pace, they might just roll into the All-Star break with a .500 record.
The next game is against the Denver Nuggets and their drama king Carmelo Anthony while they re-play the Suns in Phoenix on thursday.
Original Story:
http://bluemanhoop.com/2011/02/08/las...
