Remember that old Polaner All-Fruit commercial where the rich people are sitting around a table, someone asks, "would ya please pass the jelly?" and everyone at the table either faints or goes into hysterics?
If you're going to compare Golden State's attack to that of its Pacific Division rival Phoenix, I'm liable to throw myself on the floor and act the same way.
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| Don't mix up Stephen Jackson's Warriors with the Suns; G.S. plays Nellie Ball. (Getty Images) |
Phoenix is like a well-oiled machine, pulling the ball from underneath its own basket and coming at you like a Ferrari Testarossa. The Suns combine a level of speed and precision that results in optimum performance. See the 177 regular season victories the past three seasons for further proof.
The Warriors aren't well-oiled at all. In fact, that's part of the strategy. They don't know what they're doing next, so you sure as heck don't either. They just come at you. Arms might be flailing, legs might be kicking, passes might be coming cross-court from inconceivable angles and shots appear to be taken without much conscience. An open shot is a good shot.
According to Basketball-reference.com's pace factor stat, an estimate of the number of possessions teams have per 48 minutes, last season's Warriors led the league, averaging 99.1, roughly seven more than the average. The Suns were third, averaging 95.6, but even with fewer chances, they were No. 1 in points per 100 possessions, averaging 113.9 -- nearly a full seven points more than the Warriors. I'm not a huge stats hound, but that does clearly illustrate how much more efficient Phoenix is.
Effectiveness is another story. When right, Nellie Ball can be a great weapon, the ultimate equalizer. Everywhere Don Nelson has been given an opportunity to put his strategy to work, he has won. If you catch a team that can't match up, like a Dallas for example, you can cause serious problems. It's helter-skelter, promoting a chaotic tempo that winds up playing to his team's advantage because they're more comfortable with what they're doing than you are. Most can't help but get wrapped up in it, and if you happen to walk into Oracle Arena on the second night of a back-to-back, you're in for a world of problems.
Last season went better than expected, thanks in part to the Warriors finally getting healthy enough to put all their pieces together down the stretch. Still, when you consider that Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington never had the luxury to go through one of Nelson's training camps, you can appreciate Golden State might just be scratching the surface of what it can accomplish.
Provided Baron Davis can stay on the court to run things, Nelson's team is capable of beating anyone, including Phoenix, on any given night. Third-year guard Monta Ellis, an exceptional finisher around the basket, might prove to be an invaluable weapon in this offense. Jackson has embraced the freedom it provides, and he has been rewarded by his coach with more of a leadership role.
Told you this was unconventional.
Nelson has also refined personnel, adding a young big man who can run the floor in North Carolina product Brandan Wright, who will add another dimension with his ability to beat opponents downcourt the way Andris Biedrins currently does because he's much more offensively inclined. Nelson drafted Italian guard Marco Belinelli, who he has absolutely fallen in love with because he offers the dead-eye perimeter stroke that was missing a season ago.
Reserves Matt Barnes and Kelenna Azubuike are back to help ensure the Warriors stay fresh, roadrunner Troy Hudson has been acquired to keep the tempo up when Davis sits, and by all accounts, former lottery pick Patrick O'Bryant has adjusted to the pace, displaying an on-court IQ that might actually get him on the floor.
The Warriors who take the floor on opening night will be far better than those who shocked the Mavs and captivated the country in the spring. If things go as they're supposed to, they won't be scrambling to make the playoffs this time around.
No, Golden State isn't Phoenix. It doesn't have to be.
| Golden State Warriors |
| Power Ranking Rank: 13th |
| Projected Record: 45-37, 2nd Pacific |
| Best case scenario: Baron Davis stays healthy, Monta Ellis makes further strides and Marco Belinelli continues to play at the level he's shown in exhibitions. If that all comes together, the Warriors have a shot at leading the league in scoring. |
| Worst case scenario: Davis suffers through another injury-riddled season and no one steps up to pick up the slack, leaving the Warriors scrambling to keep up in the loaded Western Conference. |
| X-factor: Al Harrington looked lost throughout much of his time with the Warriors, but his team managed to succeed in spite of that. If he figures things out and provides a presence around the basket, Golden State will be that much deadlier. |
| Early season schedule: The Warriors will see Utah again to open the season on Oct. 30, offering an opportunity to see how they measure up against the team that eliminated them in May. The rest of Golden State's November slate is as unique as its style of play. Following the opener, they head south to visit the Clippers, make a return trip to Salt Lake City and then return home for four in a row before heading to the East Coast for a five-game trip. |
| 2007-08 NBA Team Previews | ||
| Eastern | ||
| Atlantic | Central | Southeast |
 Boston Celtics |  Chicago Bulls |  Atlanta Hawks |
 New Jersey Nets |  Cleveland Cavaliers |  Charlotte Bobcats |
 New York Knicks |  Detroit Pistons |  Miami Heat |
 Philadelphia 76ers |  Indiana Pacers |  Orlando Magic |
 Toronto Raptors |  Milwaukee Bucks |  Washington Wizards |
| Western | ||
| Northwest | Southwest | Pacific |
 Denver Nuggets |  Dallas Mavericks |  Golden State Warriors |
 Minnesota Timberwolves |  Houston Rockets |  Los Angeles Clippers |
 Portland Trail Blazers |  Memphis Grizzlies |  Los Angeles Lakers |
 Seattle Supersonics |  New Orleans Hornets |  Phoenix Suns |
 Utah Jazz |  San Antonio Spurs |  Sacramento Kings |
