By JOSH DUBOW
Posted Mar 15 2012 2:11AM
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) After a lackluster start to the lockout-shortened season, the Boston Celtics are finally figuring out how to win on nights they are far from their best.
Kevin Garnett scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter, including a tiebreaking jumper with 5.1 seconds left that led the Celtics to a 105-103 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.
"It was not a perfect game. Some nights we make it look difficult, some nights we make it look easy," Garnett said. "I said in the second half the team that actually played defense was going to have a chance to win the game or at least open it up. I thought in the second half we had a better defensive presence. We started getting stops."
Brandon Bass added a season-high 22 points, Paul Pierce and Mickael Pietrus each chipped in 15 and Rajon Rondo dished out 14 assists for the Celtics, who have won eight out of 10 following a five-game losing streak.
This win came despite 18 turnovers and a 52.6 percent shooting night for the Warriors. But the Celtics came up with just enough plays down the stretch for the win.
"It's good for the team, it's good for our confidence," forward Paul Pierce said. "It shows we can win when we don't play well. We played defense when it mattered. That's what was most important."
Rookie Klay Thompson led the Warriors with a season-high 26 points, David Lee added 22 and Nate Robinson had 20 points and 11 assists. But it wasn't enough as Golden State had its three-game winning streak snapped.
Bass made two free throws and a dunk to put the Celtics up 103-97 with 1:58 to play, but the short-handed Warriors wouldn't go down easily. Two free throws by Lee and a basket by Robinson after Bass' turnover cut the deficit to two points.
Then, after Pierce missed a jumper with 38 seconds left, Robinson used a nifty hesitation move to get down the lane for a tying layup with 30 seconds to play.
But Garnett answered with a long jumper off a pass from Pierce in the pick-and-roll to help the Celtics improve to 2-1 on their eight-game road trip.
"Simple play. Kept it very simple," Garnett said. "Paul had the one-on-one, they cut it off, he came to me and I hit it."
Robinson missed a 3-point attempt in the closing seconds as the Warriors went for the win because they were short-handed a day after dealing Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to Milwaukee for Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson.
"Going for all the marbles," coach Mark Jackson said. "I thought it'd be asking a heck of a lot to try to go into overtime with all the minutes that the guys have played. We were rolling the dice."
Bogut and Jackson aren't scheduled to join the team until Thursday. Bogut is out with a broken left ankle and might not play again this season.
Point guard Stephen Curry is also out with a nagging sprained right ankle and will be held out until it is 100 percent healed. Curry, who turned 24 Wednesday, will see doctors Thursday.
"I could not be more satisfied with the energy, the effort, the commitment from my guys," Jackson said. "Now, we're not jumping up and down, but we certainly are not discouraged by what took place tonight. This is the type of performance to build on."
Golden State managed to beat Sacramento 115-89 on Tuesday night in their most lopsided win of the season despite missing so many key players. The Warriors got off to another strong start against the Celtics.
They shot 56 percent in the first half and got 46 points from the trip of Thompson (17), Dorell Wright (15) and Lee (14) to take a 60-55 lead at the half on Lee's putback with 4.6 seconds left.
"We've just got to be that much more unselfish," Thompson said. "We did that well tonight, and we've just got to play that much harder on the defensive end. We can't give up easy buckets, because we don't have Monta there to bail us out and score 40 a game."
Notes: Celtics F Chris Wilcox will undergo surgery for an enlarged aorta March 29 and will miss the rest of the season, dealing another blow to Boston's frontcourt depth. ... Lee needed six stitches above his right eye in the first half, but was able to finish the game. ... Warriors C Andris Biedrins missed two free throws in the second quarter and is 1 for 9 from the line this season.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Warriors send Monta Ellis to Bucks in trade for Andrew Bogut
By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports
The Golden State Warriors have agreed in principle to trade guard Monta Ellis and two players to the Milwaukee Bucks for center Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
The Warriors will send forward Ekpe Udoh and injured center Kwame Brown to the Bucks as part of a package for Bogut, one of the NBA’s most talented – but also often-injured – centers. The deal will be officially completed later Tuesday night, one executive involved in the trade said.
Andrew Bogut hasn't played since fracturing his left ankle on Jan. 25 against the Rockets.
(NBAE/Getty Images)
For the Orlando Magic, who had hoped to acquire Ellis to bolster the supporting cast surrounding All-Star center Dwight Howard, the trade could turn out to be a blow in their hopes of keeping Howard.
Bucks general manager John Hammond was reluctant to move Bogut without the opportunity to get the unhappy Jackson and the $10 million owed him in 2012-13 off his roster. The Bucks had tried to work a three-way deal with Orlando for Jackson, but ultimately the Warriors relented and took back their former forward, who has a checkered history in parts of four seasons with the franchise.
Jackson helped take the Warriors into the second round of the 2007 players when they upset the Dallas Mavericks, but he demanded a trade from the franchise at the start of the 2009-10 season. The Warriors eventually sent him to the Charlotte Bobcats.
Ellis, 26, is averaging 21.9 points and a career-best six assists this season. He and Udoh were in Sacramento preparing for the Warriors’ game against the Kings when they were informed of the trade.
The Bucks intend to start Ellis and Brandon Jennings in the backcourt together.
New Warriors coach Mark Jackson had guaranteed Golden State would make the playoffs this season. With Ellis gone and Bogut potentially sidelined for the rest of the season after fracturing his left ankle on Jan. 25, the Warriors will have trouble meeting Mark Jackson’s goal. They began Tuesday three games behind the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff seed.
The Warriors will have to give up their first-round pick to Utah this year if they don’t finish with one of the first seven selections.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Chris Mullin's Jersey to be Retired by Warriors
“We are looking forward to adding another former Warriors’ icon, Chris Mullin, to our exclusive list of players who have had their number retired,” said Lacob. “Our history has been dotted with many terrific players who have had an incredible impact on our franchise over the years, and Chris certainly falls into this prestigious category. His contributions to this organization – both on the floor and in the community – are quite impressive and have certainly made him one of the most beloved figures in Bay Area sports history. His recent Hall of Fame induction solidified his role as one of the greatest players in the history of the game on a global scale, and we hope that this deserving honor on January 20th will help ensure that his many outstanding accomplishments are never forgotten here at home.”
Mullin, who spent 13 years of his 16-season NBA career as a member of the Golden State Warriors, will become the sixth player in team history to have his jersey number retired, joining Alvin Attles (#16), Rick Barry (#24), Wilt Chamberlain (#13), Tom Meschery (#14) and Nate Thurmond (#42). Chamberlain’s jersey was the last to be retired by the organization, as the former Warriors’ great and NBA legend was honored posthumously on December 29, 1999.
The jersey retirement serves as just the latest honor celebrating Mullin’s illustrious NBA career, as the Brooklyn, NY, native was inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 12, 2011.
“This is certainly a tremendous honor and one that I will cherish, especially when you consider the few, elite gentlemen who have preceded me,” said Mullin. “I consider it a huge privilege to join the likes of Al Attles, Rick Barry, Wilt Chamberlain, Tom Meschery and Nate Thurmond and I appreciate the fact that Joe Lacob and the Warriors’ new ownership group have asked me to be a part of this select group. I look forward to the night and sharing this honor with the great Bay Area fans, who have been so supportive and inspirational to me over the years. In my mind, this night will be just as much for them as it will be for me and my family.”
Originally selected by the Warriors in the first round of the 1985 NBA Draft (# 7 overall), Mullin spent the first 12 years of his NBA career in Golden State. A five-time NBA All-Star (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993), he averaged a career-high 26.5 points during the 1988-89 season, the first of five consecutive campaigns in which he averaged 25-plus points (a feat matched by only Wilt Chamberlain in franchise history). He currently ranks among the club’s Top-10 all-time leaders in nearly every statistical category, including games played (first at 807), steals (first at 1,360), free throw percentage (second at .862), points (fourth at 16,235), assists (fourth at 3,146) and scoring average (10th at 20.1).
Prior to re-joining the Warriors for his final NBA season in 2000-01, Mullin spent three seasons with Indiana (1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-00), helping the Pacers advance to the 2000 NBA Finals. He concluded his 16-year NBA career boasting career averages of 18.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 986 games.
Specific details about the events surrounding the actual jersey retirement ceremony will be released as the date approaches.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Ellis’ jumper lifts Warriors past Suns, 106-104
Ellis hit an 20-foot fadeaway jumper with 1 second remaining and the Warriors beat the Phoenix Suns 106-104 on Wednesday night.
“I knew it was going in,” Wright said. “That’s what he’s about. He’s a gamer.”
Ellis shared Wright’s confidence.
Golden State Warriors guard Mo…
AP - Feb 23, 12:05 am EST
“It looked good and felt good,” Ellis said. “It was a tough shot but I was locked in and focused on it and it went down for me. Coach just told me to go with 5 seconds and get a good shot and I thought I did that.”
Channing Frye’s 3-point attempt rolled off the back of the rim at the buzzer, giving the Warriors their first win in Phoenix since March 18, 2005.
Ellis finished with a game-high 26 points, Wright had 23 and David Lee added 22 for the Warriors, who squandered a 21-point lead before rallying in the final 2:16.
“I feel like we executed on both sides of the basketball when it matters most,” said Warriors coach Mark Jackson. “If I had to design a win, I would have designed it this way. It was much better for our future to grind out a win.”
Golden State played all but 1 minute of the final three quarters and the entire second half without Stephen Curry, who strained a tendon in his right foot with 2:19 to play in the first quarter.
Frye had 22 points, Marcin Gortat scored 21 and Jared Dudley finished with 17 for the Suns, whose two-game winning streak was snapped.
“The way we approached the game sucked,” said Suns coach Alvin Gentry. “We end up defending the hell out of the guy and he makes the shot. But that’s not the difference in the game. The difference in the game was the first 10 minutes of the game.
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Warriors Team Report
GETTING INSIDE
As its players kicked off their sneakers to begin a relaxing five-day All-Star break, no NBA organization was more conflicted than that of the Warriors.
The Warriors entered the break a very disappointing 13-17, yet very much still in contention for a playoff berth in the Western Conference.They had every reason to rejoice Monta Ellis’ game-winning jumper in their 106-104 win at Phoenix on Wednesday, yet they also had to be concerned about a foot injury that forced Stephen Curry to sit out the second half of the game.
The Warriors will lose their first-round draft pick to Utah if they don’t finish in the top seven in the lottery. So the incentive to lose is, in some minds, at least equally as great as the incentive to make the playoffs for just the second time in 18 years.
The Warriors have some assets that could be intriguing to title and playoff contenders at the upcoming trade deadline. But what should the Warriors ask for in return: players who could help in their own playoff run this season, or expiring contracts of lesser players that could help assure a bottom-seven finish while creating more salary-cap space for next offseason?
The Warriors will have five days to ponder their plans for the immediate future. Interestingly, those plans might have been different had Ellis’ shot not fallen in his first-ever win at Phoenix.
Such is the current state of Warriors basketball. Even good news isn’t always comforting.
The Warriors start the second half on Tuesday at Indiana.
NOTES, QUOTES
• The Warriors were downplaying Stephen Curry’s injured right foot after Wednesday’s win at Phoenix.
The standout point guard, who had surgery on his right ankle during the offseason, landed awkwardly after a layup late in the first quarter and hobbled to the bench.
He re-entered the game in the second quarter but was noticeably limping and basically pulled him out of the action almost immediately.
Curry went to the locker room and had X-rays, which were negative.
He was scheduled to be re-evaluated in the San Francisco Bay Area upon the Warriors’ return Thursday morning.
“He just tweaked his foot a little bit. He’s going to get checked out,” Warriors coach Mark Jackson said after the game. “I’m not an expert, but the right thing to do was shut him down, take advantage of the rest (over All-Star Weekend).”
Curry is scheduled to defend his title in the Skills Competition this weekend in Orlando, but that now is very much in question.
• The Andris Biedrins-Ekpe Udoh debate took two more very interesting twists Wednesday night.
First off, Warriors coach Mark Jackson elected to start Biedrins at center even though Udoh scored a career-high in Biedrins’ illness-related absence Monday against the Clippers.
Biedrins was his usual quiet self in the game (two points, three rebounds, four fouls in 18 minutes), but Udoh failed to take advantage.
In fact, he might have taken a step backward, banging his sore left knee early in the game and then being even less effective than Biedrins, playing a scoreless 22 minutes in which he had four rebounds and three fouls.
Quote To Note: “If I had to design a win, I would have designed it this way. It was much better for our future to grind out a win.”—Warriors coach Mark Jackson.
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