Golden State Warriors
After Wednesday’s season-ending win over Utah, guard Derek Fisher was talking about his offseason plans. He owes his new wife (as of the All-Star break) a honeymoon and then he comes back to the Bay Area for a ... second honeymoon -- with the Warriors.
Golden State closed out the season 18-10 since trading for guard Baron Davis and, after the team received a standing ovation from fans Wednesday, Fisher and Davis wanted to grab the microphone. Fisher wanted to tell the crowd -- which already has a 1,000 more season-ticket holders than two months ago -- that the best is yet to come. The team is young and still coming together, a process that will start again in a couple of months in a gym in downtown Oakland.
“It’s been really exciting,” Fisher said. “In a way, we hate to see the season end because we are playing so well. But we know we are just scratching the surface.
We’ve gained a lot of confidence in each other and everyone on the team is very comfortable with each other.
“The good thing is everybody got through the season healthy and in good shape, so everyone will be ready for training this summer.”
*2004-05 Video Highlights*
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The Warriors (34-48 ) scored more than 100 points in their last 14 games and won 11 of 12 games at one point down the stretch, beating playoff teams Sacramento, Phoenix, Seattle and Houston. Those are teams Golden State will look to jump over and into the playoffs next season -- the Warriors’ 18-10 mark with Davis translates into 52 wins over a full season.
Golden State vice president Chris Mullin isn’t ready to throw any parades until the Warriors make that next jump, but even the close-to-the-vest Mullin admits the pieces are in place to get fans in a real frenzy next season.
“We’ve created a roster and some momentum,” said Mullin, who along with general manager Rod Higgins, acquired six players in four midseason trades. “All we’ve really done is get something to build on. Getting Baron was a big boost. ... And all of our young guys have improved this season. That’s important.”
Davis is 26 years old and Jason Richardson, Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Mickael Pietrus, Zarko Cabarkapa and Andris Biedrins are all 24 or younger. Fisher and center Adonal Foyle are only 30.
The club’s youthful enthusiasm permeated through the rafters of The Arena in Oakland, as the Warriors established a single-season attendance record by averaging 16,350 fans, capped by Wednesday's showing of 16,804 fans.
It’s the third consecutive season Golden State set a single-season franchise record and the fifth consecutive season the Warriors have seen an increase in attendance. Only the Pistons can match that.
“To come back next year and have our players (play well) over an entire season and get our fans really excited, that’s what I am thinking about,” Mullin said. “That’s what I am excited about. Our fans have been like a really good friend. They have always been there for us.”
Coach Mike Montgomery can’t wait -- after a short vacation “somewhere warm,” of course -- to get back to his desk and piece together all the random notes he scribbled over his first season in the NBA.
“I know what Mike Dunleavy can do and Jason can do and how to get the ball to Troy,” Montgomery said. “Now you can put much more emphasis into your basketball team. We will be much better prepared next season."
Also, consider that Davis, acquired Feb. 24 from New Orleans, doesn’t know the entire offense and still had some nagging injuries. And he still averaged 19.5 points and 8.3 assists as a Warrior.
"I can be quicker and stronger,” Davis said. “If I'm quicker and stronger, I'll play better."
Davis said the Warriors always had the talent to be better, they just needed a spark. That spark came wearing a headband, sporting a beard and wearing #5.
“It was a mentality we were lacking,” he said. “I believe in each and every individual on this team. They all want to get better, and I believe I can make them better.”
Richardson continued to improve and, along with Davis, gives the Warriors one of the best backcourts in the NBA. He is not known as just a dunker any more, scoring 40 or more points twice this season and finishing 15th in the league with 21.7 points per game.
“We’ve been working hard to be a good team, and we’re getting closer and closer,” he said. “It feels good, but we have a lot more to do.”
In a short amount of time, Davis has connected not only with Richardson, but with Warriors fans. He wants to win as badly as they do.
“I've never played in front of so many people, and so many people who are behind you and cheering loud,” Davis said. “It's a playoff atmosphere in the regular season. I can't wait until we make our push for the playoffs next season. ... It's going to be fun next year."
And next year starts sooner than you think. Tickets are going fast , as will the few months before the Warriors players put on their practice jerseys again. They know the expectations are there now, and they want to continue to build on the chemistry that has already fueled one of the best fast breaks in the NBA the last two months.
"It's not going to be easy," Dunleavy said. "The West is tough, but we have some talent and if everybody improves over the summer and we come back and play well at the beginning of the season, we've got a chance to do something good."
Being the best NBA team in California is just a start. Next year, the Warriors are hoping for much more, the fans just know it.
“The fans are really excited about what they see,” Fisher said. “Not only did the players’ confidence go up, but so did the fans.”
**** The Crying Game
Neil Jordan's story of an IRA terrorist
(Stephen Rea) is a remarkably well-written
piece of work that at first seems to follow its
protagonist in aimless yet intriguing direc-
tions, but eventually reveals itself to be a per-
fectly structured look at violence, race, love,
and sexuality. Rea is ordered to guard a kid-
napped British officer (Forest Whitaker), but
he begins to care for the hostage and later
flees to London, where he meets the officer's
girlfriend (Jaye Davidson). The two halves of
the film, which contain some completely
unpredictable plot twists, become mirrors of
one another, reflecting how understanding and
compassion may be a means of salvation.
-CR. Loews Harvard Square
