03-30-2008, 11:22 AM
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#2 (permalink)
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Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Tampa, Florida
Age: 25
Posts: 14,594
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Re: GT #73: Dallas Mavericks (45-27) @ Golden State Warriors (44-28) - 3/30
Mavericks-Warriors Preview
Quote:
Sitting among a crowded field vying to claim a Western Conference playoff spot, the Warriors will host the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night in what is sure to be one of the team's most important games of the season. Single-game tickets to the contest are sold out, but fans wanting to be there in person can still purchase tickets using Warriors ticketExchange.
Those following the Western Conference standings know exactly how close the race for the playoffs is turning out to be. Only one game separates the seventh, eighth and ninth seeds, which is making the last few weeks of the regular season very interesting.
After falling in a 119-112 contest on Saturday night, the 44-28 Warriors currently occupy the ninth spot in the West. Denver's win pushed them one-half game ahead of Golden State, with the teams scheduled to meet one last time on April 10 in Oakland. Sitting directly above both the Nuggets and the Warriors are the Mavericks, who currently sport a 45-27 mark. With all of that said, one can tell exactly how important Sunday's match-up with Dallas truly is. Despite making a quick turnaround in Denver and having to play Dallas on the back end of a back-to-back, the Warriors will assuredly be focused on the task at hand.
The Mavericks are a team the Warriors know well, as evidenced by Golden State's historic upset of Dallas in last year's playoffs. So far this season, the Mavs have gotten the better of the Warriors, winning each of the team's previous meetings. However, since the team's last met on January 2, much has changed for the Mavericks. Dallas made a bold move by trading for point guard Jason Kidd, but the results have been mixed since he arrived. And perhaps even more significant to Sunday's game, the Mavericks will be without reigning NBA MVP Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavericks leading scorer and rebounder is out indefinitely after suffering a high ankle sprain on March 23 against the Spurs. Kidd's presence and Dirk's absence will provide for a much different looking team, but one that cannot be overlooked by the Warriors. There' no doubt that Head Coach Avery Johnson will have his players ready to play, and the Warriors will have to play a complete game to earn the much-needed victory.
As if things couldn't get any more wild out West, a win by the Warriors would put them in a three-way tie with Dallas and Denver. And what's more, the Warriors will match up with Dallas once again on Wednesday. This fourth and final meeting will take place in Dallas and will prove to be yet another hugely important game as the Warriors finish out their regular season schedule. But before they look ahead to far, the Warriors know that they must take care of business at home.
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