10-18-2005, 11:51 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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All-Star
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Southern California
Age: 33
Posts: 6,647
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ESPN's preseason report: Warriors
Chad Ford's preseason analysis of Golden State
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Last season, the addition of savvy veteran point guard Steve Nash transformed the Suns from a lottery team into one of the most exciting teams in NBA history. Along the way, the Suns won more games than any other team in the league, Nash took home the MVP trophy and Mike D'Antoni, in his first full season with the Suns, was named coach of the year.
The similarities between the two teams are more than casual.
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"I'd been on enough teams [as a player] to know that what a young team needs is a little attitude," Mullin said. "When you're trying to rip out that culture of losing, adding some swagger to the mix can change things in a hurry. I knew how good he was as a player, but he wound up being even better as a leader on this team."
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This year, Davis looks ready to lead the Warriors to the promised land -- which in Golden State's case, is its first playoff berth in a decade. Davis came into camp at a chiseled 215 pounds, down 20 pounds from last season. He looks hungry, rested and focused.
"It's a clean slate for me," Davis said. "I'm on a team I want to be on. I'm healthy. The back feels great. My knees are rested. This team has a lot of young, fresh talent. They're unselfish. They want to play with each other. We're motivated. You have to have a little swagger, a little chip on your shoulder. We have the talent and the ingredients and now we're ready to prove everyone wrong and make the playoffs."
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Richardson, who has been with the Warriors since the beginning, believes they're up to the challenge.
"I've never felt like this before in my career," Richardson said. "I sense it. It's big. The fans are behind us. The organization is behind us. I just can't wait for the season to begin. We have a lot to prove. And now we have the talent to back it up."
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