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**Dissonance19** · 04-04-2008, 04:25 PM

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Warriors coach Don Nelson was branding his team's lousy defensive effort against the Mavericks on Wednesday when a peculiar exchange arose.

The reason why his team wasn't getting back in transition, Nelson said, was because it was too busy admiring its own shots.

And just how does that happen, he was asked, when those shots are hardly going down?

"Well, it looks nice on the way," Nelson quipped. "Then the rim gets in the way."

The NBA's highest-scoring offense - described only days ago by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich as "hell on wheels" - has frozen over at the most critical point in the season.

In back-to-back whippings by the Spurs and Mavs, the Warriors shot 38 percent from the field, totaled more turnovers (28) than assists (22) and had their clank-fest spread to nearly every player.

Streaky Stephen Jackson, who has always seemed to hit in the biggest moments, is in a 3-for-23 slump. Al Harrington is 5 for his last 19. Monta Ellis went 5-for-16 against the Spurs. Matt Barnes and C.J. Watson were a combined 1-for-11 against the Mavs.

"I think a lot of us are trying to will shots in," Harrington admitted. "Stand by a little bit longer, try to put it in with our minds."

Unfortunately for the Warriors, positive thinking hasn't made much difference as their offense continues to stagnate.

A Golden State possession seems to go one of two ways these days: Get the ball up the court and take a long jumper. Or get the ball into the mid-post, dribble, dribble, dribble and throw up a contested fadeaway shot.

That it's all happening with too much one-on-one play and too little ball movement is what has Davis most concerned. After averaging 22 assists per game as a team this season, the Warriors have seen that halved in the last two games, with Davis recording just three in that span.

"That's what's really killing us," he said. "We just have to do a better job of getting back to everybody sharing the ball and making plays for each other. We got to play a bit more unselfishly and collectively use our talent. We got a lot of good individual players; we just need to do a better job of moving the ball."

Harrington agrees.

"I think a couple of us are trying to get our rhythm, stuff like that, and we have to realize for the betterment of the team, that we're at our best when the ball moves," he said. "If the ball moves, maybe we start getting easy shots and we'll be alright."

It's a task made harder with defenses keying in on Davis, Jackson and Ellis and trying to prevent the Warriors from going inside. The usual pick-and-rolls with Andris Biedrins have been scouted out, as have Ellis' drives to the basket and Jackson's quick jumpers.

Jackson's off-nights - both offensively and defensively - have been particularly glaring, if mainly because he's been the Warriors' glue for so much of the season. But like Davis and Ellis, the swingman won't use fatigue as an excuse.

"If I play better, we win. That's my assumption. It ain't got nothing to do with assists or anything like that," Jackson said. "It's going to be hard for us to win when I'm playing like trash, so I got to play better.

"I hate that it came to the end of the season when I started shooting it bad, but what can I do? Keep playing. My effort's there. I just got to knock some shots down."

"If you dare us to shoot, we're a confident group, so we're going to shoot," Harrington added. "But we have to realize that if we miss two or three in a row, next time, let's move and get a better shot. We just have to find that balance."

Otherwise, the Warriors' offense will remain highlighted by Biedrins' suddenly spot-on free-throw shooting.

Briefly: Jackson received the NBA's Community Assist award for March after a busy month that included speaking at a local anti-violence rally, teaming with John Legend to raise more than $65,000 to fight poverty and the launch of his own "Jack 1" Foundation.

**edwardcyh** · 04-08-2008, 12:45 PM

Quote:

The reason why his team wasn't getting back in transition, Nelson said, was because it was too busy admiring its own shots.

And just how does that happen, he was asked, when those shots are hardly going down?

"Well, it looks nice on the way," Nelson quipped. "Then the rim gets in the way."

OMG....

I still love Nellie! His press conferences rival that of Shaq.

HB · 04-08-2008, 12:49 PM

Lol that was a funny piece indeed.

Btw why doesnt he start playing Barnes more?

**Ruff Draft** · 04-08-2008, 01:28 PM

I don't understand Barnes' PT either. He was one of their glue guys out there last season.

fjkdsi · 04-08-2008, 01:32 PM

congratulations to Steph Jack for that award he is doing a whole lot for his image....

anyways i don't know about Harrington but Baron, Ellis, Jax and Biedrins is one of the best 4s in the NBA

**Dissonance19** · 04-08-2008, 01:32 PM

Barnes' been far too inconsistent for Nellie this yr. I posted an article about this not too long ago actually. But he's had one good game that I've seen in the last month or so.

Pietrus when he was healthy had been earning the extra mins to where he was starting. Azubuike's also given them something offensively and defensively too, off the bench and even in a starting role with Pietrus out and Harrington struggling. Usually depending on the matchup

**Ruff Draft** · 04-08-2008, 01:34 PM

I guess that is too much depth.

**croco** · 04-08-2008, 01:43 PM

Barnes wasn't even playing that well before the playoff series last year, it was a fluke. He thought he would get paid for the good stretch of basketball, it didn't happen.

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