[halfbreed]

Dunleavy Stirs Fans with his Eruption

Mike Dunleavy's spectacular blowup Wednesday night was not something he'll ever want to show anybody's kids.

But it was something he needed to show the Warriors and their fans.

They now know, at long last, Dunleavy has a pulse.

You couldn't walk three feet in the team's headquarters Thursday without hearing shrieks of delight over Dunleavy's shocking third-quarter demonstration. From vice presidents Chris Mullin and Al Attles, to assistant coach Mario Elie, to Dunleavy's teammates, hearts rewarmed with the memory.

Seeing Dunleavy tear into referee Bill Spooner fired up the 16,183 witnesses to the Warriors' loss 109-97 to Dallas. Watching the third-year forward growl at the ref until he was whistled for a second technical foul and ejected put a jolt of electricity into The Arena.

But when Dunleavy stalked off the court, ripping off his jersey and tossing it into the crowd, the place fairly erupted in a rousing standing ovation.

"I loved it," Elie said.

"I smiled," Mullin said. "I got a kick out of it."

There is good reason for the widespread approval. Dunleavy's outrage was an indication he possesses what some call the stones of manhood.

 

[halfbreed]

Dunleavy's Outburst, Ejection Remain Hot Topic for Warriors

When Warriors fan Carlos Grijalva saw Mike Dunleavy shirtless and going wild, the San Jose resident had an immediate flashback.

"He reminded me of Dennis Rodman," Grijalva said, "So I got ready."

Grijalva went home with the souvenir of the year when Dunleavy tossed his jersey into the stands. Though Dunleavy remained silent a day after his first career ejection, his outburst was still the buzz around practice Thursday.

Baron Davis said the Warriors needed more players with attitude. Coach Mike Montgomery noted Dunleavy's passion for the game. Even vice president Chris Mullin admitted getting caught in the moment.

 

[halfbreed]

Dunleavy Getting Props for Emotional Outburst

Dunleavy declined to comment on Wednesday's ejection. But his teammates enjoyed the sight. They seemed to like seeing the fiery side of Dunleavy, who is known for his mellow demeanor and bland expressions.

"It's not something you want to do all the time," Warriors coach Mike Montgomery said. "But I think probably it was good for people to see that he has that kind of passion for the game. Mike's a competitor. He was mad."

"That was good to see," point guard Baron Davis said. "I stand behind him 100 percent on that. We're going to all be like that in a minute. Bad boys. We're good guys but we're bad boys."

Most of the Warriors said Dunleavy has the fire in him, it just finally came out Wednesday. Dunleavy gets animated on occasion when dealing with the referees, but his most outward display of passion had been sticking around after practice working hard on his game.

Guard Jason Richardson was among those who attributed Dunleavy's and the team's new-found passion to the arrival of Davis. The swagger he brings, coupled with the higher confidence and expectations his arrival has created, is rubbing off on his quiet teammates.

"We need guys to have that type of mentality," Davis. "We've got to focus on now channeling that aggression, that anger on our defensive end and into our overall game plan."

 

[D5]

About time Dunleavy showed something besides a little whiny face toward the ref. This is my favorite Dunleavy moment and I do hope to see this more.

 

[Bret]

He should've took off his shorts as well.

That would show them!

 

[dk1115]

It was a relief to know someone finally had enough with the [strike]shi**y[/strike] calls against the warriors. The kind of passion Dunleavy shows is going win fans over. Even before the incident, I felt like he was finally starting to show why we picked him third overall. Man, that's wat this game is all about.

 

[ssmokinjoe]

Next step for MikeJr. : start dunking on some people!!!