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What has Golden State done lately?
In their last 10 games, the Warriors have a record of 6-4. One of those wins, on March 11, was a commanding victory over the Mavericks. Recently, though, Golden State has been dealing with injuries to some key players and rumors about how the team runs.
Head coach Mark "Hand down, man down" Jackson demoted assistant coach Brian "White Mamba" Scalabrine to a non bench role. It has caused more commotion about Jackson's job security and future with the team. This is a winning team, mind you and Jackson has the full support of his players.
Sometimes, that's just how the ball bounces.
What are the Warriors' biggest strength and weakness?
Obviously, this team's guard play is one of their biggest assets. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, AKA The Splash Brother, can simply light it up from behind the arc. Not only that but Jermaine O'Neal is experiencing a career resurgence this season with the Warriors. Combined, they pose a formidable test for any team.
Also, Marreese Speights has been playing well of late. Good for him. He deserves the opportunity to finally contribute regular minutes.
What hurts the Warriors is injuries. Both David Lee and Andrew Bogut have missed time recently. Bogut is likely out Tuesday while Lee's status, at the time of this writing, is still up in the air. Golden State has really missed these players and it leaves them with limited options, especially when it comes to defending the paint. Okay, that only applies to Bogut, we all know Lee can't play defense.
Which Mavericks player might be due for a big game?
DDDDDDDIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!! Well, we can hope, right? No Lee(?), no Bogut? Sounds good for Dirk. Who is going to guard him? Oh, wait, they have Andre Iguodala. So, he's going to guard Dirk a lot. That creates some interesting match-ups across the court. Should be fun.
What do the Mavs need to do to be successful against the Warriors?
Slow down the Splash Brothers. Shawn Marion is going to spend some time guarding each of them and Devin Harris is going to get some burn. They pose the biggest threat to Dallas' average (at best) guard defense. Stop them and the Mavs have a chance.
Boy, this playoff race is something, huh?