The Golden State Warriors. I wanted to do this post after they win in Dallas tomorrow night, but it just couldn't wait. I'm that confident in this team. I will be the first to admit I didn't buy them as a sleeper to beat Dallas as some predicted, but then again I forgot Baron Davis is 100% healthy for the first time since he played in Charlotte.

Let me just throw some career play-off stats at ya first.

2001 NBA Play-offs: 18 ppg 4 rpg 6 apg...Ok not so great, but his season average was 13 ppg 4 rpg and 7 apg. Credit his assists went down he was scoring more.

2002 NBA Play-offs: 23 ppg 7 rpg 8 apg...his season average was 18 ppg 4 rpg 8 apg...again improving and stepping up.

The Hornets made the play-offs every year he was on that team His rookie year he didn't get much ticks and even though he played in the play-offs the following two seasons on the Hornets after the stats I listed he stayed there wasn't much improvement from the regular season because one year he only played 50 regular season games, the last year only 18 due to injuries. Still in 2003 he averaged 20 ppg 3 rpg and 8 apg and in the following year (remember only 18 reg season games) he averaged 18 ppg 4 rpg and 7 apg in the play-offs.

So what about this year on the Warriors and HEATHY again...

26 PPG 6 rpg 5 apg and around 3 spg and his FG% is 54%

I don't know how many of you watched Baron Davis in Charlotte, but this is vintage Baron Davis here in Golden State. I forgot how great o####uard he is when healthy, arguably one of the best point guards in the league behind Nash, Kidd, and Arenas. People are saying he's old? He is 28, but people talk like he's in his 30's. I'll take Arenas out of the conversation because he's injured, but right now I would want Baron Davis on my team OVER Jason Kidd or Steve Nash. Stats aside, I just don't think ANY PG in the league can stop Baron from creating without a double team. Davis may not get as many assists, but that's because the ball gets swung around a few more passes after he creates the play. And honestly, who can cover him? Every time they didn't bring a double team he went straight to the hoop or even popped an arrogant jump shot (which he can make, 54%) in Terry's or Harris' or both their grills. I still can't believe 54% though, have you watched the games? Have you seen some of the shots he's taken that have gone in? He's had a lay-up line in some situations against Dallas, but most if not ALL his jumpers are contested. I would LOVE to see this team play the Suns in the Western Conference Finals. Bell on Baron, what a match-up that would be. (There's no way they'll throw Steve Nash AKA Canadian Bacon on him)

Lets not forget about the rest of this team. If Richardson and Davis had been healthy all year along with the addition of Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington this team would have been a Top 5 contender in the West. I mean you're crazy if you don't think this team could take Houston, Utah, or even San Antonio and Phoenix in a series, or atleast give them a run for their money. Throw out the season record against these teams, this team wasn't healthy until it made their play-off run. They only lost ONCE in April. 16-5 in their last 21 games.

Lets not forget maybe their most important player. The Sixth Man on the court. The crowd. Have you seen their two home games? All this team has to do is take homecourt advantage (Like they did against Dallas) and I don't think this team will LOSE at home. They've only lost ONE home game since March. Right now The Oracle (sounds like something from LOTR, it'd be perfect Frodo came from New York and played for G State) is the hardest place to play in the NBA.

If you don't BELIEVE this team can not only take care of the Mavs in five games, you should believe this team could easily knock out Houston or Utah in the next round and I think they'd be the first 8th seed in NBA history to make it to the Conference Finals. I wouldn't be surprised.

Images Courtesy of nba.com and Google Images

A parody of the hook from Juelz Santana "The Second Coming" was used as the title.