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Baron Davis (33 points, 14 boards) finished two assists shy of a triple-double Sunday.
Don Nelson figures the Dallas Mavericks will eventually figure out how to stop his Golden State Warriors. Until they do, he's going to savor every moment.
Baron Davis scored 19 of his 33 points in the third quarter, carrying Nellie's small-ball lineup to a 97-85 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference series.
"It was really a super win for our team," Nelson said. "It was something that was unexpected, and that makes it that much better."
Well, it wasn't a total stunner, at least not as much as a No. 8 seed beating a No. 1 seed normally is. After all, this was Golden State's sixth straight win over Dallas and the fourth in a row since Nelson ended a decade-long tenure with the Mavs to rejoin the Warriors.
Nellie did his best coaching in recent weeks, squeezing out a 9-1 finish to make the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. His task now is to stretch the streak as long as possible, although he's the first to say it probably won't end with a ticker-tape parade through the Bay Area.
"We don't expect to be world champs at the end of the playoffs," Nelson said. "But every time we play in a high-intensity game like these are going to be, we gain experience. I'm really happy about that."
Davis nearly had a triple-double with 14 rebounds and eight assists. His leadership throughout showed why the Warriors went 16-5 down the stretch after he returned from an injury.
"We knew if we could keep it close we could have a chance," he said. "This win gives us a lot of confidence, but this team has been to the championship and one loss is not going to affect them."
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20...ayoffs/2007/04/23/warriors.mavs.ap/index.html
