Warriors Games 1 & 1.5

I’ve watched one and a half games of regular season basketball for the Warriors, and I gotta say I’m really encouraged. It looks like everyone predicting 35-37 wins for this time didn’t count on them making notable progress on their team defense. These Warriors, minus Baron and plus Turiaf and Maggette, are suddenly much bigger and hit the glass much harder. For stretches when they were able to create turnovers and a little bit of up-and-down chaos, which plays right into their offensive strengths, they looked like the better team against both the Hornets and Raps.

My prediction: With a little luck and a few losses by the Nuggets and Blazers, the Warriors will fighting for that 8th seed when Monta comes back — if they keep playing D like this.

Predictions

Not that these are worth anything, but here’s what my gut’s saying going into this season:

• New Orleans will win it all.
• I have no idea who will come out of the East. Probably whoever wins game 7 between the Celtics and the Lebrons.
• The Lakers are built only for the regular season.
• This feels like a first-round exit for the Spurs, unless Ginobili comes back in near MVP form.
• The Clippers will be worse than you expect, way worse.
• But Milwaukee might be the worst team in the league, not counting the OCK Barons.
• The Knicks will be better than people think.
• The Wolves are the best candidate to be this year’s Blazers-2007-lite.
• The Heat will be a mess unless they make a trade.
• The Bobcats still look destined to be pathetic.

And finally, even though this Warriors season is shaping up to be ultimately disappointing and makes me sympathize wholly with these poor tortured fans out here, at the end of the year I won’t regret buying season tickets because Nellieball will always be Nellieball.

Players who shot worse than Kevin Durant last year

The rush early last season to label Durant a chucker — which led to the Horford for ROY campaign — always bothered me. Even today someone in Hollinger’s chat derisively called him a “machine gunner.” But he ended the season at 43%, better than:

• Shane Battier
• Baron Davis
• Tracy McGrady
• James “Cashin’ In” Posey
• Kirk Hinrich
• Mike Bibby
• Jamal Crawford
• Jerry Stackhouse
• Stephen Jackson
• Rafer Alston
• Malik Rose (sorry, Hengst)