A Bay Area ‘Facebook news feed’ Production.

by Taylor Price

If every rapper can do a “Swagger Like Us” or “Pop Champagne” remix, why can’t a sports writer take a good idea like a Facebook-style game column and run with it? Props to Jake Appleman for coming up with a good concept, but I’m going to take a bite out of it and spit it my way.

Here’s a quick back story on my experience at the Warriors game last night. I was under the impression that I was given the John Legend (green light) to cover last night’s game against the Indiana Pacers. But it turns out, the Warriors PR staff and powers that be over at SLAM set me up with a credential for the Kings game on Wednesday and the Hawks game on Friday. But instead of showing me the door, the PR suits gave me a ticket in the building, so I made the best of the situation. And in all honesty, I had fun doing the game without sitting in press row.

I got to sit next to a young boy and his mother, and the boy made some comments that blew my mind. I should’ve asked him for his age and name so I could give him some shine, but I didn’t. And I really should’ve asked him for some of his chicken strips, but I didn’t do that either.

It was great to be back at Oracle Arena, with the best fans in the NBA. The only drawbacks from the experience were being without internet, but my phone worked out good enough to get particulars and of course being without a laptop which was tough. I felt like a 1960’s sports writer sans type writer and top hat.

Pregame

– Maceo Baston, like everyone else who follows the NBA, is also wondering how he’s still playing in the League and not in some obscure country like the Ukraine or in Belgium

– Joey Crawford and Pregame Jog are now friends

– Roy Hibbert wrote on Tim Tebow’s Wall:
“Don’t make the same mistake I did, you should come out after your junior year!”

– Stephen Jackson will not be playing tonight against one of his four former teams, but is dressed in a dapper suit that would impress Hov

– A soggy hot dog and a 20 oz. Pepsi costs $10.75

First quarter

– Pacers start Jarret Jack, Danny Granger, Jeff Foster, Stephen Graham and Troy Murphy

– Warriors start Marco Belinelli, Jamal Crawford, Andris Biedrins, Corey Maggette and Kelenna Azubuike

– Danny Granger just scored within 6 seconds

– Marco Belinelli matches up on Granger, not to stop him, but to annoy the hell out of him

– Don Nelson created the group “Dress for comfort, not for success”

– Troy Murphy is called for goaltending

– Taylor Price didn’t know Murphy could still get above the rim

– Danny Granger dominates on both ends of the court, making a variety of shots early on. His offensive repertoire is outdone by a come-from-behind block on Biedrins which results in a Stephen Graham dunk on the other end

– Scottie Pippen wrote on Danny Granger’s Wall:
“Am I your father?”

– Chris Mullin wishes he drafted Granger and not Ike Diogu in the 2005 NBA Draft

– Mike Dunleavy enters the game and is given the Charles Barkley/Chris Webber (pre-two week comeback) treatment—instant boos

– Jeff Foster is Australian for awkward white center

– Corey Maggette turns the ball over twice by throwing the ball away after misreading which direction Crawford was moving

– Jake Delhomme thinks the Warriors are being careless with their passes

– Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy add the “Bromance Application”

– Corey Maggette throws another bad pass in the direction of Crawford in the final possession of the first quarter

– The kid next to me says after the Maggette turnover, “Not everyone can drive like Kobe Bryant. Not everyone can pass like Steve Nash. He should just drive to the hoop.”

Second quarter

– Anthony Randolph enters the game to start the 2nd quarter

– Anthony Randolph and The Milk Carton are no longer friends

– Anthony Randolph finishes over Granger on his first touch, pulls a defensive rebound (something the Warriors are desperately lacking) on the next possession and dribbles up the court to start the break. Two passes later, Belinelli hits a three.

– Anthony Randolph follows up his ball handling display by blocking a Granger dunk at the rim. Then takes a charge on Murphy on the next possession and finishes with an easy basket to cap a Warriors 10-0 run, which makes the score 33-32 Warriors.

– Danny Granger takes an exception to a Belinelli elbow to the mouth and shoves the Italian. Both are given techs.

– Pacman Jones like-a the techs

– Zinedine Zidane and Danny Granger are now friends

– The kid next to me says, “Get ‘em (Stephen) Jackson. Get ‘em!”

– A kid wearing a Monta Ellis jersey is on the big screen giggin’ during the timeout, earning a free pizza, but hands the free pie to his family and goes back to getting hyphy.

– Monta Ellis wonders if he’ll be able to move like that when his rehab is over.

Halftime

– Pacers 61, Warriors 55. Granger leads all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, T.J. Ford playing the role of sixth-man chips in 8 points. For the Warriors, Belinelli, Crawford and Azubuike have 11 apiece. Golden State committed 9 turnovers, which put them behind for most of the first half. But good thing Randolph came in and scored 8 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and blocked 2 shots in nine minutes. The biggest impression I have so far, is how good Granger is in person. He’s supremely talented. It makes you wonder how he ended up playing his college ball at New Mexico or how he lasted until the 17th overall pick in ’05.

Third quarter

– Kelenna Azubuike makes back-to-back buckets and flames start to shoot out of him like he’s Glen Rice in NBA Jam

– Jamal Crawford dribbles off his leg and Graham finishes a two-on-one on the other end with a layup

– Hot Sauce is not impressed

– Don Nelson calls timeout because the score is 74-66, and won’t consider bringing back Randolph, unless Maggette or half his team fouls out

– Anthony Randolph and The Milk Carton are now friends

– C.J. Watson is rocking the Air Zoom Flight 5’s and can shoot better than JKidd

– Warriors fans get a “Dunleavy Sucks” chant going after the former No. 3 pick checks back in

– Kelenna Azuibuke is blindsided by a Jeff Foster screen and is down for the count for a good minute

– Forrest Griffin knows the feeling

– Warriors and Pacers trade back-to-back pick-and-roll dunks on consecutive possessions

– Ronny Turiaf makes two free throws and the Warriors are up 86-85 to close the 3rd quarter

Fourth quarter

– Travis Diener is growing facial hair just to prove he can

– Corey Maggette is called for an offensive foul, his fifth foul of the game

– Marco Belinelli makes an incredible left-handed layup with his back to the basket and is fouled, but misses the free throw

– Marco Belinelli follows an Azubuike 3-pointer with one of his own putting the score at 96-91 in favor of Golden State

– Ronny Turiaf would be waving a towel while dancing if he wasn’t on the court playing during those 3s

– Jamal Crawford hits a three and is fouled in the process, which is the 14th time in his Warriors career that he’s been fouled attempting a three-pointer. (Courtesy of color commentator Jim Barnett on the postgame radio show).

– Marco Belinelli takes a pull-up jumper in transition and lands on someone’s foot. As a result Diener makes a transition 3 which put the Pacers up 103-102

– Bruce Bowen thinks there’s nothing dirty about what happened to Belinelli’s right ankle

– Marco Belinelli can’t put any weight on his right ankle and is helped off the floor and taken right into the locker room, likely to be X-rayed immediately

– Rob Kurz carries Belinelli and sees his only action all night

– Corey Maggette travels, but gets away with it and finds Biedrins for an easy dunk

– LeBron James thinks that move constitutes as a crab dribble

– Corey Maggette tries to dunk over Dunleavy in the open floor, but is cutoff to the basket by a Dunleavy blocking foul

– Corey Maggette makes both free throws, putting the Warriors up 108-107

– Mike Dunleavy makes a 3-pointer on the next possession and puts the Pacers up 110-108

– Defense wonders if it’ll be used by either team tonight

– Corey Maggette says, “D, I got you,” and comes up with back-to-back stops on Granger, despite having 5 fouls

– Jamal Crawford makes two free throws to put the Warriors up 116-114 with 33.5 left.

– T.J. Ford dimes up Granger at the top of the key for an open 3-pointer which gives the Pacers a one-point lead with 23 seconds left

– Danny Granger scores his 42nd point of the night, which ties a career-high

– Corey Maggette drives to the bucket but is cut off as he gets in the paint and dishes to Azubuike, who swings it cross-court to Jamal Crawford

– Jamal Crawford nails a big 3-pointer to the Warriors up 119-117 with 11.3 left on the clock

– Mike Dunleavy gets an open look on the following possession and throws up a total brick that doesn’t even draw rim

– Warriors fans have seen that too many times before

– Kelenna Azubuike is fouled after grabbing the rebound, but only makes his second free throw

– Warriors fans have seen that too many times as well.

– Travis Diener receives a pass from Granger and is wide-open for a game-tying three on the left wing, but can’t hit the shot

Final score: Warriors 120, Pacers 117.

Postgame Particulars

No postgame access, so no quotes. But Crawford was electric in the second half, finishing the game with 32 to lead the Warriors. Azubuike chipped in 21 and Belinelli had 17 points before exiting the game early. He probably will be out for the next two games at least, if not the next two weeks.

Granger finished with 42 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 2 turnovers in 41 minutes. He also went 14-of-14 from the free throw line, which was easily the line of the night.