The boys from Oakland are on the brink of history. One more win over Dallas for the bearded wonder Baron Davis and his crew and they become only the third eight-seed in NBA history to upset a one-seed in the playoffs.
Before we go any further, let's catch up everyone on where the roster from the last good Golden State Warriors teams are now. Run T-M-C is all over the place. Tim Hardaway is smoking cigars with Jerry Falwell, Mitch Richmond is probably playing golf in Bali and current Golden State General Manager Chris Mullin is sitting in the Oracle Arena Skybox watching his masterpiece come together. Chris Webber is helping the Pistons make another run, but Latrell Sprewell is doing his best to feed his family without a multi-million dollar NBA contract.
And Don Nelson is back on the Warrior sidelines watching his former protAcgAc Avery Johnson squirm. Johnson knows full well that the Don has each and every one of Dallas' tricks written down. He also knows that there are some things the Don hasn't told him just because of possible situations like this one.
So, here we sit. On the brink of history. An eight seed, which hasn't made the playoffs since '94, is about to defeat the Dallas Mavericks, a team that at one point contended for the Bulls' record of 72 regular season victories. And everyone is set to label this the biggest upset in NBA history. Not so fast...
Two eight seeds have knocked off a one seed in the 60-year history of the NBA, but neither was in the current seven game first-round format we see now. The last was in 1999, when the Knicks knocked off the rival Heat. Despite Allan Houston's dramatic runner with eight tenths of a second remaining to give the Knicks a one-point victory in Game 5 and despite Patrick Ewing playing like he was still at Georgetown with 22 points and 11 rebounds in 40 minutes, the victory wouldn't even compare to a Warriors upset. The 1998-99 season was a shortened one due to a lockout and the Knicks were certainly better than the eight seed they received, eventually losing to the Spurs in the finals.
That brings us to the other big upset. In the 1994 Western Conference playoffs, the top seeded Super Sonics were one win away from heading to the second round to face the Utah Jazz. The Sonics, with Shawn ""The Rain Man"" Kemp and Gary ""the Glove"" Payton, had sported a 63-19 record, tops in the League. Winning one more game against the historically hapless Denver Nuggets did not seem like it would've proven to be a difficult task.
But the Nuggets took two back home and held off Seattle for a four-point overtime win in Game 5, resulting in one of the NBA's classic scenes with center Dikembe Mutombo clutching the ball on the ground, screaming for joy with tears streaming down his cheeks.
Before you say, ""Listen, Pepper. You're a hack. The Mavericks were better this year than Seattle could have ever been. Plus, the Mavs just lost in the finals this year. What are you talking about?"" I'd just like to stop you right there. While a Warriors upset would be monumental, they have Jason Richardson and Davis, two guys capable of absolutely taking over a game. If you have a second, let's just review the '94 Nuggets top guns.
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Better known for not standing during the national anthem because he saw the U.S. flag as a ""symbol of tyranny,"" Rauf was a dynamic player. Denver's leading scorer that season (18 points-per-game), was a quick point guard who simply did not miss from the charity stripe. His 90.5 percentage is tops all-time (over Mark Price), but isn't in the record books because he only played nine seasons. During the playoffs in 1994, he actually only missed two out of 31 free throws. Despite his gritty play, Abdul Rauf was far from a star. He could probably be best compared to Bobby Jackson of today.
LaPhonso Ellis
A 6'8' 240 lb. forward was a stud at Notre Dame and a pretty solid NBA threat too. He averaged 15.2 points per game and was second on the team with 8.2 rebounds. A solid NBA forward, probably most similar to a Kurt Thomas of today, Ellis wasn't a guy you built your team around either.
Dikembe Mutombo
While Mutombo has gone on to have a great career and actually sat next to Laura Bush at the President's State of the Union this year, he wasn't an offensive force. However, he still managed to absolutely take over the series. He shut down Kemp and recorded a record 31 blocks in a five game series, a record that will stand for the rest of NBA history unless the league returns to the format. Mutombo would go on to win four Defensive Player of the Year awards and remains the oldest active NBA player (currently on the Houston Rockets) at 44 years of age.
The rest of the Gang:
Bryant Stith (12.5 ppg), Robert Pack (9.6 ppg), Rodney Rogers (8.1 ppg) and Bison Dele (8 ppg).
While their recent success is more than impressive, when looking at the players the Nuggets had in '94 and the 2-0 hole with which they were handed, the Warriors potential shake-up pales in comparison.
And plus, beating Devin Harris should never be celebrated.
Sam can be reached for comment at sepepper@wisc.edu.
