Depleted Warriors finish trip with pair of losses, but renewed enthusiasm

When the Warriors began this five-game road trip, we said their success or failure couldn't be measured in wins and losses. Well, the Warriors went 1-4 on the trip, but considering all that happened and the way they played the last two games, you have to say the trip was a success.

First, they got rid of Stephen Jackson, who, despite his many talents, was bringing the team down with his selfish approach and negative attitude.

Second, they went toe-to-toe with two of the league's elite teams and, despite a pair of losses, showed remarkable resiliency for an undermanned, undersized squad.

One night after taking the Cleveland Cavaliers down to the wire before finally losing, the Warriors on Wednesday played the Boston Celtics essentially even except for a decisive four-and-a-half minute stretch of the third quarter, losing 109-95 to a team many pick to come out of the Eastern Conference this year.

Not to say that the injuries that left them with only eight available players -- Raja Bell played Wednesday despite his injured wrist to provide relief on the second night of back-to-back games -- were a blessing, but they provided a team-building experience that could pay huge dividends in the future.

The Warriors weren't likely to win these two games even with a full roster, even with Jackson. Instead of throwing in the towel and saying they didn't have a chance, they came together, fought hard and, if nothing else, took away some confidence.

“We’re hungry. We want to win really bad," Stephen Curry said in his post-game quotes. "We have the pieces in place right now; we've just got to get some healthy bodies back and just play a full game. We’ve been competitive the last two nights for about 36 minutes. The 12 (minutes) that they go on a run, we just can’t come back from. I’m happy with how we played, with the kind of effort we’re giving and how bad we want to be a good team. We've got a lot of ways to go so hopefully it will turn around.”

It seems like it already has -- or at least has started to. Considering they just fell to 3-8 on the season, the Warriors were actually upbeat Wednesday -- something that's been nearly impossible to say while the whole Stephen Jackson drama played out.

"This proves that when we all play together and stay together, we can do some damage in this league," Monta Ellis said.

Corey Maggette, who started in place of Anthony Morrow, led what's left of the Warriors with 23 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Ellis, who played 40 minutes after playing 46 on Tuesday, scored 18 points and added four rebounds, four assists and three steals. Curry scored in double figures for the third straight game, posting 13 points, seven assists and four steals (he also had six turnovers). Anthony Randolph had 11 points and eight rebounds in 24 minutes and Bell, who returns to Charlotte on Thursday to have surgery on his wrist, provided a huge lift with 11 points (3-for-3 on 3-pointers) in 23 much-needed minutes.

Bell's desire to play and help out his seemingly overmatched teammates exemplifies the Warriors of the past two games. Brought together by extreme adversity, the group of seven or eight played inspired team ball.

Against the Celtics, the game was tied at 55-55 in the third quarter when the game turned on a 12-0 Boston run that last 4 minutes, 30 seconds. During the run, the Warriors went 0-for-7 from the floor, missing a couple shots from inside 5 feet, didn't get a single offensive rebound and committed three turnovers.

"We were right there the whole game but just didn’t play in the third quarter," coach Don Nelson said.

They also committed 21 turnovers, which was a big reason they couldn't come back from the 12-point deficit.

A few other observations as the Warriors prepare for Friday's home game against Portland:

-- The Warriors were only outrebounded 36-35 by the Celtics, meaning they actually were +2 in rebounds the past two games. Perhaps the lack of big men has forced everyone on the team to realize they need to give more effort when it comes to rebounding.

-- Like LeBron the night before, Boston stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were all on the floor late in the fourth quarter. Going into these games, you kind of expected blowouts were the other team's starters would get plenty of rest.

-- Too often the Warriors try for the fancy pass rather than the high-percentage pass.

-- I don't care if it didn't count because of a foul call, but did you see Randolph dunk (in frustration) at the end of a play midway through the third quarter. The Warriors need that all the time -- especially on plays that do count. Finish strong, big man.

-- With undersized guards in Ellis and Curry, other teams often try to post them up. Ray Allen, one of the best 3-point shooters the NBA has ever seen, took both Ellis and Curry down on the block Wednesday. Is that really such a bad thing? Especially when Ronny Turiaf and Andris Biedrins get healthy and can provide some help defense.

-- The Warriors took a brief 52-51 lead early in the third quarter when, on an out-of-bounds play, Ellis outran the Celtics defense and Maggette hit him for a layup. Remember, the Warriors played Tuesday night, the Celtics hadn't played since Saturday. That's the type of hustle play the Warriors need to make to stay competitive.

-- In the little time he played, Bell was impressive both shooting the ball and on defense. Here's hoping the surgery goes well and he can return this season.

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