The Golden State Warriors made the most of their first home playoff game in 13 years, embarrassing the number one-seeded Dallas Mavericks 109-91 to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
The largest crowd in Warriors' history (20,629) watched their team dismantle the heavily favored Mavericks for 48 minutes on Friday night. Dallas looked completely helpless for the entire game, shooting only 38.8% from the floor. Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 points, but eight of those came in the first four minutes.
Golden State, who lost their composure in game two of the series, had five players score in double-figures, with Jason Richardson leading the charge with 30 off 12-of-19 shooting. He also pulled down eight rebounds. Baron Davis, who was ejected from game two, finished with 24, and Andris Biedrins provided a spark in his first start of the series, tallying 10 points and 10 boards.
When things began to completely unravel in the third quarter, the Mavericks began to look like Davis and the Warriors did in game two, where both he and Stephen Jackson were ejected from the game. To the crowd's delight, Josh Howard, Devin Harris, and Jerry Stackhouse each drew technical fouls for Dallas in the period.
Golden State used their athleticism and quickness to disorient the team that reached the NBA Finals last year won 67 games during the regular season. The Warriors led by double-digits the entire second half. The Mavericks, on the other hand, looked bewildered during the final 24 minutes and simply could not get anything going.
A number eight seed has only beaten a number one twice in NBA history, but it has never happened since the NBA extended the first round from a best-of-five to a best-of-seven series in the 2002-03 season. The Denver Nuggets defeated the Seattle Supersonics in five games in 1994-95, and the New York Knicks shocked the Miami Heat in five back in the 1998-99 season. The Knicks would actually advance all the way to the Finals.
Game three will be held in Golden State on Sunday.
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