While it may feel like a bandwagon, I think what you're actually experiencing is the media's first awareness of Golden State. Including your own. Most Warriors fans, myself included, don't really believe the Warriors have much of a chance to beat Dallas in a seven game series. What the players and fans hope, at the risk of throwing out a tired cliche, is that the team gets a little respect.

It wouldn't actually take a whole lot of analysis to figure out that this Warriors team is a bit unusual for an 8 seed. Its starting line-up, like that of Denver's, is about a quarter season old and boasts a record of about 16 and 5.

BTW, I love Barkley. I think he's hilarious. But his prognistications are horrible. It's a running joke on the show. The next time he predicts a correct outcome will be his first.

Here are some of the legends along with the steroid suspects and where they stand in batting average, on base percentage, and slugging percentage...

Ruth, final year 40 years old---.181, .359, .431

Aaron, final year 42 years old--.229, .315, .369

Mays, final year 42 years old---.211, .303, .344

McGwire,final year 38 years old-.187, .316, .492

2007 to date

Sosa, active 38 years old-------.206, .265, .429

Bonds, active turns 43 in July--.348, .466, .804

119 points above nearest competitor in batting average, 107 points above in on base, and 312 above in slugging.

Mr. Bonds still has the rugged body to excel at age 43 due to all the Flax Seed Oil he injested (one drop under the tongue, just the way everyone else takes Flax Seed Oil)?

A recent transplant to the Bay area, I've become a Warriors fan during the course of the season. It's been tremendous fun to watch this team get their act together following the mid-season trade that brought Harrington and Jackson to the lineup. They've been playing great ball since getting their core starters healthy - tons of hustle, good ball movement, better (though not great) defense, and real contributions from all their starters and Barnes, Biedrins, and Pietrus of the bench. The Mavs should still win this series, by shooting like they normally do and beating the Warriors on the glass.

But the Warriors are a great sports story: a bunch of ragtag habitual also-rans making an impressive run to the playoffs (when everyone counted them out) by beating a bunch of ostensibly better teams, a questionable character player (Jackson) playing great ball and becoming a leader on the court, the on-court general (Baron) recovering from injury and playing like an all-star, a grizzled old coach - the last one to head this team in the post-season - leading his new charges against his former team, and now getting a convincing first game win against the best team in the game. Can they get past the first round? Nobody knows, but this is outstanding sports drama, the sort of thing fans of the game should get excited about.

Why didn't it work for Sosa and McGwire?

"your sweet bippy" - that is priceless.

I was at Kansas during Roy's tenure there and I can say first hand that you will not find a nicer, more caring, more genuine person than Roy Williams in college or pro sports.

And, yes, King, sorry but that is all I took from your column. I couldn't care less about the NBA playoffs if I tried. Not that anyone cares about my likes & dislikes, but I'm just saying.

as a recent transplant to the bay area, justin case, i hope you're ready for the oakland curse.

if you follow the A's at all you're very familiar with the pattern. you go up 2-0 in a 5 game division series, then blow 3 straight.

this last year they made it to the ALCS and i blubbered like a little girl.

i have a feeling the Warriors will suffer a similar fate.

i think this curse is somehow related to Mt. Davis - the shadow of which falls on the arena for 9 minutes daily, thus extending the curse to basketball and justin timberlake concerts.

I'll take the Oakland curse under advisement. Which is too bad, because I've already chosen the A's to be my local baseball team (two reasons: Barry Bonds, and Moneyball).

The first leg of the Champions League semi-finals will be today and tomorrow (2.30p eastern, ESPN2). AC Milan will be at Man U today, with Liverpool at Chelsea tomorrow. Three British teams in the Final Four. Good times for the Premiership.

Are probably not thinking too much about the Bonds Hall-of Fame thing right now. They have years to gather their thoughts.

They better get their asses/thoughts in gear just in case..... for this years MVP vote.

At age 39 with average, on base, slugging of .281, .352, .552.

Wes's question: 'Why didn't it work for Sosa and McGwire?'

Excellent question, Wes. My answer is that Mr. Bonds (flax seed oiled up or not) is obviously a much, much better talent than either Sosa or McGwire.

That concession, however, does not change my opinion that Mr. Bonds should be banned from baseball & all his records from say 1999 on be stricken from the record books. Same for McGwire & Sosa & Palmiero & Canseco & anyone else they can unequivocally prove took anabolic steroids.

Mr. Rose has the stats to be in the hall on 1st ballot, yet he broke the number 1 rule in baseball (even more of a spit-in-the-eye than Mr. Bonds, IMO) repeatedly and for that I (who used to idolize Pete in my youth) think he should never be in the HOF.

I kinda look at Mr. Bonds like I looked at Nixon back in 72. Nixon was going to wipe the floor with McGovern, but that wasn't good enough. He had to have it allllllll. Mr. Bonds was on his way (or already there) to being the best all-around ballplayer since Roberto Clemente, but that wasn't good enough either.

At the end of the day, it's really a sports version of a Greek tragedy (although I'll wager Mr. Bonds will end up in a better situation than Oedipus).

P.S. Coach Gillespie is already bringing in a couple nice recruits for the Cats!