As the Golden State Warriors get ready to host the Dallas Mavericks at Oracle Arena this evening, all of the focus sits squarely on the shoulders of Monta Ellis as his status for the game is questionable after injuring his ankle against the Memphis Grizzlies Wednesday night. Ellis was held out of practice on Friday, but with or without him, the Warriors need to play their best to beat a team like Dallas.

In their last meeting with Dallas the Warriors got blown out at the American Airlines Center, eventually losing by a score of 101-73. But the Warriors will be glad to be home, despite the possible absence of their number one scorer. Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle explains how Monta's grit and determination is inspiring and shows his way of leading a team is by example. 

Tipoff is set for 7:30 pm and can be seen on CSN Bay Area and heard on KNBR 680 AM. For more discussion and analysis of everything Warriors, head over to our W's blog, Golden State of Mind, to get in on the action.