The Warriors are hanging tough (think New Kids on the Block) and are surprisingly only down 4 points after one.
It would have been 26-26 if Monta Ellis was not called for a foul on a 3-point shot by ultimate flopper Manu Ginobili (why don’t Warriors learn the veteran move of ‘flopping’?). To make matters worse, Ellis mouthed a very audible “b***s***” which tacked on another technical freethrow.
And while these mental mistake are troublesome as it usually bites the Warriors in the butt at the end of the game, we can’t deny Ellis’ hustle and heart. Although he shot a paltry 3-9 in the first quarter, in the span of two possessions, Ellis induced a turnover by George Hill and then stole the ball from him in route to an athletic layup over the muscular Dejuan Blair.
Ellis shouldn’t have fouled Ginobili on that 3-pointer to end the quarter, but we’re seeing a different kind of effort from him this season, which leads by example.