Bay Area Buzz 12/14: Warriors Win, 49ers-Seahawks, Raiders-Chiefs
Bay Area Topics
Warriors Win
"The final buzzer sounded with the Golden State Warriors defeating the Dallas Mavericks by a score of 105-98, but it really wasn’t that close.Golden State jumped out to an early 15-5 lead, and controlled the game the rest of the way. Dallas could not get anything flowing in the opening frame, with the pressure from the Dubs defense limiting them to just 18 first quarter points. Meanwhile, the Warriors couldn’t miss a shot, flying out of the gates with 39 in the first quarter.Dallas picked it up in the second quarter, but the Warriors kept up their solid play, extending their lead to as much as 28 points, before going into halftime with a 66-44 lead.The Mavericks applied the pressure to start the second half, led by former Warrior Monta Ellis, cutting the lead down to 13. Draymond Green led the way the rest of the third with a mix of free throws, post ups, jump shots and physical defense to push the lead up to 19.The Warriors looked a bit sluggish in the fourth quarter, being outscored 30-18 to win by seven points, although they were never really in danger of letting the contest slip away from them. However, this can perhaps be a good learning experience for this team, knowing that no matter how big the lead, no game is over."
49ers vs. Seahawks
"The 49ers-Seahawks game this Sunday pits a rising team that has played better and better over the past month or so and a 49ers team that has gone from mediocre to bad to worse this season. San Francisco has simply been pathetic recently, nothing else explains the egg the team laid on Thanksgiving night against arch-rival Seattle–at home no less–and the absolute embarrassment against cross-Bay rivals Oakland, who now has won bragging rights for the next four years.Can San Francisco play better this game? Will it be the last Harbaugh-Carroll Matchup in the near-future?First and foremost, San Francisco absolutely can play better this game. The team, even without Patrick Willis, Navarro Bowman, and with a banged-up offensive line, has loads of talent and a proven coaching staff, from position coaches to Jim Harbaugh. Things have clicked for them before, this year has just been a down year. The New York Giants have had plenty of those under Tom Coughlin, but they have won two Super Bowls.Will San Francisco play better this game, however? This is a much more difficult question to answer, as San Francisco has been so bad this season that it has been nearly reminiscent of the Mike Nolan era, when the offense could barely move at all. Granted, the 49ers are still much better than those years, and they have a winning record, but it has been way too close for comfort."
Raiders vs. Chiefs
"The Raiders are in Kansas City this week for the second meeting with the Chiefs on the season. They are hoping for a repeat performance from their big Thursday Night Football win three weeks ago. It was their first win of the season, and the first of a current three-game losing streak by the Chiefs.There is a lot riding on this game for the Chiefs. Here are the key areas to watch for in this match-up between two bitter rivals.Playoffs?The Chiefs need this win. If they lose, their hopes for a second-straight trip to the playoffs will be all but officially lost. When the Chiefs came to Oakland a month ago, they were riding high with an AFC West leading 7-3 record. That begun a three game losing streak. A fourth straight would punch their ticket for a trip to their couch in January. Getting swept by the Raiders on their home field would be terrible but to be knocked out of the playoffs along the way would be so catastrophic, you may be able to see the mushroom cloud rise over Arrowhead from space."