California Teams

Gonzaga star Adam Morrison would look good in blue and orange. Maybe Texas power forward LaMarcus Aldridge will come out for this year's NBA draft. Perhaps the Warriors could trade up to take Connecticut's Rudy Gay.
After their 104-101 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats at Bobcats Arena on Wednesday, the Warriors can pretty much forget about the playoffs and start focusing on their 12th consecutive consolation prize.
``We were looking to win four out of five and get back into the playoff hunt,'' forward Troy Murphy said after the Warriors' fourth consecutive loss, including the past three on the road. ``So far, this trip has been disastrous for us.''
The Warriors (25-36) are 6 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot. They need to win 16 of their final 21 games just to reach .500.
``That's way out of the picture, the playoffs,'' said Warriors guard Jason Richardson, who had 27 points on 11-for-23 shooting. ``We still have a chance, but that's not what we're focusing on.''
Richardson had been carrying the Warriors, averaging 33 points on 48.3 percent shooting in the five games entering Wednesday. But in the final four minutes Wednesday, he was 1 for 3 with two turnovers, his biggest miss coming on a turnaround attempt over forward Gerald Wallace with 16.9 seconds left, keeping the Warriors' lead at 101-100.
Although the Warriors dominated the boards 53-33, a rebound they didn't get did them in. Wallace soared in and dunked Melvin Ely's missed shot to put the Bobcats ahead 102-101 with 7.7 seconds remaining.
Then there's Warriors guard Baron Davis. He finally abandoned the three-point shot and focused on going to the basket, sore right ankle and all. He had success: All four of his shots were inside the key, producing four points, and he assisted on a Richardson three-pointer off penetration. Then, with seven seconds left and the Warriors down by a point, he got a first step with one move, but his ankle wouldn't allow a second move to get him to the basket. He settled for a 14-footer and missed.
``I had him,'' Davis said. ``Then when I pushed off I wanted to make another move, but I kind of got stuck. That's a problem with my ankle; it gets stuck and I can't really push off. So I was just able to get him off me and get a clean look.''
And thus another disappointing ending for the Warriors.
``We're in a little situation where momentum seems to be spinning backward on us and we can't get out of it,'' Coach Mike Montgomery said. ``We did everything we needed to do, essentially, except win the game. But I could say that about 10 games this year.''