All that baggage and disappointment disappeared for a few hours this past Sunday afternoon when the second-place Warriors squared off against the first-place Clippers. It was a head-to-head matchup of two good teams, with the outcome anybody's guess. A proving ground for the rest of the season, with respect and confidence as the spoils.

Listening to the pre-game show on KNBR 680 radio, there was a palpable sense of excitement crackling over the air waves. Announcers Tim Roye and Jim Barnett spoke just a little faster and maybe an octave higher. The pregame interviewees sounded overnaturally excited for a game in the middle of November between two traditional dogs.

SFist "Truthmaker" Chris Contributing