Last season, the Golden St. Warriors were the buzz of the NBA play-offs after earning the eighth seed and knocking off the No. 1 Dallas Mavericks in the first round. It was a great time in the Bay area, especially in Oakland. We had not seen this franchise advance to the play-offs since Chris Webber's rookie year, so it was indeed a new day.

Utah ended Golden State's dream run, but new hope had sprung eternal. Can the Warriors make another run this season and get into the postseason or will fans have to wait another decade to see their team play after the conclusion of the regular season?

One must understand that, being an area native, I ask this question out of sheer curiosity because, I must admit, I have never been a Warrior fan. However, the excitement that the team generated was contagious, and it had been so long since the team had advanced that far into the season that one couldn't help but root for them to win. Besides, my team, the L.A. Lakers (I know, how could I live in Northern California and root for a team, any team, from "down there" as we say?), had once again been unsuccessful at advancing in the post-Shaq era (are you listening Kobe?).

Some may wonder how I ever became a Lakers fan despite having grown up just miles from the Oakland Coliseum Arena. I had even lost two dollars betting a classmate that the Washington Bullets would beat the consummate "team" with superstar Rick Barry and his band of overachieving Warriors in the 1975 championship series (which the Warriors won in a sweep for their only title). Existing as a Lakers fan in Northern California was like a New York Yankee fan living in Brooklyn in the '50s.

The cause for my lack of hometown loyalty was Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I had been an Abdul-Jabbar fan since I saw him play on ABC with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1970. I was just amazed at how he could consistently knock down his famous "sky hook," and how Bob Dandridge, long-distance bomber Jon McGlocklin, Abdul-Jabbar's college teammate Lucius Allen, and the great Oscar "Big O" Robertson, the original "Mr. triple-double," all made for a great supporting cast, as the Bucks went 304-106 over a five-year span, which included two trips to the finals and one championship ring.

Abdul-Jabbar was traded to the Lakers in 1975 in a blockbuster deal that was so huge that two of the players Milwaukee received, Junior Bridgeman and Brian Winters, would go on to have distinguished careers in their own right and have their jerseys retired with the Bucks' franchise.

As Abdul-Jabbar went to L.A., so did I, and believe me, I watched the Lakers take it on the chin for four seasons in spite of his scoring prowess. But, that all changed when "Magic" Johnson arrived. The Lakers were more than a contender, needless to say, and the team only got better as players like James Worthy and Byron Scott were added to "Showtime."

It was the best of times for a fan like me, and the Warriors were competitive with solid players like Purvis Short, rebounding machine Larry "Mr. Mean" Smith, and high-scoring Eric "Sleepy" Floyd, just not perennial winners like the Lakers. Did last year signify the swing of the pendulum in Oakland? It is possible, but the Warriors will need some muscle up front to really compete and get past the first round of the play-offs on a consistent basis. Dallas was a favorable match-up for them last year, but Utah's Carlos Boozer is a player they cannot neutralize, and it showed as he banged his way through the Warriors frontline in their series last season.

One thing that is crystal clear is that the Warriors, and the rest of the West, will not take down the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio simply has what it takes mentally and on defense to make it happen time and time again. Of course having Tim Duncan doesn't hurt, but you get my point.

In these parts, fans will want more. However, after years of futility, I'm sure they will not only take their slew of scorers, led by Baron Davis, and Monta Ellis, a youngster who makes for plenty of optimism about the future, but they will proudly say that, although Boozer showed on opening night (32 points, 15 boards) that the Warriors' Achilles heel is still in the paint, Golden State is the league's most exciting bunch to watch in the age of the two-man game and the triangle offense.

While I haven't agreed on much when it comes to my hometown team, I will second that motion.