Don Nelson lived up to the Don Nelson standard this week, and because of it he took away any chance the Warriors had of joining the greatest playoff bash in recent memory.

That he benched his best player for the entire second half of Monday night’s game with the Phoenix Suns is bizarre. That he did it at such a crucial juncture of the season is mind-boggling.

That he did it because, in his own words, he had given up on making the playoffs is disturbing for Golden State fans.

But then again, Nellie is Nellie and always will be Nellie, an ambassador of entertaining ball who has long been one of the most overrated coaches of his era.

Nellie’s idea of defense has always been find more offense, and his ego has always prevented him from seeing more than an inch or two past the end of his nose.

He proved this with Golden State, New York, Dallas and again at Golden State.

On the other hand, Nellie’s teams are always among the most dangerous on any given night and a team that everyone in the West will be glad to not have to play next week.

Just ask Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks.

And the real losers here are fans of the game, as much as fans of Golden State, because if the Warriors had made the playoffs it likely would have been one heck of a series, even if the ride had lasted no longer than one heck of a series.

As one commentator pointed out this year, the Warriors are the sort of team that can win by 40 on any given night or lose by 40 on any given night, and that unpredictability makes them dangerous and entertaining, although certainly not dangerous enough or consistent enough to win it all.

The fact that the Warriors still would have needed the Nuggets to lose their finale against the lowly Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday to have a shot at the postseason is now redundant because with Nellie benching Baron Davis on Monday, that final Nuggets game became about as meaningful as the Warriors’ season.

Or to put that another way, well, we’ll never know, now will we Nellie?

And that’s one bitter way to end a season that had promised so much.

Elsewhere in the world of sports this week:

 The Patriots have the statistically easiest schedule in the NFL next season based on winning percentages from 2007. I guess they need some breaks. After all, they haven’t won a Super Bowl in how many years now?

 The Raiders have the third easiest schedule in the NFL and a particularly non-intimidating start. That’s good news for Lane Kiffin who will need a good start to keep Al from turning up the thermostat on that coaching seat.

 Only 51 days to go to Crabs season and it’s been an impressive spring for many of the incoming players. Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

 I know it’s still early in the baseball season, but the team with the lowest payroll of all (Florida Marlins) is leading the NL East and has the third best winning percentage in either league.

 The Giants may still be the cellar-dwellars in the NL West, but some of those young players are going to be fun to watch this season.

 Barry who?

 Stat of the week. Jason Giambi, who will earn more this season than the entire Florida Marlins roster (including their DL) came into Wednesday’s game batting .094. That’s less than .004 for every million dollars he will earn this season.

(Opinions expressed in columns do not necessarily reflect those of The Eureka Reporter.)