Four years ago the Golden State Warriors, the No. 8-seeded team in the 2007 NBA playoffs, shocked the basketball world when it upset heavily favored and No. 1-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

Led offensively by the explosive trio of Baron Davis, Jason Richardson and Stephen Jackson, the 2007 Warriors embraced the “We Believe” mantra and treated the fanatic Bay Area faithful with a playoff performance for the ages. Davis, Richardson and Jackson never saw a 3-point shot they didn’t like, and that fearless attitude spread like wildfire on the entire roster. Also on that underdog team were the well-traveled Al Harrington and Matt Barnes, and two young players in second-year guard Monta Ellis and third-year center Andris Biedrins.

The architect of the “We Believe” Warriors was Don Nelson, the “Mad Scientist” who was known for his free-wheeling offense and wacky game plans. Nelson had a leg up on the Mavericks because he knows their personnel very well, having drafted the core of the ’07 Dallas team.

Forward Matt Barnes, who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, enjoyed his finest hour when he was with the Golden State Warriors in 2007. (GETTY IMAGES)

Golden State won the season series against Dallas during 2006-07, and that template fueled the Warriors to the biggest playoff upset since the 1994 Denver Nuggets shocked the Seattle SuperSonics.

Bay Area sports fans have not been excited about its Warriors since ’07, a magical moment frozen in time it seems in the minds of Warriors fans. There is real optimism this upcoming season – once the lockout ends – because the new-school Warriors have the pieces to push for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

On Saturday, Nov. 5, at the San Jose Event Center the “We Believe” 2007 Warriors will play in an exhibition game against the current crop of Warriors, featuring young “Dubs” Stephen Curry, David Lee and Dorell Wright and one holdover  from the 2007 squad – Ellis. The game tips off at 6:30 p.m. PST.

Scheduled to participate in the exhibition game and play for the “We Believe” Warriors are Richardson, Harrington and Bay Area native Barnes, the game’s host. A few former Warriors who weren’t on the 2007 team (Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Anthony Morrow and C.J. Watson) are also tentatively on the program.

Jackson and Davis, the two leaders of the ’07 squad, are not scheduled to appear, although there is still a chance that Davis could make a surprise appearance.

“With the lockout, we’re all thirsty to do something,” Barnes told the San Francisco Examiner. “I got the idea from a friend of mine who’s a promoter in the Bay Area. He approached me about doing an old vs. new Warriors game, and then I thought how it’d be cool to do it with 2007 team. That team is pretty legendary.”

A portion of the proceeds will go to Matt Barnes’ Athletes vs. Cancer Foundation.

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David Lee, who was traded from New York to Golden State during the offseason, injured his finger during Team USA's practice. (UPI)

This year’s U.S. men’s national team looks younger, faster and more athletic, but not necessarily better than the “Redeem Team” two years ago.

For one, the team that will represent the United States in the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey have a glutton of talented guards but lack quality big men. And that was before New York Knicks forward/center Amare Stoudemire decided to drop out of the program a day before training camp started in Las Vegas and Phoenix Suns center Robin Lopez opted not to play because the knee injury he suffered during the regular season is not 100 percent.

Then, during Tuesday’s workouts, Golden State Warriors forward David Lee may have dislocated the middle finger on his non-shooting hand. According to reports, Lee injured the finger when he went up to block a shot and jammed it against the bottom of the backboard.

That’s three big guys out and Team USA hasn’t even completed a full week of practice.

Team USA’s frontcourt was getting so depleted that JaVale McGee, the young center of the Washington Wizards, has been asked to take part in team activities as a backup plan. McGee is coming off a very impressive outing at Vegas Summer League, but there’s a slim chance he’ll make the final cut.

“With those guys missing, we’re gonna have to play much better as a team. We have great guard play, but we’re a little short on bigs,” Lee said during Tuesday’s workout.

“We have guys who can play multiple positions. Rebounding is going to be huge for us,” said Lee, who may be asked to play some center if he makes the squad. “It’s pretty obvious that our advantage is going to be our quickness, our length and our explosiveness. That’s something we’re gonna have to utilize and spread the floor like the past Olympic team did before to create driving lanes and defensively really pack it in and find a way to rebound the basketball.”

The world championships begin on Aug. 28 so USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski have a month to figure out who should make the 12-man roster out of the 21 players invited to camp. None of the 21 players invited were on the U.S. squad that brought home the gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in China.

“The interesting part for me will be the bigs, to see how it plays out,” said Colangelo.

Among those who are competing for roster spots are reigning NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant, 2004 NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups, 2010 NBA Rookie of the Year Tyreke Evans, and 2009 NBA Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose.

Durant is an absolute lock to make the team, and there’s a good chance Billups will join him having been a part of the program back in 2008 when Coach K and Co. prepared for the Beijing Olympics. But after those two, it is anyone’s guess. Here are the names of the players invited to the USA Basketball training camp in Las Vegas:

– POINT GUARDS: Billups (Denver Nuggets), Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics), Rose (Chicago Bulls), Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors).

– SHOOTING GUARDS: Evans (Sacramento Kings), O.J. Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies), Eric Gordon (L.A. Clippers).

– SMALL FORWARDS: Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Gerald Wallace (Charlotte Bobcats), Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies), Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers), Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers).

– CENTERS: Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets), Tyson Chandler (Dallas Mavericks), JaVale McGee (Washington Wizards).

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Second-year guard Rodney Stuckey is ready for a breakout season with the Detroit Pistons.

The Detroit Pistons traded away Chauncey Billups because GM Joe Dumars wants to clear cap space and thinks very highly of second-year guard Rodney Stuckey. The 6-foot-5 guard from Eastern Washington showed flashes of stardom in last year’s playoffs, averaging 9 points and 3 assists, and parlayed that into a successful stint with the U.S. select team that drilled The Redeem Team while preparing for the Beijing Olympics. Several players and coaches associated with USA Basketball raved about Stuckey. With Billups gone and Allen Iverson headed for free agency at the end of the season, Stuckey should be an even bigger presence in Detroit’s plans and his meteoric rise gives the Pistons a bright future.

Stuckey is just one of several rising studs, who are either in their second or third season in the NBA, ready for a breakout season. A look at the others:

KEVIN MARTIN, guard, Sacramento Kings: With Mike Bibby, Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and Ron Artest all gone, the 25-year-old Martin is now the face of the Kings. Last year, he averaged 23 points a game. This year, he should flirt with 24 or 25 points per game considering the Kings don’t have much of a team, nor a coach, running with him.

DAVID LEE, forward-center, New York Knicks: His name always came up whenever teams inquired about trading with the Knicks. But the Knicks held their ground and kept Lee on the roster. The 6-10 third-year man, who was a walking double-double in limited action last year, has been named starter and should thrive in Mike D’Antoni’s free-wheeling system.

RUDY GAY, guard-forward, Memphis Grizzlies: With Pau Gasol gone, Gay becomes the focal point of the Grizzlies offense. He should surpass last season’s 20.1 average and will get serious all-star recognition. If general managers had to do it all over again, Gay probably would have been the first or second player chosen in the 2006 NBA draft. Seven players were taken before Gay: Andrea Bargnani, LaMarcus Aldridge, Adam Morrison, Tyrus Thomas, Shelden Williams, Brandon Roy and Randy Foye.

LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE, forward, Portland Trail Blazers: How can the Chicago Bulls get this wrong, again. The Bulls had Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler in their fold and dealt both away for, basically, a round-trip fare to the Bahamas. In 2006, the Bulls had the No. 2 pick in the draft and smartly selected Aldridge and then (head-scratcher) moved him to Portland. Hmmm. With the return of Greg Oden, Aldridge will face less double teams and can slide back to his more natural position, power forward.

DEVIN HARRIS, guard, New Jersey Nets: When Harris was traded from Dallas to New Jersey last season for Jason Kidd, the happiest man in the Western Conference was San Antonio’s Tony Parker. The Spurs point guard admitted that he hated playing against Harris, who defused Parker’s quickness during the 2006 playoffs. In 25 games with the Nets last season, Harris averaged 15.4 points and 6.5 assists. With a full training camp and a big endorsement from Coach Lawrence Frank and star guard Vince Carter, Harris is ready for a breakout season as full-time starter.

RAJON RONDO, point guard, Boston Celtics: We all saw him grow up during the playoffs. He just got better and better as the Celtics kept advancing. His performance in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Lakers was legendary. Another member of the draft class of 2006, Rondo has been given the keys to the Celtics’ sports utility vehicle and GM Danny Ainge is hoping he can drive them back to the NBA Finals.

AL HORFORD, forward-center, Atlanta Hawks: He’s a bit undersized as a center but plays a lot bigger than his listed height and weight (6-9, 245). You can argue that Horford had a much bigger impact last season than Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant because Horford led his team to the playoffs. The Hawks love Horford’s intensity and he brings toughness to a team ready to become a perennial playoff contender.

AL THORNTON, forward, L.A. Clippers: Thornton, an all-rookie honoree last season, is an exceptional athlete who never stops working. He should benefit from the extra playing time now that Elton Brand is in Philadelphia and Corey Maggette is in Golden State.

JORDAN FARMAR, guard, Los Angeles Lakers: Last season, Farmar showed flashes of what he can do. This season, Farmar will severely push incumbent Derek Fisher as the Lakers’ starting guard opposite Kobe Bryant. It’s similar to what Coach Phil Jackson had to deal with in Chicago with B.J. Armstrong and John Paxson. The younger Armstrong eventually won the job over the veteran Paxson.

JULIAN WRIGHT, forward, New Orleans Hornets: This 6-8, 225-pound former Kansas Jayhawk won’t make a dent on the stat sheet but his contribution will be on defense. His length and quickness is ideal for what Coach Byron Scott wants in the Hornets’ pressure defense.

NICK YOUNG, guard, Washington Wizards: While Gilbert Arenas heals from his knee surgery, the Wizards will be asking this former USC Trojan to fill in. Young is a capable scorer and his size (6-6) allows Coach Eddie Jordan to play him at guard or small forward.

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