Introduced before his first game in Oakland since he bolted for Los Angeles, Davis received a nice ovation from the Oracle Arena crowd. It was clear: Warriors fans don't blame the player.

Acquired from the Hornets on Feb. 24, 2005 for the bargain-basement price of Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis, Baron Davis took the Warriors -- and their fans -- to places they hadn't been in over a decade.

In his second full season with the team, the Warriors ended a 12-year playoff drought by winning 42 games. They then shocked the top-seeded Mavericks in Round 1 of the postseason. And they followed that up by winning 48 games the next season, falling just short of receiving a second consecutive playoff bid in the powerful Western Conference.

The Warriors seemingly had all the key pieces locked up for at least one more run at the playoffs in 2008-09, but Davis surprised almost everyone by exercising the clause in his contract that allowed him to tear up the final year of his existing contract, costing himself a guaranteed $17.8 million in the process.

What happened next is unclear. Some say the Warriors offered their star no more than two guaranteed seasons on a new deal. Others insist they guaranteed three, with team options on a fourth and fifth. And others claim they'd have gone five years, just not for the $75 million Davis' agent was demanding.

Instead, he accepted a five-year, $65 million deal from the Clippers, and neither franchise has benefited.

L.A. lost Elton Brand and Corey Maggette shortly thereafter to free agency and has ridden Davis' less-than-stellar season into oblivion.

The Warriors, meanwhile, are marginally better in the standings than the Clippers but already have been officially eliminated from playoff contention. And chances are they'll be in the market for another point guard this summer.

WARRIORS 127, CLIPPERS 120: Baron Davis had his third strong game against the Warriors this season -- his first in Oakland -- but Golden State once again proved to be the better team, holding the upper hand on the Clippers pretty much wire to wire behind Monta Ellis and 61 points from the bench. The reserve-crew production was somewhat surprising in that three would-be backups -- Marco Belinelli, Kelenna Azubuike and Ronny Turiaf -- were thrust into starting roles in place of suspended Stephen Jackson, injured Andris Biedrins and healthy scratch Jamal Crawford. Davis and Ellis matched 29-point nights, but the Warriors had easily the best of the supporting casts, putting up 34-, 33- and 35-point quarters once the backups got rolling in the second period.