A huge story is developing and it’s taking place in Golden State where the eighth seeded Warriors before a frenzied crowd are about to go 3-1 up on the top seeded Mavericks.

Dallas had the NBA’s best regular season record finishing 67-15. None of that matters now as they have fallen to the Warriors 103-99 and are now a game away from a shocking first round elimination of epic proportions.

So how did a game they seemed to have under control up 88-81 at one point in the fourth quarter fall apart? The Warriors’ shooting was unreal down the stretch. They made big shots from the outside and stepped up their defensive intensity to stifle their heavy favorite opponents.

Now it should be noted that the Warriors did go undefeated (3-0) against the Mavericks during the regular season- meaning Dallas only lost 12 other times during what was a great year.

But if they don’t show character and a little effort, this will turn into one of the most disappointing seasons in team history. I knew this series would be a difficult match-up due to the Warriors’ team speed, athleticism and explosive scoring particularly in transition and from the outside. However, like many experts, I believed the Mavs’ experience and defensive fortitude would be the difference along with their size. It hasn’t panned out yet. There’s still time but they’ll now have to win three straight just to see Round 2.

So why is this upset a possibility? Because Baron Davis has been the best player in the series thus far. He destroyed the Mavs in Game One and once again took them apart tonight- finishing with a game high 33 on an efficient 12-of-17 shooting including three-for-four from downtown along with eight boards and four assists in 44 minutes.

It’s also because his supporting cast has also stepped up. Tonight, it was Jason Richardson adding 22 (7-for-15 FG) and Stephen Jackson chipping in 19 including three treys. But as J-Rich pointed out during a postgame interview courtesy of TNT, without the contributions of Mickael Pietrus, who came off the bench to chip in 16 including some big buckets down the stretch. Loved that dunk he had which put his team up three and energized one of the louder NBA crowds we’ve seen even further!

Though the Mavs hung around in the final minute, the proverbial final nail in the coffin was cast by one-time Knick Matt Barnes, who drained a wide open three from the right wing to put the Warriors up six.

Dirk Nowitzki would hit two late three’s but it was too little too late. I know he’s a great player but 23 and 15 while solid is just not enough in that kind of game. Especially when he only took 19 shots. Dirk’s a great player and will always be in the MVP discussion. But when is he going to take his team on his back and carry them? The time is now!

The Mavs had four players in double digits but their execution down the stretch was lackluster. Where was the desperation? When the Warriors made that 15-2 run, there should’ve been more focus. Instead, you saw their offense come unraveled with forced outside shots and lazy turnovers.

If you want a good stat from this game, here it is:

Turnovers: Dal- 16 GS- 10

On paper, it might not seem like much. But when you factor in that four Mavs turned it over at least three times while no Warrior did so more than twice, it’s bigger than you think. Especially when it’s key players such as Dirk, Devin Harris, Jason Terry and Stackhouse. Those guys were all on the court in crunch time and didn’t execute.

It’s very surprising to this writer how little poise Dallas showed. This was their game to win or lose. They fell apart. That’s it in a nutshell.

So will ex-Mavs coach Don Nelson get the ultimate revenge? I still believe it’s up to the Mavericks. They can play a lot better than what they’ve shown so far in this series. But if you think the Warriors don’t believe they can win, you’re sadly mistaken.

In the other Sunday NBA games, the Bulls made it a clean sweep of the defending champion Heat- beating them 92-79. Sharpshooters Luol Deng and Ben Gordon combined for 46 while Ben Wallace went for a double double (13 and 11). He also limited Shaq to 16 and 7 in just 30 minutes.

Impressive stuff from the Bulls here. Maybe it’s true that last year’s Finals MVP Dwyane Wade wasn’t close to 100 percent. But regardless, they wiped out a defending champ to advance to the second round where they’ll now meet Big Ben’s former team Detroit in what promises to be a great match-up.

It will be the Bulls’ perimeter execution and speed against the defensive fortitude and experience of the Pistons. This could go the distance.

Meanwhile in The Swamp, the Nets won their second straight in impressive fashion over the Raptors 102-81 to pull 3-1 up on their lesser experienced opponents. That seems to be the difference in this series. But also, if you fall down by as many as Toronto did after one quarter (32-15), you aren’t giving yourselves much of a chance on the road.

Coming off a triple double, Jason Kidd hit for five-of-six treys, finishing with 17 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds. Is there anything he can’t do? He was supposed to be a question mark for what turned out to be a Game Three blowout and then dished out 19 assists along with 16 and 16. He’s an amazing player. End of discussion.

For the second straight game away from his former home in Canada, Vince Carter torched his ex-team with 27 on an efficient 9-of-15 from the floor including five-for-eight from beyond the arc. Vincesanity also got seven boards and seven dimes. Richard Jefferson added 23 (8-of-15 FG).

What’s happened to the Raptors’ inside scoring advantage? Well for one thing, Chris Bosh hasn’t exactly distinguished himself. Yesterday, the All Star only had 13 and 10, taking just 12 shots. The former Georgia Tech standout has sick game and is his team’s best player capable of carrying them. He needs to be more assertive. It would also help if his teammates stopped chucking from the outside. That doesn’t win you many playoff series.

Out in Hollywood, the Suns rebounded well from a Game Three loss to defeat the Lakers 113-100 at Staples Center putting their inferior opponents on the brink. Nothing against Kobe and Co. But he can’t do it by himself. Bryant finished with a respectable 31 (12-of-25 FG) along with nine assists and seven rebounds. So he did get his teammates involved.

They did have five guys in double figures but if you can’t contain Steve Nash (23 assists, 17 points), you’re screwed. Especially when the rating two-time MVP finished one off the NBA playoff assist record and had two more assists than the entire Lakers combined.

What’s more? The Suns got a huge performance from big man Amare Stoudemire (27 and 21) and Shawn Marion rebounded from a dreadful Game 3 to finish with 22 and 11. You really couldn’t expect The Matrix to have two ineffective games in a row. He’s too good.

Valuable sixth man Leandro Barbosa chipped in 16 (8-of-8 FT) off the bench.

In a losing effort for LA, former Christ The King product Lamar Odom finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. He and Kobe just didn’t get enough help.

And so, the Suns are now in the same position LA was a year ago in the same round- up 3-1. But it’s a little different because they have two more home games including Game Five in the desert. To say this is an uphill climb for the Lakers would be an understatement.

Final thoughts from the night:

Watching TNT’s Charles Barkley take it on the chin for his Mavs in 5 prediction after the Warriors took Game One was hilarious. From the funny computerized images the TNT crew used to other assorted things. It was just great stuff. No postgame show and crew has as much fun as them.

That last segment where the Chuckster was blindfolded and accurately guessed which donut was a Krispy Kreme was gold. To which he replied, “We got a winner.”

Best part is it originated in San Francisco. It’s been a tough week for him.

The straws segment featuring injured Wizards star Caron Butler was interesting. He chews on over 1,000 straws during games while watching. He was able to detect which one was the McDonalds one. I’m not sure if this is good or not but it sure was funny.

Later tonight, three games are on tap. The Cavs go for a sweep in D.C. while the Spurs look to take a commanding 3-1 lead in Colorado. Also on tap is a pivotal Game Five between Utah and Houston. The Jazz have rallied from 0-2 down to even this best-of-seven series. Can a Tracy McGrady team make it out of the first round or will they choke yet again? He said if they don’t get out, it’s on him. It’s time!