The Warriors have one game to go on their preseason slate. So far, not so good.
Golden State is 1-3 this preseason, losing all three of their games against the revamped Lakers. The Warriors' latest defeat came Wednesday night in a 126-93 beatdown by Los Angeles at Staples Center. In their three losses to the Lakers, the Warriors have been outscored by 61 points.
While the Dubs were drubbed by 33 points Wednesday night, star point guard Steph Curry could only watch his team get crushed. The two-time All-Star was on a planned night off. His view of Golden State's loss, however, didn't change his view of the Warriors one bit.
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“A championship is still the goal,” Curry told Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. “It’s always been. We’ve experienced it all and we’re going to keep pushing to get back there. That’s the goal. It’s the North Star. The narrative might have changed internally, but we’re still chasing the same goal.”
The biggest difference for Curry and the rest of the new-look Warriors, which had players such as Jacob Evans, Alfonzo McKinnie and Marquese Chriss in the starting lineup in their fourth preseason game, is how they start the season. Simply put, the Warriors can't coast.
In years past when it nearly felt like a guarantee the Warriors were bound for the NBA Finals, they could use the first quarter of the season as more of an experiment. This year, the focus must ramp up.
“We’ve always talked about focusing on the first 20 games, but this season, it doesn’t mean as we’ve said before. In the past, it was focusing on the first 20 games just to break up the 82-game monotony of the season. Now, it’s like the first 20 games [are] in a sense of urgency,” Curry told Haynes.
Golden State Warriors
“We’ve got to start off on the right foot and create a new identity and basically have fun playing basketball no matter what happens, while working through some of the unknowns."
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The unknowns truly are what stand out. Even Curry, who has won three titles through his first 10 seasons in the NBA, doesn't exactly know what this Warriors team is.
The next time Golden State can look for some Lakers redemption is Friday at Chase Center as the Warriors close out their preseason schedule. Less than a week later, the stakes become much higher in the regular-season opener against the Clippers.