The Golden State Warriors dropped their preseason opener in Honolulu, falling to the LA Clippers 104-101 in a nail-biter. But honestly? That final score means absolutely nothing, and Steph Curry himself is here to tell you why.
Luau > Box Score: Curry’s Unexpected Camp Takeaway
The Dubs trailed by 12 points at halftime before they pulled key guys like Curry, Draymond Green, and Al Horford. You could try to dismiss the results because regulars barely play in preseason, but even that doesn’t really help Golden State’s case with that kind of deficit. Nah, there’s a better reason to dismiss it all: preseason results just don’t matter, period. And who better to lay it out for everyone than the guy who’s been hooping for 17, going on 18, years? Curry summed up his biggest takeaway from the entire training camp in Hawaii, and it wasn’t about any fancy new plays or breakout performances. It was about fire. “We had a very impressive luau at our hotel that included some fire,” Curry said. He was talking about the fire spinning and the tribute dances, travel dances, all that good stuff. Seriously, the team luau was the highlight of the entire first week of camp for the two-time MVP.
Forget The Outcome, Remember The Fire (and a Buzzer-Beater)
Curry went on to say he doesn’t remember a single preseason game outcome in his whole career, except for Lindy Waters hitting a buzzer-beater a couple years back. A reporter reminded him of a special Kobe Bryant preseason moment, and Curry conceded, “That’s also a great one. So we got two. Two out of however many. So we’re not gonna get bogged down by the results of the game.” He’s not just talking trash either. It’s generally the consensus that preseason results are whatever, and there’s plenty of data backing that up each year. The Dubs rolled to a 6-2 preseason record before winning their first title in 2014-15. They went 6-1 two years later for another chip, and an insane league-best 5-0 before their shocking 2021-22 championship run.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: Preseason Is a Crapshoot
But then you look at 2017-18, when they won the title after going just 2-2 in preseason. Or even wilder, their 2015-16 season, where they had a losing 3-4 preseason record before ripping off an unbelievable 24-game winning streak to start the actual year. So yeah, the numbers definitely back him up. That Hawaii loss is already in the rearview mirror.
So forget that 104-101 loss to the Clippers. The real story coming out of Hawaii isn’t the score, it’s Steph Curry’s masterclass in perspective. The Warriors are packed up and heading back to California. The real games are coming, and *that’s* what you need to be hyped for.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Golden State of Mind.
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