Preseason Game #3 - Warriors 89, Clippers 99 - Welcome Home Boys!

After a long off season and training camp in beautiful Honolulu, the boys are back in town. And while I wish that their 07-08 Oracle debut turned out better than it did, it felt great to be back in our house. Everything from the sound of the squeaking of the players' sneakers on the hardwood floor to the roar of the crowd on every score (despite the meaninglessness) made me excited about a fresh season of Warriors basketball.

Hell, even the fact that they raised the prices of the big beers from $10 to $11 this year didn't infuriate me nearly as much as it usually would!

I only threw two chairs. Stupid Cohan-omics.

Preview/ Open Thread

(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
Not the most flattering pic of my man Wright...

Final Box Score

Okay, let's break to the obvious first. As a preseason game, this serves as a forum for Nellie to experience with players wouldn't normally get this kind of playing time. As a result, tonight we were treated to a Warriors team that displayed little to no chemistry with one another. But this will come with time. There are a lot of new additions to the court this year and an ESP-like bond doesn't exactly form overnight. So I'm not all that worried on that front.

The shooting on the other hand had me a little... perturbed. Granted this was symptomatic on both sides of the court, but it's not my job to be concerned when the opposing team is chucking up meat. Technically it's not my job to worry about it when the Warriors shoot poorly either... In fact, my job isn't even remotely linked to the Warriors shooting percentage! I don't even see a bonus when they shoot well! What's up with that?!

Nevertheless, I remained concerned. I wasn't exactly expecting everyone to come out shooting 90% from the field, but let's just say I wasn't expecting so many... um... air balls.

Yeaaaah... Air balls.

Despite the loss and lackadaisical play in a game that was (still counting?) MEANINGLESS, we were treated to some nice hustle by POB, Kabuki, and Hudson, to name a few. And the crowd did go pretty wild when Belinelli logged his first points in the Arena. (Took him a few more shots than I would like though!)

Let's list some a few highlights, shall we?

1) Chris Kaman hurling a cross court pass that went three rows deep into the crowd.
2) Mike Dunleavy Sr. getting a technical foul 3 minutes into a preseason game.
3) Meeting a few of you extremely cool readers throughout the Arena tonight.
4) All of the below moments from the Rookie Season Ticket Holder event before the game where Atma and I got our pictures taken with Thunder, high-fived Biedrins, and met the legends, Al Attles and Nate Thurmond!

Welcome back Warriors. Good to have you home.

Picture with Thunder. Check! Next lifelong dream on the list: Wear Thunder costume to work.

High fives all around from Biedrins! Seriously though, that's like an entire bottle of gel in that `do. Good thing he makes NBA money. That can add up.

The legend himself: Coach Al Attles!

Nate the Great. This is the first man to ever record a Quadruple Double in the league.

You've got a date with eBay! Just playin'. This is going on my wall!

The Universe is Round.

Your memories are coming. Get ready for GSoM Night II.

Also see: Preseason Game #3- Warriors 89, Clippers 99- You Didn't Miss Much