It's just the preseason.
That phrase has been tossed around the NBA in recent weeks.
But maybe it's more.
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Following a 132-74 blowout win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night at Chase Center, the Warriors completed a perfect 6-0 preseason.
Since 1985, 75 percent of teams who go 4-0 or better in the preseason end up making the playoffs that season, per the NBA.
The Warriors were 5-0 in the preseason ahead of the 2021-22 season, when they went on to win the NBA Finals.
They are the only ones who finished this preseason undefeated.
Golden State Warriors
"Hell yeah," Warriors second-year guard Brandin Podziemski said Friday when asked if going undefeated in the preseason means something. "As a competitor, you want to win everything. No matter if it counts or it doesn't. You want to play your best. You want show the coaching staff what you can do from year to year.
"It definitely means something."
"As a competitor, you want to win everything."
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 19, 2024
Podz details the significance of the Warriors' undefeated preseason pic.twitter.com/neVt0fUNxI
So, sure, maybe it is "just the preseason."
Or is it?