Warriors open preseason by stomping the Blazers, let's overreact!

Surely, Lucy won't pull the ball away again, go ahead Charlie Brown, boot it!!

I absolutely love this roster already. After living in the slums for so long that it felt like home, the Golden State Warriors have met some hardship. Veterans retired, Kevin Durant bailed because he just wanted to, and Klay Thompson sustained some pain that reverberated in the hearts of Dub Nation across the globe.

And yet here they are.

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater

Jordan Poole so far tonight: 30 points in 22 minutes. Five rebounds. Five assists. Seven made 3s, many from several feet behind the line.

Early returns are promising

Maybe it’s me.

I do tend to have that Charlie Brown football punting viewpoint. “Maybe this is the year"?

Nonetheless (yes, that’s really supposed to be just one word)… Dub Nation came into tonight hoping for a glimpse of the vision and they got it.

First, the known knowns.

The Warriors’ core is legit. With Curry driving the offense, and surrounded by a combination of astute defenders and wily veterans, this Golden State team can hang with any other starters in the NBA. Add in a healthy Klay Thompson, and it’s not hard to get the Gold Blood flowing.

The preseason is for seeing what you have, and then messing around with the far end of your rotation. So for coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors, it looked like a pretty normal first half. Curry and Poole in the backcourt, with Avery Bradley getting the early nod off the bench (alongside Bjelica).

Grant Liffmann @GrantLiffmann

Bjelica had 6 assists tonight, to go with 4 rebounds and a couple 3’s The Warriors really can always use a big man that can pass and space the floor

But forget the back end of the depth chart for now, Jordan Poole looked fantastic. Quick, long, and with a nose for the ball, he was the dominant player for the 1st half. It almost doesn’t matter whether he can sustain it all season or not, because Poole has certainly earned himself a good long look at that starting two guard spot.

Though it devolved into garbage time by the end, I think we got some excellent glimpses of Kerr’s general rotation. With guys like Damion Lee, Kevon Looney, and Andre Iguodala waiting on the bench, Kerr and the Warriors will be content to rotate smaller groups in, ensuring that there’s always some sort of offense on the court.

But if you’re looking for bright spots, it was for sure Poole.

Antonin @antonin_org

Jordan Poole's first half 15 points 4 assists 2 blocks 4-9 3P +11 +/- 15 minutes

It’s also worth noting that Otto Porter and Bjelica - the two primary signings of this offseason - were both pretty good tonight. Cutting, shooting and always willing to defend, it was real easy to see exactly what the Warriors’ front office saw that was intriguing enough to bring these two free agents in.

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater

Otto Porter: 19 points in 18 bench minutes tonight. Hit four 3s. An encouraging first glimpse for the Warriors.

As always, we will have more coverage on this game tomorrow. For now, hop in the chat below and overreact. It’s fun!