© Kyle Terada | 2018 Oct 24
Maybe it was the sight of those pristine, sweet, always-should-wear-‘em 1975-era Golden State Warriors uniforms.
Maybe it was Fitz shouting “Jerebko tipped it in! Jerebko tipped it in!”
Maybe it’s the open acknowledgment that this might be the third and final year of Kevin Durant’s trilogy turn in Oakland.
Maybe it’s the already-nostalgic feeling for the old barn off of 880 and Hegenberger.
Maybe it was Hall of Fame Friend of the Program Ronnie Lott using his Friday morning slot on our show to talk about Steph Curry, Oracle Arena and the Dubs.
Or maybe it was just Steph being Steph, making magic memories.
Whatever it is, there is a distinctly fresh and thrilling vibe around the 2018-19 Golden State Warriors.
And it’s not even Halloween.
Their tricks are our treats.
Whereas last year’s Warrior season — the “shockingly low” 58 wins, the injuries forcing Curry to only play 51 games or the general feeling that the journey to repeat was more work than fun— was more of a relief when it was over, already this Warriors season feels like an ode to joy.
A lot of that, of course, flows through Curry, whose 51 points in three quarters on Wednesday night felt like a flag-planting, that you can already start talking about a possible third MVP (!) and behold the sight of a healthy Curry doing healthy Curry things.
Durant winning the past two NBA Finals MVPs, and James Harden and Russell Westbrook winning the past two regular season NBA MVPs, has perhaps dulled our sense of how special Steph is.
Word is, while he did some international travel over the summer to support his Under Armour brand, his three months off from June to September was more restful than in the past. Now the father of three kids, Curry and his wife, Ayesha, were more homebodies this summer, and it may have allowed Curry to gas up his tank a bit, heal his body.
Whatever it was, it worked.
Curry is springy and loose and stroking his shot at a premium level, shooting FIFTY TWO PERCENT from three-point land in the first five games.
What he did Wednesday night — and what Jerebko did in Utah — has made this season already feel special. The Oracle nostalgia is undeniable, and Curry even remarked on it Wednesday night, how he feels like he wants to give the old bones of Oracle a rattle before the Warriors take a ferry across the Bay.
And Durant’s very-public noncommittal to next year — addressed in last week’s Jock Blog — has the smart Warriors fan embracing the Zen attitude Steve Kerr espouses. Relish the now. Shed anxiety.
The Warriors look like an anxiety-free team right now. Might they throw caution to the wind and try to go undefeated at Oracle? Make it a 41-0(racle) season?
I know, it’s nutty to even say. Then again, you saw Steph on Wednesday. Nutty is the new normal for these guys.