Matt Steinmetz

Watched that Warriors-Kings preseason game last night. Wow! Another gift from Stephen Curry. I get it. Preseason games don’t mean anything. I can’t disagree with that, in theory. Then again, I’ve watched countless preseason games over the past three decades and I can’t remember a one of them.

This was the most fascinating preseason game I’ve ever seen … but for the one I saw in person at the original Boston Garden — circa 1985/86 — when an underclassman at F&M, Mike Sullivan, said he could get tickets, And he did! Against Philly.

We drove eight hours, and the way I remember it, Larry Bird had 30 and 17 in 37 minutes. In a preseason game! My point is this … Steph Curry did something unique on Wednesday. He turned a preseason game into the equivalent of a meaningful NBA regular-season game.

Starting to feel like a perfect time to start blogging again.

I’m late to the party, but that’s not new. Few months back, I saw that Marc Spears was going to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. I noted it, then moved on.

Today, I remembered that Marc Spears is going into the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame! I thought about it more and figured … “I’ll text him congratulations.” Nah, I’ll do this …

I know Marc Spears but I don’t KNOW Marc Spears. He’s got a lot going on because he’s got passion for more than one thing and he follows through on that passion. Take a look at his bio. Hell, I wanted to make sure for the hundredth time that it was Marc with a “C” and not a “K,” and he was listed as “film producer.”

Yes, he is a film producer but he’s so much more. Marc is a class act, the consummate professional, and someone I feel fortunate to have come across.

Met Marc decades ago, way back in Denver, then Boston, when he covered the Nuggets and Celtics. I remember in Denver one time, I don’t even think I knew him, and he invited me out after the game. Classy and professional, that’s what writers did back then.

Marc introduced me to the late Bret Bearup, who I would later come to find out was extremely close with Sam Bowie, one of my childhood idols.

A man is really only made up of what people remember of him when he’s gone and think of him when he’s here. Marc is a person where every memory has been positive, every interaction enjoyable. Marc Spears is what I refer to as a “Big Boy.” That’s someone who, through character, integrity and talent, rose to the top of his field.

Here’s to Marc Spears!

Man, the Warriors have nine games left in their season, and anything could happen. They could miss playoffs entirely, make the play-in games, make playoffs … get eliminated in first round, make a run or hell, maybe win back-to-back titles for the second time in this dynasty.

Anyway, going to start writing more about the Warriors as their games get more and more important, and here’s one we talked about on my radio show today: The idea that the Warriors have “failed” Stephen Curry this season. The famous Bill Simmons said that the other day, and it’s clear there’s a portion of Warriors fans who agree with him.

I think that notion is preposterous. How did the Warriors fail Curry? They “ran it back” because owner Joe Lacob and president Bob Myers owed it to Curry and the championship core to try to win it again.

The Warriors won it all last year, and almost nobody saw it coming. So what did the Warriors do in the offseason? How about everything they could to give the Warriors the best chance to go back-to-back. For Stephen Curry!

Thompson and Green were already under contract. But the Warriors made sure that Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney were back this season. The Warriors paid them all — meaning the Warriors’ brought back their top-6 players from their championship team. Hell, they brought back Andre Iguodala, so how the hell did they “fail” Curry? Curry might be the only reason Iguodala was even on the team this year.

They didn’t bring back Gary Payton II, which may have been a mistake. But they re-acquired Payton II at the trade deadline for James Wiseman, a player with a big upside but not yet ready to help a championship-type team. Jonathan Kuminga is back and he played a limited role last year.

So you’re telling me that not having Otto Porter Jr., Juan Toscano-Anderson, Nemanja Bjelica and Damion Lee — instead of having JaMychal Green, Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Lamb — is not giving Curry enough to work with? Please.