Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry gave a shout-out to former NHL forward Joe Pavelski for winning the American Century Championship. The celebrity golf tournament was a star-studded affair that included the all-time great point guard. Curry is one of the best celebrity golfers out there with a handicap that's close to even. But he came in fifth overall in the 90-player field with Pavelski closing the event on an eagle.
The 41-year-old played 18 seasons in the NHL with the San Jose Sharks and Dallas Stars and was an All-Star four seasons. Pavelski clearly has excellent hand-eye coordination outside of the rink, as evidenced by his wire-to-wire win at Edgewood Tahoe. Curry highlighted Joe's nine-point victory in a recent Instagram story.
The greatest player in Golden State Warriors history has had an enjoyable offseason. Curry is coming off another productive year, still showing that he can be the best player on a legitimate playoff team. The Warriors struggled initially last season, but the trade deadline move for Jimmy Butler worked out tremendously. Golden State went through the Play-In to clinch the No. 7 seed and beat the Houston Rockets in an epic seven-game series to advance to the second round.
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Unfortunately, last season's team didn't get to find out how close it was to championship contention because Steph ended up suffering a hamstring injury in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. After opening the series up 1-0, the Warriors were not able to win another game without their best player, falling in five games. Now, the front office has its hands full in an ever-evolving Western Conference.
The class of the West is, of course, the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who will be back and potentially even better. The Rockets are also being aggressive this offseason, adding several quality veterans to their roster, including all-time great Kevin Durant. Several other teams that didn't even make the Play-In, such as the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, and Portland Trail Blazers, are also looking to catapult into the playoffs, meaning that this conference will be as competitive as ever.
The front office has been mainly conservative this offseason, even though the roster could use several upgrades to take full advantage of the core's closing championship window. Specifically, at the center, which has been a position the franchise has failed to address for several years now. In addition, there needs to be more offensive creativity and shooting around Steph, as Golden State struggled significantly on offense when he was out. Overall, though, the Warriors expect to be in the mix once again for the upcoming 2025-26 season.