Coach Steve Clifford was curious about how his team would look entering their first game Wednesday. He was anxious to see where their progress was and how they would respond to the pressures of a game situation.
The team had done OK in the preseason, but it was just preseason. There was not much to go on.
One thing did concern him most. It was not the turnovers — those largely get cleaned up with familiarity, rhythm and practice. And it was not the team’s shooting — again, familiarity, rhythm and practice.
The thing that always concerned him throughout the preseason was whether the team could get back to the level of play that sustained it throughout the final 31 games last year.