Mid-October, Golden State and the Milwaukee Bucks will touch down in Guangzhou and Beijing for preseason games. But that’s only the beginning for shooting guard Stephen Jackson and Co., who are looking to make a run at the NBA playoffs after missing out last season.

When Golden State steps out onto the parquet floor of the Guangzhou Gymnasium Oct. 15 and at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Arena Oct. 18 to play a pair of games against the Milwaukee Bucks, Stephen Jackson, playing in the NBA for his ninth season, might look like a new player. The 30-year-old says he’s been spending the summer training sessions working on his emotions and how to control them during a game.

It’s not just his inner self he’s working on. #1 for Golden State is always shooting for number one, meaning he wants the “W” for the game and the Larry O’Brien trophy the league hands out to the National Champion at the end of the season. That’s not just Jackson’s opinion. He says the rest of the team is looking to pose a formidable threat in the Western Conference come the 2008-09 season.

City Weekend spoke with Jackson to find out how he’s preparing for the season, how he feels about his team’s chances at victory and just what would happen if he got asked to play in a pickup game once he arrives in Beijing.

City Weekend: You’re playing in your ninth season for the NBA, what keeps you in this sport year in and year out? Stephen Jackson: It’s a couple of things. I am blessed to have this job. There are so many people that want to be in the NBA and can play basketball. It is a blessing to be in this position. I have loved the game of basketball since I was five-years-old. It was all I had growing up, so doing what I love and being able to take care of my family is a blessing. Loving the game helps me be a better man.

CW: During preseason this October, the Warriors are traveling to China for a two-game series with the Milwaukee Bucks at the Guangzhou Stadium Oct. 15 and in Beijing Oct. 18. What are you expectations and feelings about coming to China to play basketball? SJ: I think it is hard to have expectations. This is my first time coming to China. It’s new for me. I am going to have fun. It will be an amazing experience. I want to show the Chinese my side of basketball, and to interact with people in the city. They have a lot of good things in China, and I am looking forward to experiencing everything I possibly can. Basketball is everywhere, and I want to see how they approach it. Hopefully I can go see a pickup game if they have any.

CW: If you went to a pickup game and they picked you to come in, would you play? SJ: If they picked me up three weeks ago before camp started for a pickup game, I would have done it without hesitation.

CW: The Golden State Warriors finished ninth overall in the Western Conference standings in 2008, a few games back of the Denver Nuggets for the final playoff spot. What positive aspects of the end of the season did you walk away with and carry into this season? SJ: Knowing that we have another year to reach our goal. Last year we almost completed our goal. We won 49 games, but we have this year to make up for it.

CW: What aspects have you worked on over the summer that you thought needed to be changed? SJ: I really wanted to work on composure and being able to respect the game more. I’ve been really concerned with calls and not getting the ball in previous seasons. This year, I came in just trying to get more into the game. I’ve also been trying to control my emotions in the game. The way I play, I will push myself to just win the quarter. But I felt I needed to control my emotions more.

CW: What are you expectations for the Warriors this season? SJ: For us, with a new team, on paper we’re better than last year. Our expectations are to get back to the playoffs. In the NBA, you have seeds one through eight. But once those playoffs start, those seeds don’t matter anymore. Just look to 2007 when we upset top-seeded Dallas [Mavericks].

CW: If you had to say, how much longer can you realistically play? How much longer do you want to be playing? SJ: I get asked this a lot. Realistically, I don’t know. Thank God I’ve been blessed not go through any major injuries. I will play in this league as long as they allow me. I am going to compete as long as I am helping my team. No one knows when their time will come. When the day comes when my body can’t take it anymore, I’ll be done.

CW: You spent several of your early professional career years playing overseas, 1998-99 in Venezuela and half the 1999-00 season in the Dominican Republic. When you were first playing, what did you see in playing for a foreign league? SJ: When I was in those countries, the hardest thing form me was speaking Spanish. I’d been in Texas, and a lot of people spoke Spanish, but also spoke English. [In a foreign country], when I wanted to order food, I had to walk around the counter and pick out food. Everything was new to me until I got to the gym. As an 18-year-old, once I got to the gym, I knew what I was doing. I know how to live in the gym. I stayed there as much as I could.

CW: Given that the NBA is pushing into the China market and there are more international players in the United States playing for the NBA, how does seeing an international crowd come stateside effect the game of basketball in the NBA? SJ: Expansion is always great. I am sure several foreign countries have some good players, as you see now with China and the Dominican Republic, who are good enough to play in the NBA. Just because they’re not in the States doesn’t mean they shouldn’t play. I know people overseas want to see basketball in their countries just as much as fans in the States do.

CW: You won an NBA Championship in 2003 with the San Antonio Spurs. What does it feel like emotionally to accomplish a feat like that? SJ: I’m 30-years-old, and I’ve seen a lot of great players never be able to raise that trophy. It’s why I approach the game with respect, because I was able to say I was the best in the world at being able to do what I do. In any job, you strive to be the best in what you do. For me to say I was on the best team in the world, I’ve never cried playing the game, but that was the first time I actually did.