By: Yama Hazheer
The Bay Area is filled with knowledgeable, passionate, and die-hard fans. Cities like Boston, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia are constantly under the limelight, whether they deserve it or not.
-== Top 7 Point Guards in Warriors History ==-
Northern California has always seemed to have that under the radar sort of atmosphere.
The San Jose Sharks have been notorious for their postseason failures. The Oakland Raiders have been the laughingstock of the NFL since their last Super Bowl appearance. The Oakland Athletics haven’t been to a World Series in nearly two decades. The San Francisco 49ers were in the Super Bowl in 2012, but they ended up losing in heartbreaking fashion.
The San Francisco Giants put the Bay Area on the national radar by winning the World Series in 2010. They did it again in 2012 and in 2014. They have been the face of sports in San Francisco for the new generation of sports fans.
The Golden State Warriors haven’t been in the mix for a while. The 2007 team led by the fearless Baron Davis didn’t last long. Pieces left or were traded and the “We Believe” squad slowly broke apart.
In the 2007-08 season, Golden State won nearly 50 games, but still managed to miss the postseason. The Warriors would miss the playoffs for five consecutive years and once again, the Warriors were forgotten.
In the following few years, the Dubs saw 29, 26, 36, and 23 win seasons. Everything looked like a mystery and the kid with shaky ankles in Stephen Curry being the new face of the franchise was questionable.
But during those seasons, fans of the Warriors had to remain what they have been known for decades: being loyal and patient. Games continued to sell out and the Warriors ranked among the top of the league in attendance despite the poor performance on the court.
In 2012-13, the team saw the postseason again and had a successful run. They went further than expected and saw what the hype around Curry was all about. Golden State experienced another heartbreaker the following year. Without their defensive anchor in Andrew Bogut, they lost in the first round to Pacific Division rivals, the Los Angeles Clippers in a tight Game 7.
Scratch everything you just read about the Warriors. 2014-15 has become a fairy tale.
Steve Kerr took the Dubs to the next step. They had a franchise record 67 wins, ranking them first in the entire league and the baby-faced leader, Steph Curry, was selected as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player.
Fast-forward a month and a half into the postseason, and the Warriors are in the NBA Finals. How? Loyalty and patience. That’s all Warrior fans know.
A head coach without a proven coaching record at the helm and an undersized, jump-shooting guard proved all the naysayers wrong. Both have excelled further than anyone could have expected, even most Golden State fans.
It’s the start of June and the Golden State Warriors will be playing Game 1 on Thursday. It’s a surreal feeling for everyone in the Bay Area.
The fan-base is so passionate, social media blew up when Steph Curry attended a Giants game. It blew up again when Klay Thompson went to an A’s game.
Think about it: both of the baseball and football fan-bases are against one another, what team brings them together? While the crowds for Sharks games at the SAP Center are rowdy, hockey simply isn’t as popular as basketball. The Warriors remain the Bay Area’s team. Whether they stay in Oakland, or move to San Francisco in a few years, that will not change.
The Olympics aren’t going to be in San Francisco. The Super Bowl will be played at Levi’s Stadium, but there’s a minimal chance either the 49ers or Raiders will play in it. The Sharks just missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade. It’s too early to think much of the baseball standings.
May 27, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The biggest name in sports today, LeBron James, and his Cleveland Cavaliers will play the Warriors in the Finals. It’s a dream match-up of the two most entertaining players in James and Curry. The Warriors haven’t won it all since 1975. This new generation of fans has not endured much success, if any at all, but that could change in a week or two.
Athletes here are all in full support of the Warriors. The majority of residents are as well. Joe Lacob, Peter Guber, Bob Myers, along with many others built a team the way it’s supposed to be: from the ground up.
Forget what the doubters say, ignore the criticism of your team. There are no such things as guarantees in sports, so enjoy this season until the very end and take in the moment.
The NBA Finals are significant for the Bay Area because everybody comes together to support Dub Nation. After suffering for so many years, the Warriors might give this fan base the best reason to celebrate, winning an NBA championship.