OAKLAND – Thursday was the moment every Golden State Warriors fan has waited for, but it’s exciting Especially when you’ve been a season ticket holder for 25 years.
Henry Cortez, 48, has suffered through the Golden State Warriors’ countless losing seasons – and also the unexpected highs, he said, dry as the “We Believe” squad’s remarkable upset over the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in 2007.
The Daly City resident and San Francisco native said he got several offers for his lower level seats – Including one for $ 1,000. But his seats were going for almost $ 2,000 on StubHub.
Even with a better offer, Cortez doubted he could have parted with his tickets.
Golden State Warriors fans Lynda Pakzad of Oakland, center, right, and her husband, Behrang, right, react during Game 1 of the NBA Finals at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 4, 2015. (Dai Sugano / Bay Area News Group) (Dai Sugano)
“This is a once in a lifetime event and I needed to be here to witness it,” said Cortez, who attended the game with his wife, Cheryll. “I just could not pass this up.”
The Warriors fans have always made Oracle Arena, one of the most raucous basketball venues in the NBA, but there was a buzz Particular about an hour before tip-off as The NBA Finals kicked off.
Sam Gebremedhin, 28, said he moved to the Bay Area about 10 years ago from Seattle to attend school at Santa Clara University.
The opportunity to see LeBron James versus Stephen Curry was a dream, he said. But it might have not happened without a few choice bets.
Gebremedhin said he won about $ 600 in friendly bets with friends as the playoffs Began in April. He matched his winnings and bought a $ 1,300 ticket in the lower level to himself, he said.
“I tried to get my friends here but they did not want to spend the money,” he said.
Other fans Traveled from out of the area to catch the action.
The Howard Greenberg, a San Diego business owner, said the San Francisco company Anchor Steam beer helped him and a few others find tickets.
He was normally a fan of the Chicago Bulls, he said, and did not have a favorite team.
“Just here to see good basketball,” Greenberg said.
Mahin Khoe, visiting from France, said she did not have a favorite team, either. She was taking her young grandchildren to the game and was sitting several rows from the court.
“We almost know all the players,” she said.
The crowd was subdued as the Warriors’ offense and defense struggled early, but came alive as the team got a spark from the bench in the second quarter.
Aime Sibley, who splits time between downtown Oakland and Las Vegas, said the first half was “intense.” Marreese Speights returned to the playoffs and hit three shots in four minutes.
“He changed the atmosphere,” Sibley said at halftime.
“The Warriors are always in games, no matter the score, “chimed in Jim Cox.
Golden State Warriors fans react during Game 1 of the NBA Finals at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 4, 2015. (Dai Sugano / Bay Area News Group) (Dai Sugano)
The crowd was still dominated by hardcore fans like Michael Warriors Miller, a Novato resident and season ticket holder for 15 years.
The Miller’s son was in the third grade when he Purchased the tickets and the pair had many special moments in Oracle, he said. One of the most memorable moments prior that this season was watching Baron Davis dunk over Andrei Kirilenko in the 2007 playoffs.
“I never saw this place explode like it did after That dunk,” Miller said.
Miller said he was confident the Warriors would win Their first title in 40 years. He Predicted the series would end with a Golden State win in Cleveland.
“Warriors in six,” he said.
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