Warriors 116 – Cavs 98
I had a really bad cold but there was no way I was missing tonight’s game.
Two reasons:
1. The Warriors, of course
2. Antoinette C.
Antoinette and I have known each other a really long time now. We met when we were awkward teenagers. I was 14 and a sophomore in high school and she was a grade behind.
14 years later we’re still incredibly good friends with a long history of good and rough memories in between them.
As soon as college came around we didn’t see much of each other. But no matter how little we hung out, we remained the greatest of friends.
There are just some people in this life that you trust no matter what. Antoinette is definitely one of those people.
In 14 years we’re bound to mess up somewhere and I’m embarrassed to admit, it was only me that did.
With her, I’ve never had to question our friendship or ever think that she’d completely disappear out of my life.
For whatever reason, even with all my blunders, she values me as a friend. I’m forever grateful for that and forever grateful for her.
After Antoinette moved back from San Diego a couple years ago we vowed that we’d hang out more often.
Although sometimes months go by, we still make the time to catch up and check in with one another.
She’s in San Jose and I’m in San Francisco, so it can be hard, but it’d be harder not to see her and have her a part of my life.
We’re in a place now where it’s easier to share more of our lives with each than it was when we were teenagers. And tonight I was going to share my love of the Warriors with her.
Something she of course already knew about me.
She’s never been to a Warriors game, but actually likes to watch it on TV. With a brother who is an avid Warriors fan, it’s kind of hard to avoid.
So with a history and a solid connection to the Warriors, I’m excited that I can be the one to introduce her to the real thing.
The Commute
Antoinette was coming all the way up from San Jose and wanted to meet me in San Francisco because the fear of getting stuck in the parking lot post game was enough to deter her from driving to Oracle.
Plus this way, since she’d be coming up right after school (she’s a teacher), we could grab an early dinner in my neighborhood and then take the bus and BART to the game.
We met up at 5 in my hood, Lower Pac, and walked to Pizzaria Delfina off of Fillmore for dinner.
After all these games I really needed a change of pace from Ribs and Things and chicken strips, so this pregame meal was more than welcomed.
Actually, Pizzeria Delfina is always more than welcomed. I’d chose it over most meals any day.
It was nice to be able to sit down and have dinner before the game. Between that and the commute over there, we were able to catch up on everything.
After dinner we made our way to the 1 California line to head to the Embarcadero BART stop.
Tonight was one of the coldest days so far this winter so waiting outside for the bus was pretty rough.
I thought it was just me because I was already really sick, but it was when Antoinette took her scarf ‘thing’ and transformed it into a head wrap is when the biting cold was confirmed.
It was a pretty quick ride on the 1 and I spotted a couple people with Warriors gear on up in front who were also clearly going to the game.
Antoinette has never really needed to take BART before so getting her situated with a ticket and the process was pretty entertaining.
And like most people, after it was all said and done, she said it was way easier than she thought.
It was pretty quiet around and on BART, but as soon as we got on the train we sat around a group of people who had a modern day fist foam finger in tow.
Like usual, the BART commute was quick and painless. We passed the time playing iPhone games and cracking jokes.
We talked about her job and future as a high school teacher. Since I used to work at the same high school, it was fun to hear all the stories of how things are going and what has changed.
We talked about my unlikely path into advertising and we both reminisced about how long we’ve known each other.
I didn’t say it then because I assume she knows how appreciative I am of our friendship and history, because Antoinette is the type of person you don’t run into every day.
It’s just easy to hang out with her and her honestly and straightforwardness is refreshing.
She doesn’t pretend, you know where you stand with her and she’ll let you know.
Right now, the Warriors were on the outside with her.
Having not really gotten into basketball at a level beyond watching it when her brother has it on, I could tell she was genuinely excited to get to the game.
I could also tell, for her it was more than just about the game, but it was a great excuse for us to be hanging out again.
We’re on the same page and that’s no surprise.
The Game
We got off BART and made our way over the land bridge.
It gets me every time that the lights on the bridge aren’t on.
It’s bad enough you have scalpers blocking the stairways when you’re trying to get the game, but then you got to walk in darkness until you get to the arena.
For safety and fan moral, they need to turn the land bridge lights on.
We got to the plaza and the lines to get in were crazy.
I’ve never seen it like this and we had no choice but to file in line like cattle.
Tip off was 10 minutes away, and what normally would have been an easy stroll in turned into a 20 minute shuffle to get in.
When we got to the entrance I saw that it was because of the ‘new’ metal detectors they had put in place.
I’m guessing since there were tons of people in line with us, they were all caught off guard by it too.
So thanks to the metal detectors we missed the player intros and the majority of the first quarter.
Antoinette is so chill she didn’t mind at all. Thanks to her ‘go with the flow’ and flexible demeanor, I didn’t let the line get to me the same way it did with people around us.
Lets just say boxing out didn’t just happen on the court tonight, it happened in line as well.
One we were in it was back to what I remember and love.
The sounds of old highlights coming over the speakers, people walking out of the team stores excited about their new Warriors gear, and the buzz of people just being at Oracle.
It really is contagious and that was immediately noticed by Antoinette.
One of the first things she mentioned was how different it felt to be at a game.
‘It’s way different than watching it on TV.”
Because she was so used to watching it on TV she caught herself watching the jumbotron instead of the court just like my dad did. But after a while, it’s hard to ignore the action on the hardwood.
The more the game went on, the more she got into it.
The energy of the fans remained high and you can tell it rubbed off on her.
She had that great smile on all game and the action on the court even remedied her blackberry addiction most of the game.
It even got to the point where she was clapping before me, gasping and sighing after missed shots.
She’s a fan now, I think. She didn’t outright say it, but I could tell she now cared if we won or loss.
We ended up beating the Cavs, as we should have. They’re such a different team without Lebron.
As we were waiting to head down closer to the court to get a photo of her, the self proclaimed ‘master of the reverse shot’ grabbed my camera and turned it on us.
And later when we did get closer, she turned it on us again.
I have to say, she does do a pretty damn good job at it.
I was sick so my happiness and pure joy of being at the game with Antoinette doesn’t really come through in these pictures, but it was an incredible time.
I love the fact that getting season tickets and sharing them with people in my life has not only given me reasons to connect, but I’ve also wanted to capture more of my own life more than I ever have.
I think back, and although Antoinette and I have known each other forever, we really don’t have any photos together.
We have our memories but we haven’t documented any of it.
Most times it would be the reverse. Most people would take the memories over the photos, but since Antoinette and I have so many great memories I’m glad we finally got a good photo… together.
Because in another 14 years, when I know we will still be great friends, we can look back and remember that we weren’t always those awkward teenagers we once were when we first met.
In 14 years, heck even tomorrow, these photos will serve as a reminder of the things that were so important to me in my life that I HAD to capture.
Me and Antoinette.. and our night with the Warriors.
Go Warriors!
Nam
More photos from tonight:
