Warriors 110 – Lakers 115
Ken and I have been friends for a REEEEAAAAALLLL long time. So when it came to begin my Golden Season project I gave Ken one of the first opportunities to select a game.
Being a die hard hoops and Warriors fan, he didn’t try to convince me to give him the Heat game (although he went to that one with Mike B), he chose the Lakers.
The Laker fans I’ve met have always turned their nose at the Warriors, claiming that there is no rivalry because it’s not a real competition.
The fans’ egos are as big as their teams.
Rightfully, so. The Lakers are a powerhouse and are stacked with talent. Because of that, they’re a team Ken and I love to hate.
Hate’s always a strong word, but because of the nature of sports, intense feelings are part of all the fun.
With that said, that’s how I knew it would be amazing to see the Lakers and the Warriors go head to head.
I’ve never seen this game in person before, but have always made it a point to watch it on TV.
The anticipation of the energy of the crowd was something both Ken and I were looking forward to.
Even though we were projected to lose, it’s these match ups that are significant for us during the course of a regular season. Because no matter what the record is for each squad, we’re playing for pride. We, the fans know that, and the players know that we know that.
I’ve had high hopes for this game the moment my season tickets came in the mail.
The Commute
Because of the Lakers’ rich history and the fact that it’s not that far geographically ensures that there are a ton of Laker fans that make their way to Oracle.
I’m not sure how many of them travel, but my guess is that most of them have some sort of tie to Southern California.
Ken was coming from work but took it off a bit early so he could BART from Fremont to the game.
We decided to meet in front of the Team Store.
It’s a good landmark and right by the entrance; it’s no wonder that other groups choose it as their meeting place as well.
Ken was running behind because he missed the Colosseum stop so I had plenty of time to sit on the benches and people watch.
It’s pretty great to see, hear and feel the enthusiasm buzzing around the arena.
My commute tonight was pretty uneventful. The Lakers were nicely represented on my BART train coming from San Francisco. The small talk amoungst some of them were how they were going to destroy the Warriors with ease.
I hopped off BART and made my way across the land bridge, again thinking about why the light’s aren’t on.
I really think there is something more that could be done to make it more of an exciting walk. It’s a bit anticlimactic.
However, when I get to the Plaza and can start hearing the speakers and spot people in Warriors and Lakers gear is when it starts to feel right.
As I was waiting for Ken, I noticed that there’s some old Warrior logos that’s no so easy to get rid of.
One of those things is a ‘donor/booster’ piece on the ground in front of the plaza level entrance and Team Store.
It had names of a bunch of people who I assume supported the Warriors or Warriors Foundation in some way financially.
I wondered if that stays with the rebrand. And that led me to think about all the other old logo stuff that was not so easy to get rid of around here.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens to it if anything. But either way, it’s a nice nod to a logo that our memorable ‘We Believe’ playoff squad wore.
The Game
Ken finally showed up. He hopped on BART before me but arrived after me because he missed a few stops.
We bypassed a visit to the team store and headed right in because we didn’t want to miss a second of the game; not even player intros.
Plus, Ken didn’t need gear. Underneath his blue and yellow flannel was the yellow ‘We Believe’ t-shirts from the playoffs a few years ago.
However, there was one thing that held us up though en route to our seats… Fuel Burgers.
I’ve been getting sick of arena food lately, but I hadn’t had a Fuel Burger in a long time. These little bits of crispy onions and jalapenos that dress up this burger are money and definitely hit the spot.
We got down to my seats and there were ‘superfans’ all over the place. Leave it to an Warriors vs LAL game to bring out every piece of sports apparel that people own.
One guy in front of us had this crazy jacket from the 2008 All-Star game in New Orleans. Nice approach.. it’s like repping Switzerland.
This thing was hardcore. It’s not much of my style, but if I was into NASCAR this jacket would be siiiiiiiccck.
The arena was already buzzing and LA fans.. or should I say all the Kobe fans were making their presence known.
When player intros got underway, Kobe was received by his solid following at Oracle.
Ken and I just glanced at each other and knew that this was going to be an intense one. If not on the court, than at least with all of us in the seats.
Both Ken and I have never been to a live Warriors vs Lakers game before and it was already living up to our expectations.
As Pau, Bynum, Fisher, Kobe and Artest took the floor, I noticed something different about them than any other away team I’ve seen here at Oracle.
They were crazy confident. They had the swagger of champions and right then and there it was clear it was going to be a battle of David and Goliath.
Right from the get, the game started and stayed close (like usual). However, at the half we were down double digits and the Laker fans let us know.
What helped ease our spirits in my section was the arrival of the thunder sticks.
They passed out some McDonald branded noise makers that immediately made me want some french fries.
That’s decades of reinforcement right there folks.
Since we still outnumbered the Laker fans at Oracle by a significant amount, we were able to do some damage with the TSticks.
Coming out of the half our boys battled back as all the Laker fans around us began to see that this game was not a locked victory.
Ellis was having a HUGE game going toe-to-toe with Kobe. You begin to smell the fear of Laker fans every time Ellis he had possession of the ball.
For being a player that strikes that kind of fear into the hearts and minds of opposing fans, Monta gets overlooked a ton.
Blame it on the blackouts.
I also blame refs. They barely showed Monta any love by letting Kobe and crew get away with some fouls and calling him on some questionable ones on the other end.
All Ken and I could do was look at each other in frustration.
But we just had to shrug our shoulders, as life long Warrior fans, we’ve come to expect it.
The game was narrowing and as we closed the gap you could see the anxiousness in the faces of every person in the arena.
However, the last half of the 4th, Kobe turned it on and couldn’t miss. Not only could he not miss, we couldn’t rebound.
With the game locked on the Laker’s end, Ken and I had to stay in our seats for a bit to recover… and to wait for the crowd to clear so we could get a photo of Ken by the court.
We technically didn’t ‘win’ tonight, but in a big way we did.
And although it won’t count as a W in the standings, to go toe-to-toe with the defending champs and cause them fits is a great thing.
Ken and I didn’t talk much during the game.
1. Because we couldn’t take our eyes off the game
and
2. Because we don’t have to.
Ken and I’s friendship has gone beyond the point of conversation. We just know things about each other and have unwavering trust in one another.
We’re the kind of friends that can go for a while without talk and pick right back up where we left off.
I’m lucky to have quite a few of those people in my life, but none that has been through what Ken and I have.
There was a time where I wasn’t a grown man, and Ken remembers those day.
The days of mischief and self discovery.
And although the mischief has for the most part gotten out of my system, the self discovery is an on going journey. And it’s a journey of mine that is heavily influenced by Ken.
I remember trying out fot the basketball team in high school and when we had to run these drills called 20/20s, I’d give up if I didn’t have anyone to pace myself with and push me, a leader.
Ken a lot like my life pacer. I have the utmost respect for him and can look to him and his family (Shelli and Lily) when things are getting out of control.
I know they’ll be there when I need them most. They’re a part of my team… my ‘starting five’.
And just as people have been recognizing Monta as a ‘family man’, it’s because he’s growing up…we’re all growing up… and Monta, just like Ken and myself are realizing it’s not really about the ‘self’ anymore.
It’s about Shelli & Lily (Ken’s wife and daughter), our parents, our friends…
It’s about what’s best for our ‘team’. Because if our team is strong, we are strong.
Ken has been and still very much is my leader. Sometimes my point guard. Sometimes my swingman… always reliable and always constant.
We always got our heads and our hearts in the game… together.
Same. Team.
Go Warriors,
-Nam
More photos from tonight:
