ENERGIZED
In Warriors’ regular-season opener, fans create a buzz at Chase Center
The Warriors tried their best to bring the Oracle Arena atmosphere to the other side of the Bay, they really did.
And some of those efforts were validated in Thursday’s regular-season debut. The verdict: the new place can get pretty loud — if you give the fans a reason to get loud.
It’s no Oracle Arena — not yet. And while I doubt it will ever reach those levels of ear- drum-ringing, goosebump-inducing, downright- disorienting noise, the Warriors will always have a noteworthy home-court advantage.
The fans made that abundantly clear Thursday. They might have a new commute, but the people still make the place.
Warriors fans brought more than a little bit more energy to Thursday’s proceedings than they did any of the soft openings at the new arena, as expected, and the Warriors brought out some new elements to the table for the regular season as well: there was a ceremonial ringing of a trolley bell, a new hype video on the gargantuan video screen, the Dubs also introduced the entire Warriors roster before the contest, had Klay Thompson talk to the crowd, and brought out the great Al Attles to toss up a ceremonial first tip. It was first- class all around. But it wasn’t until the Warriors started to make plays — which so happened to be well into the first quarter (the Clippers opened Thursday’s
game on a 14- 0 run) — that we found out if the building can be a cauldron of noise like the old barn.
Think of Chase Center’s ability to get loud as analogous to the Warriors’ roster: It’s good and should get better in the years to come, but compared to last year, it simply doesn’t match up.
The Warriors’ brass won’t care much about that, though. Nor should they.
Thursday’s first real run-through went as well as anyone with the team could have expected. I don’t know if it’s a hit, but it’s certainly not a flop.
The only ding on the night: an effort by new public address announcer Matt Pitman to do a calland-response with the crowd after dead-ball turnovers. Keep that nonsense at the college ranks — it doesn’t work with adults.
But things like that are trivial and can be changed at a moment’s notice.
What really matters to the organization — the reason the Dubs moved away from the late-stage venerable but decrepit building in Oakland — is the cash they’ll make in the new place.
The Warriors will likely become the richest team in the NBA with the new building with the milliondollar suites that don’t include views of the game. The building has also received positive reviews as a concert venue — a distinction Oracle never boasted. And that means more revenue.
It’s because of this new cash-printing building that the Warriors can afford to pay the luxury tax and sign D’Angelo Russell to a max deal after losing Kevin Durant, even though he isn’t a perfect fit. Dreaming of Giannis
Antetokounmpo? That dream is brought to you by the fine folks at Chase and Google and Modelo and Adobe.
It’s important to remember that fact during the next few weeks, months, and years.
Like with any move, it’ll take a while to understand how to functionally use the new space. This applies to the fans as well as the players and coaches. Warriors coach Steve Kerr admitted before Thursday’s game that he keeps getting locked out of his new office.
“I pondered wearing my keycard over my suit coat to make sure I can get up to my office at halftime,” Kerr said.
But with every fresh beer spill, the new building — which currently has the sterility of an international airport terminal — picks up a bit of patina, a bit more character.
It’s a really nice arena where no expense was spared. Slowly but surely, this place will become home for the Dubs.
And so long as Stephen Curry is still the greatest show on hardwood, people will continue to come to the house that he built and memories will be made.