Dubs hoist the trophy on tarmac upon return from Cleveland
Stephen Curry emerged from a Boeing 747 at Oakland International Airport on Saturday carrying the Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy, a joyful reproduction of a scene from June 2015.
This time, the Warriors superstar guard had another escort. Kevin Durant, the superstar forward who wasn’t with the team in 2015, was at Curry’s side, holding the NBA Finals MVP trophy as the California sun splashed off their golden hardware.
Next up is Tuesday’s parade through downtown Oakland.
“The parade’s going to be awesome,” said Steve Kerr, the coach of three championship teams in four years. “We’re making it an annual event.”
A couple thousand fans showed up to welcome the team home from its successful title defense, 20 mostly sleepless hours after sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers with a 10885 rout Friday night in Game 4.
It was the Warriors fourth consecutive appearance in the Finals and the fourth consecutive meeting between the Warriors and Cavaliers. The dynasty began in 2015 when the Warriors won in Cleveland. Last season, they won the championship at Oracle Arena.
“That’s Dub Nation right here,” guard Shaun Livingston said. “To have the trophy three times and bring it home to the Bay, it’s special.”
They brought it home with sleepy eyes and well-celebrated souls.
“Half the plane was shaking and half was sleeping from last night,” Livingston
said.
It was estimated that the Warriors popped open more than $400,000 worth of champagne after Friday’s win, and Kerr couldn’t guess how many bottles he opened.
Kerr said he didn’t sleep on the flight. Nor did he spend quality time with “The Larry,” the trophy he has won eight times, five as a player.
“It was up front with the players,” Kerr said.
It’s believed Warriors owner Joe Lacob and his fiancee, Nicole Curran, again spent the night with the NBA’s golden globe, as they did in 2015 before bringing it home from Cleveland.
Leading the celebration Saturday was Nick Young, the flamboyant guard nicknamed “Swaggy P” who came off the plane wearing red shorts and no shirt while spraying champagne.
“Nick is definitely in charge of the celebration,” Kerr said.
Outside the airport gates was a throng of fans who chanted “MVP!” as Curry drove past in his red Infinity sports car and into the 2017-18 season’s sunset.
The Warriors were due to land at 3:30 p.m. but Jesus De La Paz, 46, of Oakland, was there at 11:30 a.m. to bask in the joy. His wait was nearly five hours, because the Warriors didn’t touch down till 4:20 p.m. No worries.
“I wanted to see players and join in the celebration,” De La Paz said. “I want to feel the happiness and the collective celebration of the fans, and see (the Warriors) happiness.”
The first fan to line Earhart Road on the airport’s east side was Felicia Johnson, 58, of Hayward. She had spent Friday night inside Oracle Arena watching the game with 18,000 other fans. She didn’t mind her five-hour wait Saturday either.
“It’s been awesome. We’re family now,” Johnson said of the crowd that gathered down the curb. “Nobody wanted to leave. It’s been fun.
“I thought we’d be inside (the airport) to see them come off the plane, but the police said to line the fence,” Johnson said. “It’s OK. I’m going to the parade.”