Warriors fans believe 40-yr wait almost over

OAKLAND, California – Gary Liss still has the ticket from Game 2 of the 1975 NBA Finals in his wallet. The seat cost just $10, but watching the Golden State Warriors win the title remains a priceless memory.

“World champions? That’s a hard thing to do,” said Liss, who has been a season-ticket holder since the Warriors moved from Philadelphia in 1962.

For many loyal fans like Liss, it has been a long and grueling wait to experience that moment again.

The Warriors will play their biggest game in a generation when they host LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night (Monday morning in Manila) in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The best-of-seven series is tied at two games apiece, and the anticipation is equally exciting and exhausting in Oakland.

It has been 40 years – the longest span between finals appearances in league history – since the franchise’s long-suffering fans could feel such a rush. After decades of bad drafts, terrible trades and lots of losses, the most hardened Warriors supporters are soaking in every second of this run.

“It’s just magical. There’s never going to be another season like it,” said Leslie Sosnick, a 61-year-old fan from Oakland. “All I’ve ever wanted is to have a good product on the court.”

Liss, 72, went to his first game during the team’s inaugural season in the Bay Area. He sat courtside and became friends with players and management over the years, and he sits in the first row behind the Warriors’ bench now.

Every game he attended brought new memories, and that was enough to keep him coming back – even when the team was terrible.

“Each time that I went, the games always started zero-zero. They always had a chance,” Liss said, chuckling.

While it’s easy to root for the Warriors now, they have tested the faith and fortitude of fans.