In the building, Game 6 - Warriors vs Clippers
There really isn't anyone way to convey the emotion of an elimination game 6 during the playoffs. It's a cornucopia of emotions that go up and down like the tide of the sea. Did you do your routine the exact same way you did the last time they won? Was your lucky "We Believe" shirt unfolded & put on in the exact same way you wore it last time? Did you tap the head of your Tim Hardaway Bobble Head 3 times in exact the same spot as you did during the last home game?
You would think, these are the musings of a Mad Man but they are just the rituals you have to grow through during an elimination game. I'm sure many of us have certain "Things" that we have to do before going to a playoff game or even watching it on TV. That is how the psyche of a fan works, let me do my part so that way my team has the best chance to win. You don't want to be the person who didn't put their lucky shirt in the exact same place it was the last time the Warriors won a game.
YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO LIVE WITH YOURSELF IF YOU'RE THE REASON THE WARRIORS DIDN'T WIN!
So every single superstitious stop had to be pulled before game 6 for me to even be able to live with myself after the game just in case the Warriors weren't victorious at the end of the night.
I busted out the "We Believe" t-shirt from 06-07 playoff run just to make sure that the Warriors had every single possible bit of mojo from game 6. What was great was even in the line to park at Oracle, a guy next to me honked & asked me to roll down the window. I guess he had noticed my "We Believe" shirt on and said,"You brought yours too?"
All I could respond was, "How could I not?! Had to Pull out ALL THE STOPS!!" He then pulled his "We Believe" shirt from atop his dashboard and said "Let's Goooo!" & we then honked our horns in unison. The convergence of superstition's and fandom at that moment cast aside any doubt that the Warriors would we be forcing a game 7 after tonight.
Even upon entering Oracle, the energy was palpable. But it wasn't that nervous energy that you can sometimes feel at an arena that is projected when the fan base is on edge or doesn't believe they are going to win. My tickets were in 217, as they had been all year, and everyone in the 200's was excited and not the least bit nervous. Sure it was an elimination game but by the way the fans in the 200's were acting, they energy had already predetermined the outcome of the game.
Originally I had wanted to do a whole write up of the game & intertwine it with my reactions as a fan. But I quickly realized that I wasn't going to be able to pull double duty as a fan & objective media guy on this night. The energy from the crowd was too much for my senses to take in.
Oracle's crowd provides the optimal mix of grit, over the top homersim, and "Don't mess with me cause you'll get stomped" attitude that I'm not sure they will be able to replicate when the eventual move to San Francisco takes place. New Money beats Old money in this game of Newer, Bigger, and Better but for the sake of Warriors fans, I hope that move doesn't dent the unmistakable aura of a Warriors Home game in the Playoffs.
From then on the Game was a blur of Draymond Green hustle plays, Mo "Ace of Speights" put backs, Steezus "No,No,No, YEEESSSS" shots, and Andre Iguodala clutch corner 3's. All I knew at the end of the game was that I left my voice at Oracle that night and it was totally worth it.
Who knows what game 7 today will bring but I do know that at least I did everything I could as a fan to force a game 7 and if this Lucky Shirt has anything to say about it, see you next week.
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