Warriors "air ball" first game at the Chase Center (Video)
By Tom Macasaet PhilBoxing.com Mon, 07 Oct 2019
The Golden State Warriors hosted the Los Angeles Lakers Saturday night in their new home---the beautiful and majestic Chase Center in San Francisco. The arena, the locker rooms, the seats and even the team have the new-feel-look what with players acquired in the off season.
The only thing that hasn't changed is the buzz of excitement felt across the arena by the faithful Warrior fans that made their way from all over the SF Bay Area to come see their team back on court.
The excitement is only overshadowed by the anticipation for the ?new look? of the team this year.
Even if displayed only for a short time, the crowd anxiously awaited the debut of the fresh faces traded from the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings.
Questions about as Chase Center opens for the first to Warriors fans.
Questions abound for everyone.
Did this off-season give them enough time to develop the chemistry needed to properly execute the style of offense the Warriors have used to win 3 rings in five championships?
And how would the new Lakers team play together after adding such big-name players Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard and the world champion Danny Green from the Toronto Raptors??
The game tipped off with the Lakers getting the ball.
The excitement of being back on the floor for a pre-season game showed on even the most seasoned NBA pro Lebron James, as the dynamic of the offense had more the feel of an All-star game than an actual regulation game.?
The Lakers missed their first shot, the Warriors grabbed the rebound and got it to their star player--Steph Curry.
With a quick dribble across the half-court line, Curry took one look at the basket and shot the ball from just inside the logo.
It was a trademark move for one of the greatest shooters the game ever had. If he makes it, which he has before, the crowd would erupt in cheer so loud it would put the Chase Center structure?s integrity to the test.
He missed the basket entirely.
The net didn?t even move as the ball passed it, but nobody yelled anything derogatory at Curry for doing such a thing.
The three championship banners of the Warriors hang in the brand new Chase Center Arena in San Francisco.
The fans have gotten used to Curry?s free-will style of ?Let it Loose? basketball, which is a big part of what makes the Warriors so much fun to watch.
It turned out to be a precursor to how the Warriors would play for their first game in the Chase Center.?
Both teams continued to stumble as the ball went up and down the court for 2 minutes before either team scored.
The tide started to shift in the Lakers favor when Anthony Davis made the first shot around the 10:50 mark of the first quarter.
That started the big man on a flurry with mismatches allowing him to score at will around the basket with dunks, put-backs and alley-oops.
Chase Center interiors.
With both Kevon Looney and Willie Cauley-Stein not playing due to injuries, the Warriors had no answer for the big man. Davis had 20 points well before the end of the first-half.
The Warriors had given a valiant push late in the 2nd period to bring themselves behind by only 4 points, but it was short-lived.
By the end of 4 periods of basketball, the Lakers had convincingly defeated the Warriors by a score of 123-101.
This was a strong first outing for the James-Davis duo as Laker teammates.
It was difficult to watch as a Warrior fan, but a complete joy for Laker fans as they?ve waited for this moment since Lebron James came to the Lakers.
Now, they truly have something to be excited about.
Now, they may have the Showtime Lakers back.?
The crowd enjoyed watching both teams play with cautious aggression.
There was just enough effort to grease the joints and break a sweat while entertaining the crowd who came to watch them, but not enough to place anyone in danger of getting hurt for the sake of winning a game that doesn?t really count in the end.?
There is a deep-rooted love for basketball by Filipinos everywhere, especially in California.
It's wonderful to see so many Filipinos at the game whomever they came to support. I didn?t observe any animosity between fans. There was a true shared respect for each other that night. Both sides know there?s been a lot of change on their teams, and they know there?s still a lot of work ahead before either side can place any prediction on how their team will fare out this upcoming season. There?s no shortage of love for their teams, and there?s no shortage of hope for a play-off run to the championship.
Ed's note: PhilBoxing.com would like to welcome Tom Macasaet to its family of NBA writers.
