Wednesday, June 1, 2022. 6:04 PM
SAN FRANCISCO – Particularly from 2015 to 2019, when Golden State established a dynasty with three championships and two more Finals appearances, the Warriors were often pumped up by the Oracle Arena crowd in Oakland.
Luxurious, the new premises in San Francisco don’t offer quite the same level of decibels, but the club is really starting to feel comfortable at the Chase Center, which opened in September 2019.
“I get chills every time I walk into the arena,” Warriors owner Joe Lacob said. I love the place. I love basketball. I’ve been to (tons of) arenas around the world, and it doesn’t get any better than the Chase Center.
“It only lacks the atmosphere that is now setting in to arrive at a story similar to that of the Oracle.
“Players and partners love this environment so much too. And we see the results. »
The Warriors are undefeated in nine home games since the start of the playoffs, including wins that tossed Denver, Memphis and Dallas.
In 2017, they won their first 10 playoff home games en route to the title.
This year, each victory at home in the playoffs has been acquired by 14.6 points, on average.
“We have our audience and our training routine. It’s a big plus to start the final at home, Jordan Poole said of Thursday’s curtain-raiser against the Boston Celtics. We just want to continue on the same path. »
Golden State had the league’s worst record in 2019-20, largely because Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry barely played with injuries.
In 2020-21, most of the campaign was contested in front of empty benches, due to the pandemic.
The current season has been marked by full houses and now the arena is making way for the most important matches in its young history.
“When an arena full of fans gets carried away, it makes a big difference,” said Kevon Looney. People bring us a lot of energy. »
On the other hand, playing abroad should not scare the Celtics, who have just won an ultimate game in Miami.
In the previous round, they faced elimination before winning in Milwaukee.
Since the beginning of the playoffs, the club has a performance of 7-2 elsewhere than at TD Garden.
