So, what gives? Why do you care about basketball? Why do you care? For that matter, what are you doing on a basketball forum during baseball season!? Further, what are you doing reading over a WARRIORS basketball forum, a team who has barely disturbed the national radar in over a decade? What is it about basketball that moves you, affects you, defines you? For me, my pops was a highschool coach for 30+ years. He won several county titles -- even went to the state semi-finals. When he died of cancer, they named the gym after him. I grew up watching from the sidelines -- as a kid, I was a ball boy, sideline cheerleader, heck, I even accidentally unplugged the scoreboard while playing a game of "tag" underneath the bleachers one game. My bro was a champ - varsity star, all-league defender, one of the best shooters in school history. I played in highschool too, but nothing special. It wasn't until after highschool that I truly appreciated / understood the game. Now, at 29 years old, I am a better player than ever, even though I've had one knee surgery and weigh 30 more pounds than I did at age 17! In some ways, every year I'm appreciating more and more what my dad preached about the game -- teamwork, dilligence, fundamentals, and determination. All those things that don't make the ESPN highlight reel, but that will help carry your teammates to a title. This past year, I've added some pretty sweet finishes with my right (I'm left-handed) as well as some fun dribble moves, including a "late" behind-the-back inspired by Manu Ginobli which I experiment with at open gym. Hey, experiment. Better to say "use." It's not like I'm going to get to use them in the pros, lol! Anyway, every year I continue to find new ways to love the game through playing it. As far as watching it, why am I a GS fan? Well, again, it's family, it's roots, I grew up alongside my dad and bro watching the W's, I remember when Spreewell nearly set a 3pt franchise record, I remember when Manut Bol was the talk of the town, I remember when Tim Hardway was nearly a pop icon. My dad took his kids to a Pete Newell camp where Mully was a guest coach. Mully sent a poster home with my dad for me -- it said "good luck Nate, keep shootin." I was in middle school. Mully then had alcohol problems. Me and my friends threw darts at the poster. How stupid that was. I moved away from my hometown and lived without TV or newspapers (in Yosemite National Park) for a year. When I came back to the "sports world," the Warriors sucked so bad that it was just fun to root for the underdog. That was in 1999. Up until this season, that's been my fire. The Warriors have gotten no love. They've been the laughing stock of the league. The laughing stock of the media. They've been an afterthought on most league schedules. TNT? Once every three years. Heck, we're lucky if even FSN decides to broadcast, lol. I remember standing and screaming my lungs out for two straight nights as Antawn Jamison had back-2-back 50-point games. I remember hanging hopes on Mookie Blaylock, Jason Caffey, Vonteego Cummings, Larry Hughes, Antawn, Bob Sura, Billy Owens. I remember thinking "how in the hell did this Bill Curley guy get into the NBA?" I remember asking that question about alot of GS Warrior 10-day contracts. Apparently they just need bodies to fill out their dismal fizzle to a 15 win season. So, why do I care? I'll tell you why. There is a magic to this game. And I don't give a DAMN if no one gives GS an ounce of credit. I'll be here. This town, this area, these fans -- I was there for game 3 against Dallas -- the first home PO game in 13 years -- and I'll tell you, it was pure magic! There were 80-year old men, 3-month old babies, 5 year old kids, 40 year old mothers, and we were all there to celebrate something, I don't think anyone could completely put their finger on it, but there was something there and you knew it was there and it made you smile.... I care because I care about this life. It may sound funny. You know, sports ultimately mean crap. These are kids getting paid millions of $$ to play a freakin game. Are they curing cancer? No! Are there REAL issues to concern ourselves with? Don't we all know it. Yet... the game. It's in me. I love it. I love playing it. I love watching it. And I DEFINATELY love rooting for the team that NOBODY has given any credit to. I don't know what it would be like to be a Spurs fan. Wouldn't that be boring? I dunno. All I can say is, I think the reason why I've cared so much these past 13 years is because I feel like I've believed in a team that no one else has believed in. I've sat through nights, loss after loss after loss, searching scratching, digging for some kind of meaning, some kind of hope that this team will eventually get it right. Let Barkely diss on TNT, let Chad Ford write his hate mail -- we'll show them all one day. I care because this is where my roots are. In Warriors basketball. Through thick and thin. I've suffered all the years of losing. It has only made me love the game and the team more. Why do you care?
Oooh, this is a good one. I will be back later to expand on this. --- Good post, AO and Dutch! Why do I care? Hmm... I guess you can say I love the Warriors because they have a great basketball market and I grew up watching Run TMC. So there definitely is an emotional attachment because of Tim, Mitch, and Chris. And there is also excitement because there is plenty of potential to see the franchise become something big like the Lakers if they can just get some superstars... and some rings. They just need to play on the level where they become everyone's favorites because they have unique once in a lifetime players known by anyone with a tv set. But, part of me kind of likes how when the Warriors lost and lost. The fans still stuck with the team and didn't do the fairweather fan thing and that shows character of the average warrior fan. I also liked making fun of the Warriors comical blunders in terms of general management. The team almost added another season of not making the playoffs, but Baron chose to come back at the right time and made everyone significantly better. The biggest thing was that Mullin greatly redeemed himself by getting rid of two of his biggest weaknesses in Murphy and Dunleavy, and found guys that could play adequate defense, more well-rounded offense, and force more turnovers for fastbreaks. The trade was almost a wash, until Baron magnified Sjax and Al. I also care about the game of basketball itself. It relates to life. Yeah, we're not born equal in terms of what we have to work with and what we start out with, but we can improve in areas and take different approaches to the game and still be successful and a winner. We can play off strengths and work on our weaknesses (to some extent). I also relate a lot of basketball to teamwork in a work environment. I relate to basketball with its ups and downs in daily life, the different tempos we face, different styles of play, and the love of when things work so smoothly, yet spontaneously. I think with basketball you can learn a lot from observing, doing, and just being creative. You can apply it to almost every hobby that involves other people working for the same goal. Take the forums for instance. I think every poster adds a different perspective, a different approach to an argument, and they have a big knowledge of things like "capology", basketball history, or play-by-play deconstructing, or college ball expert. Etc, etc.
Great thread and a great post. What do you guys think of a 30 year old guy from the Netherlands that roots for the Warriors?? I'll tell you this, most people over here can name you some crappy 2nd league football player (i mean soccer guys, sorry) but they don't know Francisco Elson, or Rik Smits? Here, we get 2 nba games a week on a pay-channel (and it's always thesame: Spurs, Suns, Twolves, Detroit, LBJ). In the past 5-6 years i have watched 2 live games from the warriors and numerous through DVD's from Pontel which you can buy from Switzerland. So how is it that I care so much for Warriors basketball? What makes me read every headline 365 days a year? I really don't know, its the love of the game and the rooting for that small ugly ballclub that had such fun and interesting ballplayers in Arenas, Hughes, Richardson, heck I was actually excited about drafting Dunleavy! And how could i forget the jerseys... I lover the City jerseys, and the blue/orange thunder jerseys... I dont know, but the first time I actually saw the Ws play (probably now 6-7 years ago) I just had an affection for that franchise, just a feeling that is hard to explain. Anyway, all the best from Europe! And I hope Mully makes a draft day move upwards, or drafts Dukie McRoberts... I like that kid!!
