No matter what happens in this year's NBA Finals, the Warriors will host their final games at Oracle Arena as they bid farewell to 47 years of great and not-so-great memories, some wow-worthy performances and a raucous, high-decibel collection of fans.
Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, who will again serve as analysts for ABC's coverage of the NBA Finals, are uniquely qualified to speak about Oracle Arena. They both coached games in the venerable building. Jackson played there as a visiting NBA star. And Van Gundy was a diehard Warriors fan while growing up on what he kiddingly calls "the rough streets of Martinez."
"I think with every franchise that wins, (including) a dynasty like the Warriors have right now, you're going to draw and have terrific support," Van Gundy said Tuesday during a conference call with reporters. "But the real fan bases are the ones when you're going through some mediocrity that they are still there and they're loud and they are vociferous. (The Warriors) had all of that even through a long run of mediocrity.
"I remember coming in there as a Rockets coach, Baron Davis made a three late against us to win a game, and it exploded. It was like on the drive for a championship. (But) they were a very average, maybe below-average team at that time."
Jackson, who coached the Warriors in the years leading up to their championship run, claims Oracle "has been as good to the league as any" arena.
"You cannot tell the story of professional basketball without including Oracle," he said. "Those fans have been incredibly loyal from the beginning to the end. Their loyalty has paid off with what this team has been able to put on the floor consistently for years now. As a former coach, as a former player coming into that building, as an analyst, it's as good as it gets. To those people in that organization, in that fan base, we all say a big thank you."
The Warriors will move into a sparkling new arena _ the Chase Center _ in San Francisco next season and Van Gundy wonders if the venue might lack a certain something.
"I'm going to be interested to see if the passion carries over to San Francisco because sometimes when you change arenas (it doesn't)," he said. "Like I would say in Indiana, when they went from Market Square to the new arena, it wasn't quite the same. Chicago Stadium to the United Center, not quite the same."
