America's Next Biggest Warriors Fan: Runner Up

Here's the second essay in the Golden State of Mind essay contest, "America's Next Biggest Golden State Warrior Fan." In total, we received 9 entries and to give every one of our entrants their props and due time in the spotlight, we're going to post their essays in full in their own separate posts. We want to extend a special thank you to all of our entrants. Reading your essays was a blast and we enjoyed each and every one of them.

Just to let you know, we each ranked all the essays 1-9 and then tallied the point total. The point totals were so close, and not many points separated the runner ups from the winners. You'll have to hold your breath to find out the winner. We're not going to post them all at once. We want each essay to get its fair share of air time. So, we're going to start with the runner ups individually and then run through the top 3 in separate posts. Keep in mind, the runner ups are not ranked, they will be posted in alphabetical order according to their username.

So enjoy our next runner up, coltraning.

I was six years old when I first watched a Warriors game.  So were the Warriors. None, if any, of the games were televised back in those days,  so the only times I got to watch was when we'd visit my grandfather in Philly. We lived in Riverton at the time so it was obviously too much of a schlep to just watch a game being played by a team in a league that had been around only four years at the time. My earliest memory is watching a game where the Warriors came back from behind to beat the Celtics 89-85. I was mesmerized by the player I would soon learn was Andy Phillip, the man who was always the sidekick to Jumpin' Joe Fulks, the guy who gave birth to the jump shot. Philip was a man playing among boys, almost single-handedly dismantling the Celtics. There was nothing he couldn't do, rebound at will despite being 6'2, score,  and play the most amazing lockdown defense. And his passes! Bob Cousy gets credit for being the best passer of the era but Phillip could pass just as well as him, or anybody else who has ever graced the hardwood.

It was a surprisingly cold January, and it's always a cold January in Philly. When we woke up the next day, the thermometer  told us that it was 26 degrees out if I recall correctly. We probably didn't need to look at the thermometer,  because when we peered outside it was snowing quite heavily, which should have been expected. We obviously couldn't have left with the snow like that so I, eager to see Andy Phillip play again, offered to shovel all the snow up if we could see the Warriors once more.   They had a game against the Baltimore Bullets in two days. I soon found it to be much too hard a task for me to take on by myself ,but my grandfather agreed to help me and told me not to tell anybody.

The second game I watched in four days revealed that big man Pitchin' Paul Arizin was by far the best player on the team.  He simply couldn't be stopped. Inside, outside, it didn't matter. Joe Fulks, despite being in the twilight of his career, put up a good effort and the Warriors pulled it out by one point over the Bullets.

When I got home I couldn't wait to try out the moves I had seen Arizin and Phillips do and I wowed the kids in my neighborhood.  The trips to Philly became more frequent and we finally moved there when my dad was laid off.

Then the Fort Worthless Pistons acquired Andy Phillip, and Paul Arizin retired. I had to languish through a 12-57 season followed by another losing season.  Two years later, at ten years old, I got to witness my team's first NBA championship. The Warriors owe me one more ring before I die, so let's get going!

And other people talk about TMC as old school. Makes me feel old

GSoM Comments

• Old School, We respect the good old days
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• Wow great history lesson. Real old trip down memory lane.
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• It's an honor to have GSoM community members who have been following the Warriors since their Philly days.
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• The Dubs love in this one goes right to the core, stemming from a time that most have us have only read about. Before the days of showtime, before the days of Nike, there was a pure rawness that could have only been witnessed firsthand. I'd have shoveled a driveway to see that too.
  

Congrats to coltraning for the serious history lesson. Here to present you your prize is GSoM fan, Jessica Alba. Jessica, tell him what he's won. "I wish I had one of these. It's a Thunder Key Chain!"

Prize

Can anyone fill us in? What has been the best decade to be a Warrior fan: 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, or the 90's?