GSoM Night ‘19 gave us one more chance to savor Warriors dynasty

Last night was “Golden State of Mind Night ‘19”, a gathering of a few of our writers and several of our readers in the nosebleeds to keep Oracle lit one last time. It’s always a surreal feeling watching strangers sit down around me holding/wearing the GSoM Night official t-shirts, symbolizing they’re down with our special Warriors community.

It’s great overhearing stories like, “I sat in this section during Game 3 of the Mavs series!”, or “I remember when they gave away family 4-packs with hot dogs and chips! For only 100 bucks total!”. These are the tales that the current dynasty sprang forth from, badges of honor for a faithful fanbase that beams with pride because the li’l Dubs have all grown up.

And my, what a terrifying bunch they have matured into. The back-to-back champs played without DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Iguodala last night, and still looked like an All-Star team for the most part.

There’s a rhythm to watching Warriors games from the very top of the arena. The distance allows for an birds-eye view of how the Dubs use every inch of the floor to wreak havoc. They buzz around the court, setting picks, clearing areas for space, cutting to the rim, swinging the ball until the defense cracks. And if that doesn’t work, they just give it to Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, or Kevin Durant to make a brilliant isolation move to score.

All that basketball science was not lost on our section. It’s so much fun to take in a game with a bunch of folks that REALLY follow the team. When people were cheering the passes and good defensive rotations, it makes the really big highlights seem like volcanic eruptions.

When this play developed, GSoM godfather Nate P. started crinkling up his nose like Mac Dre. “This offense is just completely brilliant,” he muttered while shaking his head.

At a certain point in the third quarter Duby Dub Dubs got a select few of us some Hennessy shots (a GSoM staple) and as my vision blurred it dawned on me that we were smacking around the defending Eastern Conference champions. I had forgot the Cavs had won the last four Eastern Conference titles.

Looking at that scrappy but undermanned roster, it reminded me of how fleeting success is. Watching Collin Sexton and Larry Nance Jr. gritting their away against impossible odds reminded me of the Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Troy Murphy days. Those guys were never gonna win us a title, but still we watched because we hoped that at least they could give us a good show.

Cleveland gave everything to win one title and fell apart when LeBron James left. Golden State is cruising towards a third in a row. This level of greatness sometimes still boggles my mind in contract to all of the dark days. Sharing the victory with GSoM over a destroyed Cavs franchise was a cathartic experience. I’m grateful to share it with you good folks!