NBA Champion Warriors Return To The Bay Area
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Bleary eyed and a little tired, the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors arrived home Saturday afternoon, drawing cheers from the hundreds of fans who came out to greet them.
The cheers grew into a roar as the team's Delta charter jet rolled up to the Signature Flight Support Center located at the north field of the Oakland International Airport.
The street surrounding the center was jammed packed with fans both young and old.
Warriors star Steph Curry carried the NBA Championship trophy off the plane followed by Kevin Durant holding up his Finals MVP trophy. The crowd's frenzy grew into a fevered pitch.
Backup guard Nick Young emerged from the plane in his full 'Swaggy P' persona -- wearing just a pair of short and still swigging from a bottle of champagne much to the crowd's delight. Meanwhile, Draymond Green munched on a bag of Cheetos as he waved to the crowd.
Curry placed the NBA's Larry O'Brien Trophy on the tarmac and as each member walked by they patted, hugged or kissed it.
Then many of the players shared high fives with the nearby fans before heading to their Bay Area homes.
Curry scored 37 points including seven 3-pointers Friday night to lead the Warriors to a 108-85 victory over Cleveland and back-to-back NBA titles. Durant capped off his remarkable post-season run with the first playoff triple double of his career -- scoring 20 points with 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
The team will celebrate with the entire community on Tuesday morning with a victory parade expected to draw nearly 1 million people.
Backup guard Shaun Livingston was still trying to wrap his head around the fact the team has won three NBA titles in four straight NBA Finals appearances.
"I don't think we all thought that this was possible," Livingston said on the tarmac. "We went out and played the game, won the trophy to bring it home to the Bay. It's really special."
Some fans lined up along the street three hours early. Among them was Vince Salgado.
"I've been a Golden State Warriors fan ever since I was a kid, even during the dog days," Salgado said. "To be this good now, to have a dynasty...I never would have thought about celebrating a championship before."
Nearby, one the Warriors newest fans was also awaiting a chance to see his heroes.
"(I've been a fan) since I was 5," little Jordan said.
When asked how old he was -- Jordan responded -- "I'm 5."