Warriors Fans, Mission Bay Businesses Gear Up For 1st Playoff Game At Chase Center
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX 5) - The Golden State Warriors will play the Denver Nuggets on Saturday in the first NBA playoff game inside the Chase Center. Among those excited about their return to the playoffs include a longtime fan who can't wait to celebrate with his son.
Elliott Simpson, who went to the arena Friday to buy tickets for Game 1, said he saved up to make the event a special occasion.
"This is exciting. He wanted to go," Simpson told KPIX 5 on Friday. "It's meaningful because I don't get to see my son that much because he's working, he lives in Modesto. This is a good time for me to bond with him."
Simpson said he lost his dad before he could ever have memorable moments with him at a Warriors game. So he is grateful his son will get the chance to bond with him at a game on Saturday.
"It's important because you lose touch. You lose touch with your family," he said. "This is a way of getting back. Getting together with the family."
Simpson is hopeful that his team will advance in the series against Denver but knows they have some challenges to overcome as they prepare for Game 1.
Other fans share in Simpson's confidence.
"Oh you know, the Warriors all the way," one man said outside the arena on Friday. "All the way. All the way to the championship."
Businesses in Mission Bay are already anticipating the economic impact from the first game as fans spend their day around the Chase Center.
"We're really, really happy to be a part of it," said R.J. Curreri, the general manager of the Mission Bay location of Gott's Roadside. "Hopefully a long and fruitful series for the Warriors."
The team says they have worked to create a unique fan experience that celebrates the team's achievement in the league while also building on the excitement of the first playoff run in the arena, which opened in late 2019.
"We're excited and feel really responsible for that experience for them," said Shawn Bennett, the executive producer of event presentation for the Warriors. "Sports is a community and we want to bring everyone together."