Warriors OT Epic at Chase Center Thrills, Disappoints Dubs Fans
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- Friday night's game against the Grizzlies was a must-win for the Warriors as they played for a chance to move on to the NBA playoffs but the Chase Center crowd left disappointed. The Warriors suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss.
The Warriors fought until the very end and, while there was disappointment, fans were grateful for the opportunity to watch this play-in game in person.
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Fans began arriving at Chase Center around 4 p.m. in hopes of seeing Stephen Curry lead the Warriors to the playoffs.
Young Warriors' fan Nolan Martinez was looking forward to seeing Steph score 30 points. Curry racked up 39 points but the team fell short of clinching the final postseason spot.
Typically, Chase Center would be rocking with with tens of thousands of fans but that wasn't the case Friday night.
Only 7,500 people got to see the game in person, all socially-distanced with empty seats between each group.
Each fan was required to have either a negative COVID test result or proof of vaccination.
"I was on it all night long, the do's and don'ts of COVID protocol. I knew it was a process," said Jennifer Martinez.
While the noise in the stands wasn't as intense as past years, fans like Christina (who did not give her last name) liked the fact that there were fewer fans and enjoyed the experience.
"It's not like before where you can depend on it. You can go to a Warriors game, now you appreciate it a little bit more," Christina said.
While the crowd was glad to be back cheering on the Dubs and watching Steph Curry perform his brand of shooting magic, there's no denying this was a season that ended too soon.
"We're very very disappointed. Proud but so, so sad," said a fan named Charlene.
