Could have been there

If I only knew that the Golden State Warriors would make it to the NBA playoffs, I probably would have been tempted to schedule a visit to the Bay Area.
In several of my visits to that beautiful place in America which coincided with the ongoing NBA Season, I got to watch the Warriors’ home games, courtesy of my son-in-law Alan who is also a basketball fanatic.
It was easy and convenient.
All that we had to do was to take the Bay Area Rapid Transit(BART) which runs regularly without any stoppage or accident, which station in Daly City was just about a ten-minute walk from my daughters apartment. One of its stations in Oakland was right at the Oracle Center where the Warriors play.
The Warriors were non-contenders, so tickets were always available, and the the lower box tickets were very affordable. Of course there were no games at the Oracle Arena during the playoffs.
You will have to go South to Los Angeles, North to Portland or Eastward to Phoenix or Utah to be able to catch a play-off game.
The rise of the Warriors from door mats to top contenders is nothing short of phenomenal. I learned in the  first televised game of the team that was shown in the game that the player roster included Andre Igoudala and Leandro Barbosa, two grizzled veterans who would always be an asset to any team.
It was therefore not surprising to me when the Warriors piled up wins, which eventually gave them the best record in the League, and the consequent home-court advantage.
Paco Jarque was kidding me about the condition of my heart when the San Antonio Spurs lost their series with the Los Angeles Clippers. What he did not know was that while I was still hoping for a miracle for the Spurs, I was rooting more for my home team, the Golden State Warriors.
In a recent gathering of friends, almost all are betting for Cleveland and LeBron James. There were only two of us who stood for the Warriors, as he is also a denizen of the San Francisco Bay Area.
I have a confession to make. I have never develop a fondness for Lebron James.
Without any argument, he is the best player in basketball right now, but he is not PR material. The closest that I rooted for LeBron was when he played for the Miami Heat. But not because of him. It was more for  Coach Eric Spoelstra, and you know the reason why.
Golden State has only one game out of seven under its belt. They may eventually win, and I hope they do, to complement the efforts of the San Francisco Giants, the Oakland Athletics and other Bay Area teams whose victories usually translate to good vibes among the inhabitants.
Me, I have to content myself with watching the televised games, and just experience vicariously the actual thrill of being there.

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