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Injured Warriors fan claims Cavs fan pushed him off ledge at end of Game 7

Warriors fan Salvator Bimbo, 21, says a Cavaliers fan pushed him from an Oracle Arena ledge at the end of Game 7. (Snapchat)
Warriors fan Salvator Bimbo, 21, says a Cavaliers fan pushed him from an Oracle Arena ledge at the end of Game 7. (Snapchat)

A Golden State Warriors fan who has regained consciousness after falling 50 feet from an upper-level balcony during an altercation between supporters of both NBA Finals teams at the end of Game 7 claims a Cleveland Cavaliers fan pushed him off the Oracle Arena ledge.

In a videotaped conversation his father shared with Bay Area news station KRON-TV, 21-year-old Salvator Bimbo denied rumors he jumped from the balcony following Golden State’s 93-89 loss to Cleveland. “I did not jump,” he said. “I was pushed by a Cavaliers fan.”

Married with two children, Bimbo said he feels “horrible. I’m still in the hospital.” In the week since the Cavs won the title, he has undergone elbow surgery and awaits additional surgeries, according to the report. His father Ronnie continued asking him questions.

Ronnie: “If you were to wish for anything right now, what would you wish?”

Salvator: “Peace for everybody.”

Ronnie: “What do you feel about the man that pushed you?”

Salvator: “He’s insane, and I hope that the police find him.”

Salvator, who is in stable condition in Oakland’s Highland Hospital intensive care unit, was recording the altercation between Warriors and Cavaliers fans when “somebody picked him up from his legs and pushed him over,” his father told KRON-TV after Game 7 last week.

“My son’s cheekbone is smashed, his nose, his upper eye, his head, his brain,” added Ronnie, who is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to a conviction of the alleged suspect. “He’s leaking from his ears blood — not very good. He’s a beautiful young man, did not deserve this.”

Oakland police issued a statement saying they are investigating the incident.

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Meanwhile, the Salvator family, who is hopeful either cell phone video or security footage of the incident from inside the arena will surface, established a GoFundMe page in an attempt to raise $25,000 for Ronnie’s hospital bills. As of Tuesday morning, they had raised more than $2,000.

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Ben Rohrbach

is a contributor for Ball Don’t Lie and Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!