How Davis believes he, Oakland helped shift vibe around Warriors

How Davis believes he, Oakland helped shift vibe around Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

More than a decade and a half after the legendary "We Believe" Warriors team was on the court, Baron Davis believes the squad helped shift the energy surrounding the franchise.

Appearing on Carmelo Anthony’s “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast, Davis explained the important role the 2006-07 Warriors played in shifting the vibe in Oakland.

“When I got to Golden State bro, like, nobody wanted to play basketball,” Davis said. “That s--t was like a class, and I was like, ‘Hold on, yo, nah practice, hey bro let’s scrimmage or something,’ you know what I mean? I got ADD, I want to hoop, I want to work out, I do not want to be listening to no coach telling me ‘You got to do this,’ man go sit your ass down, f--k out of here Mike Montgomery, you know what I mean?"

Davis went on to explain to Anthony that he and his teammates from that 2006-07 Warriors team helped change the narrative surrounding the organization, as did the city of Oakland and Golden State fans.

“There’s a transition period on every team that’s like lifespan or whatnot, and I always just consider myself like the dude who changed the energy,” Davis explained. “Whether I get credit for this s--t or not, whether we as a 'We Believe' team get credit for it, or Matt [Barnes] or Monte [Ellis] or Al [Harrington], all of us played a huge part of the 'We Believe,' but it was also Oakland. That s--t was jumping, you know what I mean?

“When I first got there it was already packed; they were just waiting for somebody to believe that we could win.”

Golden State had been a perennial bottom-feeder in the Western Conference, having not made the NBA playoffs in 13 seasons. Davis, along with Barnes, Ellis and Stephen Jackson helped turn the team’s fortunes around, making the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. In one of the most exciting first-round playoff series, the underdog Warriors defeated the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks, going a perfect 3-0 at Oracle Arena and clinching the series in Oakland.

While the squad did not advance beyond the second round that season, it set the stage for Golden State’s return to NBA relevancy, as the organization drafted the likes of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green in the years following the "We Believe" team.

The pairing of superstars like Curry with the rabid fanbase of “Roaracle” Arena turned the franchise into one of the most successful and recognizable sports teams on the planet.

Still, for those of us with long memories, the improbable turnaround and playoff upset along with the classic "We Believe" shirts stirs some pretty powerful feelings of nostalgia.

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