Kings' deafening NBA playoff home-court advantage vs. Warriors worth wait
'Chills': Kings' playoff home-court advantage worth the wait originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SACRAMENTO -- Golden 1 Center, the basketball cathedral in California’s capital city, finally received its shining moment Saturday night.
Seventeen years between NBA playoff games in Sacramento meant 17 years of anticipation for Game 1 of the Kings’ first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors. You could feel it in the building as fans quickly filed in and donned the “Feel the roar!” playoff T-shirts waiting in their seats.
The fan base that fought tooth and nail to keep the Kings in Sacramento and continued to show its passion through the long, dry playoff drought finally were rewarded with a young, exciting, up-and-coming roster that took the NBA by storm this season.
And when that team took the floor together out of the tunnel for the first time in the postseason, the sellout crowd of 18,253 fans erupted into a deafening sound that few NBA arenas -- if any -- can match.
There was still 20 minutes to go before the opening tip.
“It was incredible all night,” Kings forward Harrison Barnes said after the win. “When guys ran out for layup lines, how loud it got in there, I think everyone got chills. That was pretty special for us, just to see the excitement that everybody had.
“Guys were just playing off that adrenaline all night.”
Any concern of the rumored takeover by Warriors fans was put to rest hours before tipoff. DOCO, the plaza surrounding Golden 1 Center, was flooded with purple, black and gray hours before fans were allowed inside the building at 4 p.m. PT.
The only blue spotted at Golden 1 Center on Saturday night was the occasional Mitch Richmond throwback Kings jersey.
“Truth be told, I actually thought there would be more Warriors fans because, obviously, I’ve had to play them four times for the last six years and I’ve seen it,” Kings guard De’Aaron Fox said Saturday night. “But I think Sacramento showed out tonight.
“We know what this fan base is about and what they want to do. Obviously, we want to win for ourselves and everybody in this organization. But doing this for the fans, just knowing the way they support this team through the thick and thin -- like, really thin -- I think it’s just a testament to the way they are.”
When Kings coach Mike Brown stepped up to the postgame podium, he didn’t begin by praising Fox and Malik Monk for their historic playoff debuts or Trey Lyles scoring 16 key points off the bench. He began by giving deserved flowers to the fans.
“First of all, I’ve just got to acknowledge our fans,” Brown said. “Our fans were off the charts, and it was deafening in there, it was extremely loud. You’ve got to take your hat off to them because they brought it for us tonight and you can feel the energy.
“My son Elijah told me when he got to the building, he texted me right before the game, he said, ‘Dad, the energy in the air is unbelievable.’ And this is before tipoff. I applaud our fans.”
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All season long, opposing coaches and stars alike walked out of Golden 1 Center impressed with the volume of Kings fans. Even Warriors forward Draymond Green praised them on his podcast after Game 1, calling it a “great environment” that he loves playing in.
Sacramento players consistently vocalized their appreciation throughout the season but would always offer a disclaimer to wait. Wait for the postseason. Just wait until this passionate, one-of-a-kind fan base has a chance to erupt over a seven-game playoff series.
Their wishes were answered Saturday night. And boy, was it worth the wait.
