Tales from a blue collar fan

Steph Curry is banged up. Klay Thompson can only score. Draymond Green can’t be the heart of every battle at 6ft 4in. Harrison Barnes is too nice. Andrew Bogut is slow and a liability. These are my Warriors. Yep, that all-time record setting 73-9 team. The venture capitalists who purchased the team and took them from a laughing stock, to a world wide icon, are the same ones that are making us soft. The same people who did not catch the reigning 2x MVP in game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, are the same ones to debate you on Mo Speights being a great power forward and saying we should resign him. A few questions I have on this opening tirade. Who is our enforcer? It should be Festus Ezeli. The answer is Draymond Green. Draymond was built to be an enforcer. Saginaw pride, baby! What happens when he gets into foul trouble, however? Who’s that next guy? It should be Lagos Nigeria’s own. Mr. Festus Ezeli. But you can’t start the young and physical specimen Festus over the franchise center who gets $13 million a year. Unless Festus is on minute restrictions due to surgeries, he should be starting. Remember in the fans eyes trading Monta Ellis for Andrew Bogut is justified. Why? Championship. Us real fans knew Monta was on his way out when his jersey was 50% off in the team store right before the trade deadline in 2011. But Bogut is not an enforcer. He’s too nice and soft. Steven Adam’s took Bogut’s pride. His will. Focusing on our bench, the enforcers can’t be Livingston, Iggy, McAdoo, Barbosa, Rush, Looney, nor Clark. We have maybe one of the greatest teams assembled. Top 10 maybe (Am I stretching it?) But on any of your favorite teams, there was a nasty son of a bitch, who did not back down. Who threw the occasional elbow. Who got under the opposition skin. Who played with reckless abandonment. We simply do not have that. I miss those days.

We have nice guys. There’s is nothing at all wrong with nice guys. Im glad Steph Curry and his amazing family are celebrated around the world. Ditto to Klay. Im happy that Draymond Green’s mother, mixes it up on twitter and at away games. Im happy with the nice guys. Off the court however. Our Starting 5 resembles great diversity and teamwork. Most people love that. Too bad this jerk writing, is not most people. I want mean. I want tough. I want trash talk. I want blue collar basketball. I want hard screens. I want us to stop sulking when things don’t go our way. I want Festus to start. I want Steph to “Deebo” Klay (Stop acting like a bitch, and come on) I want Ian Clark to play freely. I want Bogut to lay someone out with his girth (take the ejection so Festus can start). I want steve Kerr to preach ball movement more when Steph isn’t in. I want the Warriors to play hard. I want Iggy to fly and dunk on people (have you seen his Philly days?)

They play at times, like they’re expected to win. They play entitled, like preppy private school privileged punks . Where’s the grunt? I’ll tell you where it’s at, Sir (or Madam). It’s gone. You have to accept this Era man. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the Detroit pistons in the mid 90s. Grant Hill was their superstar from 94-01. Grant played his butt off, but he wasn’t the grit and grind that resembled the motor city. The Ben and Rasheed Wallaces, the Chancey Billups’, The Rip Hamiltons, The Tayshuan Princes etc. They represented the motor city. Bunch of misfits who no one wanted who knocked out the primadonna Lakers in the 2004 Finals. Say what you want about the Motor City, but those fans loved their Pistons.

Trust me Warrior fans, we are soft. Softness worked last year. It is working right now as we speak, being up 2-1 against the Cavs right now. But can I tell you guys something? Please? It doesn’t work for me. Not anymore. I’m selfish. I miss my 2003 warriors with J-Rich and Gilbert Arenas. I miss Thunder. I miss the Warriors old slogan “It’s a great time out” I miss Brian Cardinal. I’ve been a warriors fan for 26 years now. I’m 33 years old
I’m your resident Bay area sports fan who stuck through decades of losing. I constantly find myself asking this question: ‘Do we love our Warriors’? Only when they’re winning.
I miss our blue “The City throwbacks ” with yellow cable cars on the back. I miss being able to take my daughter to the game for under $120 to sit lower level.
Here’s is my personal assessment about our current fan base. The percentage break down goes as follows…
50% of current warriors fans didn’t give 2 shits about the team 6 years ago
25% are former (or secret because once the Lakers are great again, and we suck they will change their jersey mid game a la that Asian family at Staples this past season) Laker fans
15% former Kings fans
5% Go with the flow fans
5% Die hard like myself.

I’m mad that I have to share my team that I grew up with, who I grew up rooting for, who I got into verbal and physical fights for, got clowned on at barbershops for,”THE ENEMY“.When I see the our Warriors fans, I see pretentiousness. I don’t see the guy who can call down screens out as a fan, I see status updates and Chi Mocha Lattes. That’s who the enemy is. The people who dont care about what Warriors ground means. The same people who are living in nice condos and making rents double and triple for us blue collar fans. Yes the enemy. The privilaged. The elitist. The “Im going to take a selfie in a double OT game” For me its deeper than just a sports team. For me the Warriors provided solace. Especially for alot of us growing up in projects and hotels. Holding the TV antenna to see the Warriors on TV40 in the mid 90’s. It wasn’t about rich or poor. It wasn’t about “likes” or “memes” or “vines” No Sir (or Madam) It was about the struggle. It was about togetherness. It was about “hey those poor black kids in the last row, let’s move them closer so they could meet Chris Webber” It was about (as our old slogan goes) “A great time out.”
 So call me an old head who doesn’t understand this new Era, but my Era meant something. It meant Men played like men, not little boys

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