by Jim SLATER
OAKLAND, United States (AFP) — Areas around Oracle Arena were buzzing with activity and anticipation hours before Sunday’s decisive seventh game of the 70th NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and defending champion Golden State.
The Warriors and Cavaliers are deadlocked at 3-3 in the best-of-seven series after two wins by Cleveland, which hopes to become the first team trailing 3-1 to ever rally and win the finals.
The first pitch in a Major League Baseball game at the adjacent Oakland Coliseum between the Oakland A’s and Los Angeles Angels came only four hours before the late-afternoon tipoff of the championship showdown, with exiting baseball fans and the arriving NBA crowd set to create a traffic snarl of epic proportions.
Extra security was in place to safeguard the venues as police sorted the vehicle issues under sunny skies in warm conditions.
The Warriors cheerleaders conducted their final pre-game workouts of the season in a parking lot just outside the arena, which was decorated with yellow and blue signs bearing the Warriors’ motto — Strength in Numbers.
Above main entrances were 15 marks noting playoff victories, but the total was one shy of the number needed for the Warriors to claim back-to-back titles.
Some folks were standing near exclusive parking areas simply to see what they could see, hoping to catch a glimpse of arriving players or celebrities.
In the bowels of the arena, workers were stocking concession stands with foods and souvenirs, getting luxury boxes looking their finest and setting the stage for the spectacle to come.
Noisy crowds have been the rule at Oracle Arena, the half-century-old venue that is the NBA’s eldest arena.
“It will be crazy in here,” said Warriors forward Harrison Barnes. “So it will definitely help, but we can’t just rely on them. We can’t say, ‘Oh, we’re going to play at home,’ and it’s going to be loud. We have to go out there and give them something to cheer for.”
Golden State set an NBA record by winning 73 of 82 games, including 39 of 41 at home. The Warriors opened the season by winning their first 36 home contests.
“We’ve got to get off to a great start,” said Warriors center Draymond Green. “We want to get our crowd involved in the game. We do that early, it can pay dividends for us.”
Home teams have enjoyed a 15-3 record in past NBA Finals, the only road wins for crowns coming by Washington at Seattle in 1978 and the Boston Celtics at Milwaukee in 1974 and the Los Angeles Lakers in 1969.
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