Joyous Throng Descends On Oakland To Celebrate Golden State Warriors

OAKLAND, CA — The Golden State Warriors celebrated their second championship in three years today, parading through the streets of Oakland before holding a rally on the south end of Lake Merritt in front of an enthralled crowd of thousands decked in blue and gold.

Despite making the same parade through downtown Oakland and along Lake Merritt just two years ago, there was little sign of diminished enthusiasm from fans.

The Warriors players, owners and employees as well as officials from the city of Oakland and Alameda County made their way through the streets of Oakland over the course of about 90 minutes this morning before the enormous rally in front of the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.

The Warriors clinched their victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, winning the NBA Finals in five games with a 129-120 victory on Monday night.

It was their third straight Finals matchup against the Cavaliers -- they lost last year after taking a 3-1 lead.

After last year's loss, the Warriors added 2014 league MVP Kevin Durant as a free agent, immediately making them favorites to win another championship. The Warriors lived up to that expectation, winning nearly every
game in the playoffs aside from a lone game in Cleveland to compile an unprecedented 16-1 playoff record.

While head coach Steve Kerr acknowledged the tremendous talent on the team, at today's rally he said that the way the players have interacted with each other was key to their success. "Championship teams don't come about just because of talent, you have to have talent, but it's so much more than that," Kerr said. "It's the
commitment each player makes to the team and to each other."

Durant seemed already at ease with the Oakland fans. He had endured criticism for his exit from the Oklahoma City Thunder after the Thunder fell to the Warriors in last year's playoffs.

"It means the world to me to win a championship for you guys and hopefully we keep it going," Durant told the gathered crowd today.Meanwhile, star point guard Stephen Curry, who was the league MVP in both 2015 and 2016 but yielded the title of Finals MVP to Durant this year, highlighted the unselfishness that has been a hallmark of the Warriors' success.

"We built an identity around this Warriors organization that's second to none," Curry said. "It's something we need to cherish."

Warriors general manager Bob Myers, in a lengthy speech that revealed intimate and even potentially embarrassing information about his players, also praised the team and its two stars. Curry, he said, "is the perfect example of nice guys finishing first."

Both Curry and Durant drew chants of "MVP" as they rode by in blue buses during this morning's parade. But Myers prompted at least one fan to shout out, "You're the real MVP!"

Music from Mac Dre, E-40 and Too Short blared in the streets throughout the day. Fans started lining up hours before the parade started and vendors hawked Warriors T-shirts, bacon-wrapped hot dogs, tamales and
beer.

Once the parade began, the cheers were deafening. Mayor Libby Schaaf rode by on her fire-breathing snail car -- her preferred mode of transport for special occasions -- dancing alongside Oakland icon MC Hammer.

Schaaf later presented the Warriors with the key to the city, praising not only their basketball, but their charitable work as well. "This team is just as great off the court as on the court," Schaaf said, highlighting Curry's initiative to donate three mosquito nets to people in areas with malaria for each three-pointer he made.

Earlier this year, Durant helped renovate six basketball courts for youth in Oakland at the Lincoln Square Recreation Center.

The trophies from the Warriors' previous championships -- in 1947, 1956, 1975 and 2015 -- each were on display in separate cars during the parade.

This year's was with Curry, the last of the Warriors stars to go by. An estimated 1 million fans turned out for the parade and rally in 2015, and today's possibly drew even more.

Street closures began on Wednesday night and fans were encouraged to take public transit rather than drive to the parade route. Some fans parked as far away as West Oakland while trying to make their way to the
parade route.

— Bay City News

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