What could be the Warriors' last game at Oracle Arena ended ignominously Friday.
Golden State ended Game 4 with a 105-92 loss to the Toronto Raptors, and a three-games-to-one deficit in the best-of-seven NBA Finals. The Warriors are now a game away from elimination, and need to win Game 5 at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena on Monday in order to keep their season alive.
They will also need to win in order to play one more game at Oracle Arena, with the team set to move in to San Francisco's Chase Center next season. Raptors fans in Oakland might not have been aware of the possibility they were glimpsing history, but once again stayed long after the bitter end. The Toronto faithful loudly chanted "Let's Go Raptors" down the stretch, and sang Canada's national anthem after the buzzer sounded.
Scene at Oracle pic.twitter.com/V0W9gAqnC6— Zach Lowe (@ZachLowe_NBA) June 8, 2019
Big section of Raptors fans break into "O Canada." pic.twitter.com/SuDJA3hEcY— Janie McCauley (@JanieMcCAP) June 8, 2019
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raps fans with a rousing "o, canada"-they've taken over oracle. #WeTheNorth #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/IhZwpcGdXZ— Mark Bechtel (@SI_MarkBechtel) June 8, 2019
"This is one of the most amazing scenes I've ever seen."@LeighEllis of @TheStarters checks in with the @Raptors fans in the stands at Oracle! #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/1wBuNEZ2Ry— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 8, 2019
Some Warriors fans either weren't aware they were witnessing the end of a 47-year era, or they were extremely confident that Golden State would force Game 6 with a win on Monday, as said fans left Game 4 with time left on the clock.
Imagine paying Finals prices and leaving early. pic.twitter.com/ZIHAoEesVJ— Jon Wilson (@WhoIsJonWilson) June 8, 2019
Warriors fans heading for the exits early 🤷♂️🤷♀️ #NBAFinals pic.twitter.com/82bwLHtGRN— TSN (@TSN_Sports) June 8, 2019
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Traffic and/or transit concerns notwithstanding, it's just a bit hard to wrap your head around. Yes, the game was out of hand and there wasn't much left to see, but the early departures seemed more befitting of a home loss in January rather than June. It looked that way without taking into account the possibility the Raptors took a nod from legendary Georgetown coach John Thompson and officially closed Oracle Arena, and especially looked that way when you realize the Warriors could never play in their longtime home again.
Many Warriors fans did stay until the very end, hoping they could make one last trip to the former Coliseum Arena.
Really emotional game for a lot of the fans in the upper deck. This man has had season tickets at this arena for 15 years. At the start of the fourth quarter his daughter turned to him and said "This can't be it, this can't be it." pic.twitter.com/E6R5QDoi91— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) June 8, 2019
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If the Warriors' season ends Monday in Toronto, Game 4 very well could be the end of Oracle.
