Stephen Curry is arguably the game’s most popular player at the moment, and he plays for not only one of the best teams in the league in the Golden State Warriors, but also one of the most fun to watch.
That combination leads to fans turning out in droves when the Warriors hit the road, which can make for an uncomfortable scenario for the home team — and that’s what the Nets experienced on Monday.
From Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News:
“I kind of forgot (I was in Brooklyn) for a second, to be honest with you,” Curry said. “I think (the crowd) just had so much bottled-up excitement because nothing happened in the first half and then all of a sudden it started to get going and we had a big contingency of fans.
“Taking that 3-pointer, I just kind of went out and looked around and was kind of like, ‘Where am I?’”
The Nets play in a sterile new arena, and have little in the way of home-grown fans since the team just moved to Brooklyn less than three years ago. It takes time to build a legitimate and passionate following, and it will come once the team strings together a few consecutive seasons of continued success.
Brooklyn is not the only team with this problem, certainly; the Clippers and the Suns have most recently complained of similar scenarios.
The Nets ended up winning on a last-second Jarrett Jack jumper, and head coach Lionel Hollins also referenced the crowd during his postgame remarks.
“We can send all those Golden State fans home that came to watch here in Brooklyn,” Hollins said. “There were a lot of roaring when (the Warriors) were coming back. But the loudest roar was for Jarrett at the end.”
