SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Steve Kerr stepped outside Chase Center on
a gray winter afternoon and stretched both arms out to his sides,
lifting his chin as he breathed in the fresh air only a few hundred
feet off San Francisco Bay.
A little while later the Warriors coach carefully climbed some
steep metal stairs to reach the building's highest vantage point
and took in a spectacular view in all directions — cargo ships in
the water, the Bay Bridge beyond and the city skyline.
Kerr has grown to truly appreciate Golden State’s arena even
with all the emotions and fond memories from the franchise’s
longtime home of Oracle Arena, a venue long known as one of the
most imposing in the NBA because of its deafening crowds. The team
relocated ahead of the 2019-20 season then played the first four
months of the pandemic-delayed 2020-21 season without fans.
“This didn’t feel like home for a long time because it coincided
with all of our injuries, so you move into Chase, the team is wiped
out, we’re losing night after night, so the crowd’s not into it,”
Kerr reflected. “It was disconcerting. Oracle was familiar."
Kerr is still learning about all the hidden gems of Golden
State’s 2-year-old arena because he simply hadn’t had time to
explore the entire building until recently.
That’s where the team’s director of engineering, Ian McDoom,
came into the picture to provide some behind-the-scenes knowledge
of the 32-month project.
Now, the Warriors are gradually establishing a home-court
advantage with hopes it will one day resemble what they used to
have “where you’re returning to play at home it actually feels like
a home game,” Draymond Green said.
“I think the Bay has always supported their teams no matter
where they’re located, Oakland, San Francisco, Santa Clara,” said
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, a former college star at Cal in
Berkeley. “The crowd, when they start going, it’s as loud as
anywhere in the league. They definitely have a home-court advantage
here.”
In two weeks, Chase Center will be home to the West Regional of
the NCAA Tournament — the first major event there other than a
concert or NBA game. It will mark the first time since the
inaugural 1939 March Madness tournament at Treasure Island that San
Francisco is a host.
McDoom is doing regular walkthroughs to make sure everything
runs smoothly on college basketball's big stage.
“How the arena turned out design-wise, fabulous,” he said.
Kerr certainly appreciated seeing the spots that make Chase
unique -- art elements at every turn, the concert entrance, music
tributes and even a wall featuring the 2015 championship floor
featuring hundreds of autographs where he finally found his own
name among all the signatures.
At one point, he stopped to admire a large photo of his players
hanging in one hallway and instantly returned to that moment seven
years ago during his first season as coach when the Warriors
captured their first championship in 40 years.
New visitors this March might marvel at the large murals, such
as one outside featuring Stephen Curry eating popcorn, mosaics and
other distinct art elements.
Kerr said he still misses that raucous, rocking scene from
Oracle Arena.
“The friendly confines as Ernie Banks used to say, Oracle,
that’s what it felt like to us,” Kerr said. "Between the team’s
struggles and the pandemic last year, I think it took all the way
until now to really feel like this was home. Maybe a month, a
couple weeks into the season, we came out of the gates hot and fans
were into it, it was like, ‘All right, now this feels like
home.’”
Golden State is gearing up for another playoff run that would be
a first in this venue.
As the Warriors prepare for the stretch run, Kerr sometimes
takes the team up to the ninth-floor Sky Bar with its picturesque
views of the bay for a meeting or film session. The on-site
practice facility has no windows.
“With every building it takes time to develop a personality,”
McDoom said, strolling with Kerr along the main concourse level.
“It’s just taking that time to develop that personality and create
that identity of the arena that thankfully we have a little bit
more now.”
“Sure,” Kerr said. “It takes time.”