The Golden State Warriors were NBA Champions and Paisley was in the stands of Oracle Arena to witness his hometown and favorite team win it all.
Now a Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University Television, Radio and Film graduate student, he recalls it vividly.
"I sat there for like 20 minutes after they cleared the grounds to make sure I took it in as much as I could," Paisley said. "Because A, Oracle Arena is shutting down in a few years, but B, you know it's an important moment as a fan to watch my team win the title."
It's most NBA fans' dream to watch their team win a title in person.For Paisley to make it a reality, he had to pay a hefty penny, but he didn't give it a second thought. He bought two tickets and took his cousin Jack Paisley to the game
"The Warriors have the potential to be one of the best teams, if not the best team of all time," Paisley said. "So to see some of that history plus Lebron still in his prime in a championship scenario would be amazing. So I went for it."
It was an unforgettable and perfect moment for a passionate fan.
The following is the full interview with Kent Paisley on his experience of going to the game.
Full interview audio
Question: So how did your fandom for the Warriors begin?
Paisley: "Basketball has been a very... it has been my favorite sport for a long time. I started playing in fourth grade when I got an NJB [National Junior Basketball] handout. I've always just loved the strategy of basketball and my mind is refined, my appreciation of the game has kind of gone from there. In terms of when I got into the Warriors was during the "We Believe" era in 2007, which was a decade ago from this second title of the one the Warriors just won. I was in the house [Oracle Arena] when Baron Davis dunked over AK-47 [Andrei Kirilenko] and that's probably going to be the favorite dunk I ever see because that was monstrous. I'll always remember how loud Oracle Arena was."
Question: So you got to go to Game 5 of the NBA Finals. How did that happen, what was your reaction when you found out?
Paisley: "So tickets on StubHub and Ticketmaster were like, I don't think I saw anything cheaper than $900 and I was like, I like my limbs, I don't want to give them up. And a friend of mine, I guess liberal to call her a friend. I knew her because she was my college roommates' little in a business fraternity. She made a post saying 'Does anyone wants Warriors tickets?' And I said 'Sure, what are you offering them for?' She said she would sell the pair for $750 a piece. On StubHub and Ticketmaster $900 will turn into 1050 or 1100 because of fees. So I'm like alright, this is a lot of money, but no team in the Bay Area has won a title at home since the Oakland Athletics won the World Series in 1979 if I remember correctly. So it would have been about 40 years in the Bay Area since a team won it at home. So this is just an opportunity not likely to happen. People die wanting to see their team win a championship, let alone see them win at home, let me cross this off my list now."
Question: So you wanted to really be a part of that history of winning the title?
Paisley: "I wanted to watch a title won. And the Warriors have the potential to be one of the best teams, if not the best team of all time. So to see some of that history plus Lebron still in his prime in a championship scenario would be amazing. So I went for it."
Question: Tell me what it was like during the game? I'm sure you were having a blast since your team ended up winning the title that night.
Paisley: "Oracle Arena's fans have changed as the Bay Area has changed, since the rise of tech companies. Ticket prices have flown up and the Oakland fan base for the influx of technology individuals... The fans kind of have this expectation that the team is going to win and they get anxious when they're not. Versus back in the "We Believe" era when tickets weren't expensive and the locals were really flooding the stadium, they didn't care. They were loud, they were raucous every night. For every year that team sucked, that fan base was still known for being very good. And so in the second quarter, the Warriors were up, you know, 19 points and they were slowly but surely giving up the lead and all the fans were getting anxious you could tell. One of the moments I just stood up and yelled, 'Why is everyone quiet? We are at the NBA Finals, make some noise!' Fill in the blank with the swear word of your choice. There were no kids around me so I felt fine swearing. It was important, I just wouldn't say important, but it was nice to remind people why they are there. They are to be fans, not to be anxious."
Question: What was it like when you got to see your team win the title? When the final buzzer went off, to see everyone celebrating on the floor, I'm sure you were very emphatic in the crowd.
Paisley: "I was having a blast. So, the game was probably over with two or three minutes left. The Warriors were up in the teens and at that point is when it started hitting me. I was like okay, I'm going to watch the championship in person, this is amazing. I was with my little cousin and I turned to him and told him, 'Appreciate what's going to go on these next few minutes, this is what you're going to remember the rest of your life, these moments.' When the buzzer sounded, Doris Burke came down, they had the championship ceremony. Just sitting there listening to it was a blur, I wasn't really listening to what the players were saying. This happened, I made this investment and I'm so glad I did. I'm so glad I sacrificed my leg because it's a moment I will hold onto. I sat there for like 20 minutes after they cleared the grounds to make sure I took it in as much as I could. Because A, Oracle Arena is shutting down in a few years, but B, you know it's an important moment as a fan to watch my team win the title."
Question: Also as a fan to watch your team lose in the way they did last year, to come back and watch them win it like they did this year in such a dominant fashion in the way that they played all year. Then they added Kevin Durant. What did it mean to you to get to see that in person?
Paisley: "It's also nice to see a redemption story, you know it's not the same as the Spurs. I felt when they redeemed themselves against Lebron and the Heat a few years back. But the pain of blowing a 3-1 lead is always going to be, it's always going to be mourned. As Draymond [Green] said in the post game conference, Kevin Durant is a hell of a consolation prize and I think you know it's really tough to see the logistics of Durant coming to the Warriors if they won the title last year and the team is better in the long run for it with having Durant now. I think that title window is much greater than it was before."
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