OAKLAND, CALIF.—When you think about what’s made it all so compelling, this basketball journey to within a win of an NBA championship, maybe there’s something to be said about the newness of the thing.
The first time around is always special. Or at least that was a point driven home on Wednesday by Steve Kerr, coach of the Golden State Warriors, when he was asked to elaborate on his favourite memory from his years playing and coaching at Oracle Arena. The beloved Oracle, of course, is the 47-year-old concrete bowl that will host its final NBA game Thursday — Game 6, as it happens, of this Raptors-Warriors NBA Finals.