The Golden State Warriors were seeking a spark. They had lost two games in a row and were lacking their usual energy in both losses.
As the Warriors hoped to end their pseudo-slump with a win against the Phoenix Suns last night, the Warriors got some much-needed energy from a Bay Area sports hero who knows a little something about winning championships.
The San Francisco Giants right fielder attended last night’s Warriors game and was sitting courtside next to Warriors owner Joe Lacob. He threw out t-shirts to fans, and he got the crowd excited and pumped up. Pence, a World Series champion, came to see a fellow Bay Area team, and one of the best teams in the NBA, play, and he provided the missing spark.
Put @hunterpence on the scoreboard, #Warriors take lead shortly thereafter. Coincidence??? @SFGiants pic.twitter.com/ekLD8E97e2
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 1, 2015
After @SFGiants OF @hunterpence was shown on scoreboard last night, #Warriors out-scored PHX 63-40. #FactsOnly pic.twitter.com/B3PZXuSBNI
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) February 1, 2015
Welcome to #WarriorsGround, World Series champion @HunterPence! pic.twitter.com/TTDqqjixiV
— Rick Welts (@RickWelts) February 1, 2015
Ok, so Pence wasn’t actually the reason why the Warriors won, but as a Warriors and Giants fan, it was great to see one of the faces of the Giants at a Warriors game.
Pence is the ultimate vocal leader, motivator, team player, and energizer. Pence’s personality and style of play helped elevate the Giants in their 2012 postseason run, and he helped lead the Giants on another World Series run in 2014.
Green is the Pence of the Warriors. He can have a similar impact on the Warriors as the “heartbeat” of this Warriors team, and he provides similar qualities to the Warriors as Pence does for the Giants, as Green is a motivator and a spark plug.
Green had nine points, 11 rebounds, and two blocks in last night’s win in a very Pence-esque type of performance. He even gave his teammates a passionate pep talk during the second quarter last night, which led to the Warriors outscoring the Suns 24-11 for the 8:15 left in the quarter.
Andre Iguodala spoke after the game about Green’s passion and his effect on his teammates:
"“When you lose like last night, then have a rough start in the first half, you have to get it right,” forward Andre Iguodala said. “Draymond has done a great job being the voice and letting guys know when it gets rough that you have to just grind it out and defensively is where it happens.”"
Stephen Curry also discussed the Warriors’ fighting spirit after the game last night:
"“It was big for a variety of reasons,” said Stephen Curry, whose 25 points led all scorers. “We had a two-game losing streak, but playing at home against a division opponent, these are the game you are supposed to win and we have to win throughout the course of the season. We had a big comeback, a lot of guys played well and stepped up and we fought to get this win.”"
Curry is right that the Warriors’ win last night was due to several players stepping up, playing together, and fighting to get the win. These are qualities of an elite team and are quite similar to another very successful team in the Bay Area, the Giants.
The Warriors and the Giants have shared similar winning formulas during their recent streaks of success. We’ll see if the Warriors can follow the Giants’ lead this season and win a championship.
Here’s more on the Warriors’ win over the Suns last night: