Golden State Warriors’ Best National Anthems
On Sunday, the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers to take a 3-2 lead in the 2015 NBA Finals. Andre Iguodala had another great defensive performance after getting a second consecutive start, and Stephen Curry had an NBA Finals moment as he scored 37 points with 7 threes.
However, there were more stars shining in Oakland aside from the Golden State Warriors basketball team. The 2015 NBA Playoffs provided the country with some of the most memorable National Anthem performances in recent years.
“Please rise and remove your caps for the playing of the National Anthem.”
Once that sentence is uttered, the fans at Oracle Arena turn on the switch that transforms the best home-court advantage in the NBA into the awe-inspiring “Roaracle.” Yes, every single home team in sports plays the National Anthem prior to a contest, but there have been some truly special ones in Oakland.
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While Cleveland was treated to a performance from Usher, the Golden State Warriors got a little more fun than that with their National Anthems. Below are the top three National Anthem performances at Oracle Arena throughout this year’s postseason.
Carlos Santana
As recapped by the Washington Post, Carlos Santana performed the National Anthem on guitar with his wife, Cindy Blackman, on drums. However, there was a fun, little twist to their rocking performance. Santana lived in San Francisco while Blackmon is from Ohio. Perhaps a bit of team rivalry here? Regardless, the two of them grooved through the classic tune in game two of the NBA Finals.
A National Anthem without vocals is a special treat that allows the fans’ voices to be heard even louder as they sing along. Santana has performed that song at a San Francisco Giants game as well, so the Bay Area certainly has gotten a good dose of guitar driven pregame tunes.
Metallica
Along with Santana, the legendary metal band, Metallica, performed the National Anthem on guitar at both Giants and Warriors games. SF Gate provided a photo gallery that shows the band’s two guitarists, James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, turn up the overdrive for an especially heavy rendition of the song during game five of the NBA finals.
Once again, the Warriors showed their love for local talent since Metallica also has ties to the Bay Area. Even though their performance and Santana’s both featured guitar, Metallica’s treated the home crowd with a lot more crunch. Throughout the song, Hammett shredded the main melody as Hetfield harmonized with pulverizing power chords and guitar licks of his own.
Metallic’s performance was especially fitting for Sunday’s game because the Warriors rocked the court as well with their outstanding fourth quarter and defeat against the Cavaliers.
Nayah Damasen
Perhaps the greatest of the National Anthems for the Golden State Warriors was the string of performances from ten-year-old Nayah Damasen.
NBC Bay Area reported that the Warriors have been calling Damasen a “good luck charm”. That is an appropriate label considering the Warriors have won every playoff game this season in which she performed the National Anthem.
Damasen performed more traditional renditions of the song than the two acts previously mentioned. Based on the videos of her singing, Damasen’s voice is simply fantastic. Even though she is only 1o years old, Damasen has been performing the National Anthem at Warriors games since she was eight.
On her thoughts of singing at Oracle Arena, NBA Bay Area quoted her saying:
"“I feel so honored and blessed to be here. I wouldn’t say that I’m a charm. But music can touch people’s hearts.”"
Fans of the Golden State Warriors might disagree with her on the good luck charm status, but we can all agree that her performances helped the fans at “Roaracle” get amped up for some victories.