OAKLAND, Calif. — If Monday’s 112-97 loss felt strange, it was because this was indeed uncharted territory for this year’s Golden State Warriors. They had lost only three times all season — never by double-digits — at Oracle Arena, a place that was buzzing before tip-off thanks to a series of back-and-forths between the Warriors and Cavaliers in the 24 hours prior regarding LeBron James and his actions in getting Draymond Green suspended for Game 5.
The stage was set for the Warriors to repeat as champions, this time at home. An hour before Game 5, as the usual packed crowd in the lower bowl gathered to watch Stephen Curry go through his warmup routine, the Jumbotron in the arena played a montage that detailed Golden State’s rise as a franchise in recent years, from the Monta Ellis trade to owner Joe Lacob being booed by the home crowd during popular player and unpopular general manager Chris Mullin’s jersey retirement ceremony, to last year’s unexpected title run.