OAKLAND—It’s not much to look at, a run-of-the-mill arena stuck beside a rundown old multi-purpose stadium amid endless drab parking lots and accessible by public transit or a major highway a few miles up from the hub of the port of Oakland.
The Oracle Arena certainly isn’t fancy, it’s not dropped in the middle of some trendy downtown area that attracts the swells of the city, fans need to work to get there.
And yet, it is known far and wide as one of the most imposing arenas in the NBA, a testament to the theory that people, not location or amenities, make the difference.