Warriors Ground Tailgate— a foodie, fan-friendly experience

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - After the historic season finale, fans are still celebrating the Warriors' success, hoping history will repeat itself in the coming weeks.

Oakland’s Oracle Arena is quiet, but not for long.

Game 1 of the playoffs will be played on the home court Saturday and crews are getting ready for the crowds.

"There's really something about team work and spirit that is amazing," said John Bass, a fan from Castro Valley.

That amazing team spirit is carrying over to a new feature that the Warriors are creating to unify fans.

On Thursday, vendors and crews are setting up what's called the Warriors Ground Tailgate.

About three hours before each playoff game, this tented area, with picnic tables, will be open to fans.

Food trucks, team merchandise and even a basketball court will be here to enhance the fan experience.

"It sounds great; people together, food trucks together and basketball together. What could be better?” says Bass.

Inside the team store at closing time, all t-shirts bearing the historic number 73 were sold out with the exception of one.

Outside, an electronic billboard reminded drivers along Interstate 880 of the NBA record.

Near City Hall, Oaklandish, a business that promotes all things Oakland debuted its ode to the historic record with t-shirts.

One has the slogan: "Golden Greatest" with a play on the numbers seven and three.

"This is one of the three products we're working on right now with the tribute to the 73 wins this year," said Milton Williams with Oaklandish. “We had to do something specific to this accomplishment. It is really worth noting."
Williams says the Warriors’ championship victory last year was great for business. Now, he hopes for a repeat.

"That hectic Christmas push, it was like that in June. It was crazy. We did numbers that were comparable to the holiday season," says Williams.

With glasses at the ready, Lake Chalet Restaurant offered house-brewed beer for 73 cents. The one-day special drew plenty of enthusiastic fans.

"On a day like this, there may be 30, 40 people outside. Right now, we're at 200— not quite at the max, but we're pushing for it," said De'Marcus Murphy, the restaurant manager.
　
"There's been kind of a fever that's taken over the area and people have gotten really excited about what the Warriors are doing. This is a good place to celebrate it, right by where the parade was last year," said Sheila Dominic, a Warriors fan.

As for that new Warriors Ground Tailgate, it's free for all fans coming to the playoff games.