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Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/Getty Images

Being born and raised in Cleveland makes you something of a sports fan snob. When you have three teams in your city who have suffered as much as the Indians, Browns, and Cavs have and yet people still obsess over them and allow themselves to hope, other cities’ fans seem a step below. Even famously great fans like Knicks fans or Red Sox fans, can seem a little disappointing in comparison. And i realize this is bullshit. Who am I to judge someone else’s love of their team? That’s between them and the sports gods. But I say all this to say that I’ve been to big games at MSG, and Fenway, and the TD Garden, and Staples Center and I’ve always left a little disappointed. Oversold on how intense the experience would be. Then yesterday I went to watch my Cavaliers take on the Golden State Warriors in Oakland for the NBA Finals, and the exact opposite feeling happened. Believe the hype: Golden State Warriors fans are as incredible as you’ve heard.

First off, they’re loud. Really loud. They don’t call this place the "Roarcle" for nothing. They stood on their feet for 75% of the game. They never once that I can remember were cued to start chants. Sure the JumboTron would occasionally throw a "Make Some Noise" animation up, but there was no handholding with chants. If there was a quiet moment someone in the stands would start the sing-songy "Warr-iors" that makes you feel like you’re watching the movie of the same name and before you know it the whole place would be screaming it. If you haven’t been to a professional sporting event in the last fifteen years, you probably don’t see why this is such a big deal, but if you have, you know how rare it is.

Second, they’re smart. This is not one of those arenas where every call against the home team is a bad call. My section would explode in anger when a foul was called on the Warriors but then they’d all quiet down to watch the replay, and if the replay showed it was a foul, they’d laugh about it and concede that Andrew Bogut should have to marry Tristan Thompson if he’s going to hold him like that. This almost never happens. You usually get loud fans or smart fans. Both is a pretty insane combination.

Third, they are so hungry for a title. Now of course, every team is, and I don’t know that any city is as hungry for a title as Cleveland, but I was blown away by the desperation in the crowd. I’ve been quick to write off the talk of the Warriors fans being long-suffering, because of other Bay Area sports teams winning titles. But being at the game, one thing became clear. There’s a major difference between Oakland Warriors fans and San Francisco Warriors fans. And the Oakland fans are as long-suffering as anybody. The number of Oakland die-hards I heard cursing about how the team would be moving across the bay into San Francisco in coming years was countless. And even though it’s obviously not as bad as your team moving to Baltimore, there was a real sense that Oakland was losing something. That they had built something special at Oracle Arena, and now it was being taken to richer pastures where richer people would take their seats. Oakland fans and Cleveland fans are very much cut from the same cloth. And it’s a desperate, desperate cloth.

Finally, they’re kind. They love trash talk and they love busting balls, both of which I was on the receiving end of in my Kyrie Irving t-shirt. But they’re also quick to say, "If it wasn’t us, I’d be rooting for the Cavs," and "I think it’s going to be a tough series. I know people are picking us, but I can’t be comfortable. It’s the Warriors!"

Well last night, those Warriors looked like the champions they very well may soon be. The Cavs threw an incredible punch and looked like they were going to make this a series, but the Warriors wouldn’t die and their fans wouldn’t either, and they were rewarded with a great and ultimately decisive victory. Now I’m not ready to say it’s over. After all, I’m from Cleveland. I’m a constant mix of crippling self-doubt and uneasy hope. But one family in my section had their infant daughter with them, wearing giant noise-canceling headphones to protect her from the noise.

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Photo: Jack Moore

That’s the right kind of crazy. That’s "deserves to see a championship" crazy. I truly hope they lose. But there might be a parade in Oakland in a couple weeks, and if there is, I know I’ll be happy for these fans.