Tim Hardaway played for some great Warriors teams and some not-so great Warriors teams over his career in Golden State.

Tim Hardaway strongly defends Warriors fans everywhere -- here's why originally appeared on nbcsportsbayarea.com

The Warriors selected Tim Hardaway with the 14th overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft.

Over three seasons from 1991 to 1993, he averaged 22.7 points and 10.0 assists per game and was an All-Star all three years as a member of the Warriors.

His teams reached the playoffs in '91, '92 and '94 (Hardaway missed the whole year because of a knee injury), but fell short in '90 (37 wins) '93 (34 wins) and '95 (26 wins).

So he saw some great basketball and some not-so great basketball. Through it all, however, the Warriors' fans were always great.

Hardaway recently caught up with Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype and was asked the following question:

"Today, I hear some people say, "Oh, Warriors fans are a bunch of bandwagon fans." I think Golden State's core fans are really loyal and passionate. I saw that fan base show tremendous support year after year for struggling teams. Sure, there are some bandwagon fans in recent years, but that's the case with any great team. Based on your experiences with Bay Area fans, how do you react when you hear people make comments like that?"

Warriors fans are going to love Hardaway's response:

"I take exception to that and that's like a slap in the face. Warriors fans are not bandwagon fans. Warriors fans are just like Boston Celtics fans, just like New York Knicks fans, just like Los Angeles Lakers fans. These are really loyal fans who understand the game. They've been through a lot of ups and downs. They've seen some great teams and great players, but they've supported the team when they've struggled too.

They really understand the game – they know who can play, who can't play, who's dogging it. These fans are very logical and smart. They're basketball people. When people say they're bandwagon fans or say they aren't loyal to the Warriors unless they're winning, they're just wrong and I take exception to that. That's a slap in the face. It's not right. These fans are loyal!

I've been there and I've seen it. They cared for us back when we were playing in the ‘90s and they helped us win games. They were always there for us and embraced us with open arms. Anyone saying those things is wrong. If you're saying those things, you don't know the Bay Area fans and you haven't been out here enough."

Duh.

Dirk Nowitzki certainly agrees.

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