Steve Kerr shared how a coach once admitted feeling anxious about playing at Oracle Arena: "Man, I hope we don't lose by 40"

Yahoo

a day ago

Steve Kerr shared how a coach once admitted feeling anxious about playing at Oracle Arena: "Man, I hope we don't lose by 40" originally appeared on Basketball Network.
There are only a few arenas in NBA history that truly inspired fear in their opponents. For the visiting team, playing at these venues made them feel like they were gladiators entering the Colosseum. Fine examples of these electric yet hostile arenas were the Boston Garden, Madison Square Garden and the United Center, all of which had fans that were notorious for their passion and intensity.
Another one was the Oracle Arena, home of the Golden State Warriors from 1971 to 2019. Long before the Dubs established a dynasty in the 2010s, the arena was already known as one of the toughest places to play in the league. Even though the Warriors weren't a good team for most of their run at Oracle, the fans showed up for every game and, with their passion and loyalty, created an atmosphere that could rattle even the most seasoned players.
If the fans stood up when the Warriors were bad, imagine how loud they were when the team finally found success. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr touched on the unique vibe of Oracle, which he claimed had the team ahead long before the ball even tipped off.
An intimidating atmosphere
As the Warriors reached elite status during the 2014-15 season, they leveraged their devoted fan base to create a home-court advantage unlike any other in the league. Dubbed as "Roaracle" by Warriors fans, Oracle Arena quickly became known as one of the loudest and most intimidating arenas in the NBA. During that season, the Dubs lost only twice on their home court, going an astounding 39-2 at their home soil, a franchise record that stands to this day.
The Warriors had incredibly skilled players who believed they could win anywhere. However, whenever they stepped on the hardwood of Oracle, they felt invincible. Kerr disclosed that one coach confided in him how intimidating the vibe was inside the arena, especially when the team's signature song was played.
"It was electric in that place," Steve said. "One coach told me that when the introductions would come on, and the Tupac song would come on, 'California Love,' and they're introducing the players, he said, 'We're watching that. And we're just thinking, Man, I hope we don't lose by 40.'"
A place so loud that opponents couldn't hear themselves think
Warriors' scoring binges were things of beauty. It usually began with a low rumble created by one three-pointer, followed by one bucket after another. The ball moved with precision, as if controlled by an invisible force, finding the open man time after time. Before long, the opposing coach would call a timeout to try and stem the tide, an exercise the Warriors thought was futile.
This was because the timeouts often just gave the Dubs players time to catch their breath and throw another wave of baskets at their foes. Before long, Oracle was rocking and the opponents were reeling, trailing by double digits in an instant.
"It was so loud in there we could barely hear ourselves," the Dubs' reserve center Festus Ezeli said. "But I think for other teams coming in here, it's probably jarring. It's that extra battery that we had in our packs."
"The building just feels like it's shaking. It feels like it's moving in there. It's so loud, and just the amount of fuel that it gave us when we went on a run," Shaun Livingston, one of the first players off the Dubs' bench, added.
"There's a vibe, there's an energy to the game. And you just kind of see the body language of your opponents would let out. Those shoulders start to slump, heads start to dip, guys start kind of going back and forth, bickering at each other. Coaches calling timeouts back-to-back. And then the crowd, they're just pouring gasoline on that thing. It's just, you know, it's insane in there," he continued.
The Warriors now call the state-of-the-art Chase Center home. However, while the Oracle Arena didn't have any of the bells and whistles most NBA arenas have today, it made up for it with its passionate and rowdy fans and the organic atmosphere the Warriors thrived in.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 13, 2025, where it first appeared.