Fans across Midwest flock to Indy to witness Stephen Curry pursue NBA history vs. Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS -- It’s 5:45 p.m., an hour and 15 minutes before the Indiana Pacers and the Golden State Warriors are scheduled to tipoff, and fans donning blue and yellow No. 30 uniforms swarm around the Gainbridge Fieldhouse’ South tunnel.
On the court, the Warriors and Pacers players are working through their pre-game warmup. But these fans are waiting for one man, and six minutes later, he emerges to reward their patience.
At 5:51, Stephen Curry jogs out of the tunnel. The fans roar in approval.
“It’s dope,” Curry said. “I appreciate the support. I know I’m blessed to play at this level and do something pretty historic. People really feel like they’re part of the journey and are looking forward to nights where they can be part of that chase.
“It’s a different vibe when you’re on the road and you get that reaction.”
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Needing just seven 3-pointers to become the NBA’s all-time leader, taking the mantle from hall of famer Ray Allen, Curry hit five shots from deep against the Pacers in a 102-100 Warriors win, bringing him to the cusp of the record books.
His exploits, though, attracted 17,018 fans from all over the Midwest to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday night, with everyone hoping to catch a glimpse of Curry’s legendary pursuit. It’s the Pacers second-highest attendance of the season, behind just the season-opener, and only the second time Indiana has broken the 17,000-fan threshold. The Pacers currently rank No. 29 in the NBA in average attendance, only ahead of the 4-22 Detroit Pistons.
Ali McKernan was among the fans who made it to Gainbridge Fieldhouse early to see Curry run out of the South Tunnel ahead of the game. A Cincinnati native, McKernan and her father drove to Indianapolis on Monday night to watch, and arrived at the fieldhouse at 5 p.m., two hours before tipoff. Lots of fans were already there, waiting to get in, when they walked up,
The trip was a last-minute decision, but for McKernan, who’d never had a chance to see her favorite team in person, the opportunity was too good to pass up.
“I was looking at their schedule and saw they were playing in Indianapolis so I was like, ‘Hey, let’s go,'” she said.
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McKernan was far from the only fan who traveled to potentially witness history. Brandin Woolford and his mother, Brandi, have been Warriors fans for years, despite being from St. Louis, another city like Cincinnati with no NBA team.
“I’ve even got a Warriors tattoo on my arm,” Brandi Woolford said. “I’m a Warriors fan for life. It’s forever.”
The Woolford’s have made trips to see Golden State in other Midwest cities like Detroit before, so months ago, when they saw the team was going to be in Indianapolis, they made their plans, broke out their Warriors gear and prepared for the four-hour drive. Brandin Woolford said the chance to see his favorite player break the NBA’s 3-point record would be a special experience.
“He’s a good basketball player, on and off the court,” Brandin Woolford said.
Not all the Golden State fans in attendance Monday night were from outside of Indiana though. Walter Litzlbauer is a proud Indy native and roots for the Pacers when they play anyone else. However, Curry’s persona and demeanor on and off the court drew Litzlbauer to the Warriors.
“They play basketball the right way,” he said. “I like seeing people who actually put in effort pregame to socialize with the fans. Curry takes time out, even though he’s a superstar, to still talk to the fans and show them love."
Litzlbauer has made sure to attend every Warriors game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the past six years. He’s passing his Golden State fandom down to his son, who plays basketball, too, because Litzlbauer hopes seeing a superstar like Curry will teach his son valuable lessons about humility and love for the game.
“(Curry) plays the game with joy and has fun the whole time, even when he’s doing bad,” Litzlbauer said. “He plays the game the right way, with a smile on his face.”
The Golden State fans made their presence known early. With 7:52 on the clock in the first quarter, Curry rimmed out his first 3-pointer of the night, drawing a large reaction from the crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Twenty-five seconds later, when the point guard scored an acrobatic layup against two-time Pacers all-star Domantas Sabonis, the crowd exploded with cheers. When the Indiana big man sealed off his defender on the next play for two of his 30 points, he might’ve received half of the applause lauded on Curry.
All night, as Curry launched 3-pointers, Gainbridge Fieldhouse seemed to take in breath hoping to witness history. The Warriors point guard went 5-of-15 from beyond the arc, coming up just short of the record, but each time he hit from deep, the crowd erupted in exhilaration.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said playing in front of a friendly away atmosphere is a normality with Curry in the lineup. But forward Draymond Green, in the middle of his tenth season as the former Davidson star’s teammate, said the past few games have felt different with the crowds knowing the record was in reach.
“Everybody wants to see the record,” Green said. “In a road game, we definitely have a lot of support, but it’s a little different right now.”
With the Warriors headed to Madison Square Garden for the second leg of a back-to-back, Curry will likely break the record in New York City. His only obstacle may be Kerr, who joked the sharpshooter was unavailable against the New York Knicks during his postgame press conference.
While Indianapolis fans didn’t get to see him make history, Curry acknowledged the fans after the game, and was thankful for their support as he continues his push towards history.
“It’s a special time obviously — trying to do something special and enjoy the atmosphere and all that," he said. "I appreciate it.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs. Warriors: Steph Curry 3-point record chase brings fans to Indy
