Veteran forwards Matt Barnes and Andre Iguodala of the Golden State Warriors told ESPN earlier this week that they would have preferred to be in Los Angeles for the second round of the playoffs instead of Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake City community and fans of the Utah Jazz did not appreciate the comments made by the Warriors who are currently up 2-0. After Friday's practice, Warriors' players were asked how they would spend their free time in Utah during this road trip.
Klay Thompson responded that he would go for a meal, but was unsure about going for a drink.
"They do have great eateries here...I may see a motion picture. They got a pleasant motion picture theater by the lodging. I do not have the foggiest idea; I will discover something to do."
The reason there was such backlash in the first place was that Andre Iguodala said that one could oversleep out of boredom in Salt Lake City, and Matt Barnes told ESPN that there was no nightlife in the city of Utah.
The Jazz and the city of Utah let the Warriors know
Before Tuesday's game 2 Joe Ingles recommended that the Warriors visit Los Angeles or Las Vegas to fulfill their nightlife style. Tourism companies from Salt Lake City also took offense to the comments made by the Warriors, tweeting some recommendations, and before long #nightlife was trending on social media.
The Jazz organization even rose to the occasion, selling blue t-shirts with the words nightlife on the front. Mike Brown, acting head coach, stated that this was all in good sport. "What a ton of fun," he said. "Not just that, the general population here in Salt Lake City are ensuring the fans tomorrow night will have a decent time with it so that it will be an intriguing diversion as a result of it."
Other Warriors players respond to the backlash
Upon being asked whether his teammates will oversleep with the lack of nightlife, Stephen Curry sternly replied that this road trip was a business trip and the Warriors will be good for tomorrow's game.
Curry also added that he knows the Jazz crowd will be hostile and loud and will expect the Warriors to stick together as a team. Klay Thompson is ready for what the Jazz's home crowd is preparing for the Warriors. "It will be fun," he said. "This place has a long history of being boisterous in the playoffs, so I am eager to experience it.
I have never been here in the playoffs. I used to watch this group back in the '90s when they had those grand finals runs. So I am eager to play in that climate. It will be lots of fun." (according to ESPN).
