Rowdy, But Peaceful Warriors Fans Celebrate NBA Champions With Fireworks & Street Parties
OAKLAND (CBS SF) — Warriors' fans honked their horns and danced in streets throughout the San Francisco Bay Area to celebrate their team's first NBA title in 40 years.
The party began as soon as the Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers to claim the title in six games Tuesday night.
A rowdy crowd gathered in an Oakland intersection with fans busy setting of fireworks, others were running through the streets of San Francisco's Mission District waving the team's blue and gold flags.
"Is this real? Is this real?" said 40-year-old Peter Boyd, a fourth-generation Oakland resident who was practically a newborn when the team won its last title. On Tuesday night he celebrated in the streets outside an Oakland sports bar.
ALSO READ: President Obama, Governor Brown Give Shout Outs To World Champion Warriors
"I sat through decades of awful garbage," Boyd told the Los Angeles Times. "This is for Oakland."
The game was more than 2,000 miles away in Cleveland, but it made little difference to local fans, thousands of whom had gathered at Oracle Arena in Oakland to watch the win on a big screen.
San Francisco Bay Area fans have been able to take to the streets to celebrate multiple Super Bowl and World Series winners, but for the first time in four decades they can throw a party for basketball. The Warriors last won a title in 1975, before many of their loudest and rowdiest fans were born.
In San Francisco, the city hall building was lit blue and gold.
"The San Francisco Bay Area is awash in Blue and Gold as we congratulate our hometown heroes on their spectacular victory!" Mayor Ed Lee said.
Revelers packed the area around 24th and Mission Streets, prompting police to shut down streets to traffic. Around midnight, officers had to sweep in to quell a bottle-tossing contingent. Two people were arrested.
Other large crowds gathered at 16th & Valencia, and along King, Union and Grant streets. San Francisco Police said 14 were arrested in total, including for being drunk in public, throwing a bottle at a police officer, and resisting or obstructing peace officer duties.
In Oakland, police reported only two arrests and eight citations for various violations.
"We do not have any reports of vandalism to businesses," a spokeswoman Sylvia McDaniel said. "Thousands of fans were in Oakland to celebrate the Warriors victory. The large majority of people celebrated responsibly."
MORE: Warriors Already Underdogs For 2015-2016 NBA Title
The 12th Street Oakland City Center BART station reopened after being briefly shut down Tuesday night because of crowds celebrating the NBA title.
The Oakland Police Department tweeted out congratulations to the team and urged revelers to celebrate safely and responsibly.
"#Believe teamwork wins championships! Let's all work to keep #Oakland safe! Celebrate safely and responsibly," the department tweeted.
A few hours later, the department said it responded to several "celebratory events," but avoided a scene like the one that followed the San Francisco Giants' World Series victory in October. That celebration started off peaceful but turned raucous and violent, as revelers vandalized police cars and businesses and pelted officers with bottles.
Several people tweeted that police sat back and watched as people stood on buses and crawled on light poles.
Oakland announced a parade and rally for the Warriors at 10 a.m. Friday.
The Warriors were scheduled to arrive at Oakland International Airport Wednesday afternoon after winning the franchise's first championship in 40 years, but there won't be a repeat of the 1975 welcome home when thousands of fans jammed San Francisco International Airport for the 2:00 a.m. arrival of their heroes.
The team was scheduled to arrive home around 3:00 p.m. Wednesday after beating Cleveland in Game 6 of the NBA Finals Tuesday, but fans are not invited to watch the team's return.
TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
