ONLY ON ABC7News.com: Warriors fan schedules heart surgery around NBA Finals

CONCORD, Calif. (KGO) -- There are Warriors fans, and then there are Warriors fans.

A season ticket holder from Concord scheduled surgery around Thursday night's Game 1 of the finals.

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A lot of South Bay fans will be hanging out at bars and restaurants to catch Game 1, but there's one amazing fan who put the Warriors ahead of the operating room.

Phyllis Kalivoda made an unusual request of her cardiologist at John Muir Hospital.

"We need to do it so that it doesn't conflict with the Warriors' schedule. I thought that was great. I said we'll figure it out," said cardiologist Carolyn Lacey.

The 82-year-old Kalivoda needed to have a device implanted to monitor her for heart failure, so she had the procedure done Tuesday, between Game 7 of the playoffs and the first game of the finals. She and her husband Jack have been season ticket holders for 25 years. Now, both can be courtside.

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"I've been having so much fun at the games, meeting lots of people. I've made some friends," Kalivoda said.

The couple from Concord had a moment of fame at one game when they were caught smooching on the jumbotron, something they clearly like to do, even for us.

"It was great afterwards. As we were walking to the exit, all the fans were giving us high-fives," Jack Kalivoda said.

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The Warriors can take credit for uniting Phyllis and Jack, who have amassed a large collection of team shirts. Phyllis Kalivoda said what attracted her to husband was his season tickets to the Warriors. So it's understandable why a medical procedure can't keep her away, even if she can't see all the action.

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"I'm short and even if I stand up, I still can't see, so thank goodness for the big picture up on the ceiling, hanging from the ceiling. That's where I'm able to watch the game," said Phyllis Kalivoda said.

Phyllis Kalivoda is returning to the hospital to have a pacemaker installed on Monday, between Games 2 and 3.

When asked if she thought they'd win, Phyllis Kalivoda said, "Of course. They always find a way to win."

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ABC7 is your home for the NBA Finals. Coverage begins Thursday with ABC7 News at 4 p.m. At 5:30 p.m. it's "NBA Countdown." Then Game 1 between the Cavs and Dubs at Roaracle starts at 6 p.m., only on ABC7.

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