Warriors, Raptors super fans give guide to good sportsmanship
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- As the intensity of this series heats up, the list of bad fan behavior from both sides seems to be getting longer by the day.
In Game 3, minority owner Mark Stevens shoved Kyle Lowry. In Game 5 some Toronto fans booed Kevin Durant as he walked off the court with an injury. A day later, Steph Curry's mom was heckled when she arrived at her Toronto hotel.
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Bad apples say the real fans who love the game both on the Warriors and Raptors side.
At SOMA StrEat Food Park where they've been hosting a Warriors party for every game of the championship series, we met many Warriors fan with tips for keeping classy.
"What am I going to teach him about good sportsmanship, I'm going to teach him to keep it classy like the Warriors do, to be a good fan, a generous fan," says Ryan Gilbert, a dad who dressed his brand new baby in Warriors gear.
"I know people get hyped up, but you have to show some type of dignity," says Teron Duckworth, who has been a Warriors fan for decades.
On Justin Encarnacion's food truck, Warriors gear galore, "Be a fan of the sport, don't get violent, just have a good time."
Raptors fans have even started a GoFundMe to help support Durant's charity foundation. You can find a link to that here.
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Also, chiming in, Nav Bhatia, the Toronto superfan who has become famous in this series for his devotion to the Raptors, never missing a single home game since the team's founding.
"Basketball is a game, it's the best game on this earth, let's use this game to bring everyone together."
Bhatia walks the walk. Every game he's attended in the Bay Area, he's been hosted by his friend, a Warriors fan. He even posted an apology on his Instagram page, speaking for all Canadians when he apologized for the behavior of some Toronto fans.
"To KD, to the organizers, to the players, we wish him a speedy recovery," he said.
During our interview, Raptors and Warriors fans stopped by to take a picture with Bhatia who has become social media famous during the course of this championship series. At the end, they even group hugged.
"We all love our basketball," he said.
All love-- and by the way, we challenged him to say three nice things about the Warriors and he had much more to say.
"Very hospitable, very talented, champions-- those are the three things."
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Our reporter Kris Reyes replied, "But they are going to beat the Raptors?"
"I didn't say that. They are in competition, yes they are champions, it's going to take much from us to undo the champions, but we are hopeful that we can get it done and we will do it.
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