Chase Center impressions: Oracle Arena it isn’t

SAN FRANCISCO — Saturday’s exhibition game marked the beginning of the Golden State Warriors’ tenure at the Chase Center. While the question of how this arena holds up to its lofty expectations can’t truly be answered until Golden State rings in the new arena in its season-opener against the Los Angeles Clippers, here are several notes on the gym’s first preseason game.

Planes, Trains, Automobiles

So, with one test run down, what’s the best way to get to the Chase Center? Pretty much every mode of transportation that isn’t driving.

There is parking available to the public around the Chase Center, but the lots are as expensive as they are inconvenient. There are 900 spots at the Chase Center, but only players, staff and select season-ticket holders will have access. UCSF’s parking structure is off-limits as well.

Luckily, there are numerous alternatives. Ferries provide a way for those coming from the East and North Bay. Muni will run a pair of lines on game days, and fans can use their game ticket as their Muni ticket. Uber and Lyft will likely be commonplace, but the postgame traffic has yet to be seen. There are also those electric scooters that litter the San Francisco city streets

Chef Curry (and company)

Gone are the days of paying for the overpriced bare minimum of hot dogs, pizza and chicken tenders. Don’t get it twisted, the food and beverages are still pricey — did somebody say $5 bottled water? — but now there’s some variety. Tony G’s, Big Nate’s BBQ and Sam’s Chowder House are just a few of the litany of food options.

For those who don’t want to shell out the Benjamins on refreshments, the best bet is to have a substantial meal before the game. Aside from Potrero Hill and Dogpatch, both of which are about a mile away from the arena, there aren’t many food options in the surrounding area. The pickings will probably be even slimmer when games start around seven.

Pièce de Résistance

Without a doubt, the most striking part of the Chase Center experience is the 9,699 square foot Jumbotron. Pictures and videos don’t do this electronic behemoth justice. Sitting parallel to the Jumbotron’s longer sides will evoke memories of a drive-in. It is, unequivocally, indisputably, indubitably awe-inspiring, a structure that must be seen to be believed.

Part of the Jumbotron’s luster derives from its pure size, but there’s also the matter of functionality. For one, all four sides of the Jumbotron play a live feed of the action, a feature that will surely assist those residing in the nosebleeds.

The parts of the Jumbotron that aren’t streaming the game are packed to the brim with information, featuring traditional box score stats, team stats and the four factors (effective field goal percentage, turnover percentage, offensive rebound percentage and free throw rate).

In addition to the Jumbotron, there are also screens that serve as a shot tracker. Not only do they log each team’s field goal, three-point and free throw attempts, but include the shot chart as well.

Outside Looking In

Along with the indoor Jumbotron, Chase Center boasts a prominent outdoor video screen, the captivating feature of a spacious outdoor area featuring artificial turf and rowed seating. Strangely enough, the video screen didn’t provide a live stream during the Warriors exhibition against the Lakers while the Jumbotron did.

Given the Chase Center’s relative isolation from downtown San Francisco coupled with the cold weather provided by fall and winter, it will be interesting to see if that area can become the Warriors’ version of Jurassic World, or if it’s another quaint feature.

Long Live the Tunnel

If there’s a basket in sight, Stephen Curry is in range. There aren’t too many places in a gym where Curry, through sheer force of will, can’t hit a shot. That being said, his tunnel shots at the Chase Center will make his past endeavors at Oracle look like layups.

The tunnels at the Chase Center are no longer parallel to the baskets. Rather, the entrance is diagonal to the hoop. It is also behind the hoop. See the picture below for reference.

Knowing Curry, he’s going to try it. Knowing Curry, given 44 games, including preseason, not including playoffs, he’s probably going to hit it. He’ll need to have quite the arc on the shot, but it’s doable.

Roaracle?

Arguably the biggest question with the construction of the new arena: did the Chase Center have the capacity to replicate the deafening noise levels of Roaracle?

Take this section with a grain of salt. This may have been the first official basketball game at the new arena, coming against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the new-look Los Angeles Lakers no less, but it’s also the preseason. Much like how the Warriors ran a fourth quarter lineup featuring Jordan Poole, Damion Lee, Jacob Evans, Alfonzo McKinnie and Eric Paschall, things will likely be different in the regular season.

This inaugural game did have its moments. Despite the low stakes, there were a couple plays that ever-so-slightly evoked memories of Roaracle’s glory days. There were spats of thunder that followed a flash of lightning, but, as expected, nothing too crazy. True high-stakes basketball will be required to hear just how loud this place can get.

What about Oakland?

Make no mistake, this team’s moniker is still “Golden State Warriors.” They are still, in theory, the Bay’s team. But there are some subtle ways that the Chase Center embraces the todayness of San Francisco and disguises the past that was Oakland.

Look at the court’s two baselines. One reads “San Francisco.” The other reads “Golden State Warriors.” That’s fair considering this team plays in The City, not The Town.

While the hardwood’s insignia is defensible considering this team plays in The City, not The Town, there is the matter of the Oakland banner.

Prior to the Warriors’ final game at Oracle Arena, the team raised a banner commemorating the team’s 47 years in Oakland, one that would make its way to the Chase Center. Given the importance of that building, it would be right to assume that banner would hold a prominent spot in the new arena.

It does not.

That banner does not reside next to the Warriors’ championship banners. Nor does it neighbor the jerseys of retired players. Rather, it is tucked away high in the nosebleeds. It’s incredibly easy to miss.

There may be numerous references to the Bay and the universality of this team, but make no mistake: the Chase Center’s heart is in San Francisco.

Vibe Check

It wouldn’t be fair to arrive at a final verdict after one, early October basketball game. That being said …

It doesn’t take much to understand why it took $1.4 billion to build this gymnasium. When it comes to the accouterment, it laps Oracle Arena in nearly every facet. There is no mistaking that Chase Center is a marvelous, state-of-the-art facility.

Still, there’s the matter of the “it” factor. Chase Center hasn’t been worn in yet, and frankly, it feels like it.

What made Oracle Arena so captivating to so many people was the feeling that building provided. What that building lacked in modernity, it made up for in soul. There’s no price point that can capture that feeling.

Chase Center and Oracle Arena are as polar opposite as the cities they reside in. Will San Francisco’s latest crown jewel ever replicate the feeling of that quaint little basketball gym in East Oakland? Probably not. Can it come close and capture a fraction of it? Only time will tell. Maybe. Maybe not.