SPORTS

Warriors vs. Kings
2/22/20

Right after we got back from Disneyland, Tyler and Dad drove down to Santa Cruz to watch the Sea Dubs take on the Stockton Kings. We were always curious about the G-League Warriors. They're really not too far from home, and they always seem to have some decent players on their roster. For instance, at this game we got to watch second round pick Alen Smailagic up close. The other neat thing about this game is we know one of the coaches on the Stockton team, Kyle Nishimoto. He even waved to us at half time! We had a really great time all due to good friend Barb whose season tickets we got to use.

Warriors Trivia
5/19/21

All through the month of April, during every Golden State Warriors telecast, Tyler participated in a Warriors trivia contest. At the end of the month the winner would receive an autographed Warriors jersey. In order to play he had to open his Warriors app on his phone during a game. From there he would access Game Mode where he would answer questions during the game but mostly during time outs and commercial breaks. As the month progressed he'd find himself leading the rest of the contestants and finally winning with a 2,000 point margin. After winning, he was contacted by the Warriors marketing department so he could fill out all the paperwork. Eventually, in mid May, he received a USPS Priority Mail box with a return address that read, "Golden State Warriors".

Klay Day
1/9/22

For the past two seasons every Golden State Warriors fan has been waiting for Klay Thompson to return to the floor to take his place with his teammates. Since the 2019 NBA Finals when Klay tore his ACL and the following year when he tore his achilles he's been rehabbing and working to get back to where he was before he was first injured. Now, after 941 days he's set to make his first appearance back in uniform at the Chase Center against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Anticipation was running high and fans couldn't wait to see him suit up. Tyler even wrote a Tweet that said, "He's gonna make grown men cry on Sunday". His social media post could be considered as having gone viral as he garnered nearly four thousand likes and over one thousand retweets. It became so popular that even former Warrior (current Utah Jazz) player Eric Paschall retweeted it on his personal Twitter account.

Warriors Parade
6/20/22

After the 2019 NBA Finals, the Warriors have been on a rough road. During those Finals the Warriors lost both Kevin Durant to an achilles injury in Game 5 and then Klay Thompson to an ACL injury in Game 6. The next year, despite his injury, Durant left the Warriors to join the Brooklyn Nets. Klay Thompson started the season rehabbing his left knee. With both veteran players out of action, it was up to Steph Curry and Draymond Green to try and keep the Warriors afloat. Unfortunately, 4 games into the 2019-2020 season Curry went down with a broken left hand. That season ended with a very disappointing 15-50 record. The next season was better as Steph Curry was back, but Klay Thompson suffered another set back as he went down with a right achilles injury this time. Despite his absence the Warriors had a respectable 39-33 record and qualified for the Play-In Tournament. While glad to be relevant again, they had disappointing losses to the Lakers and then the Grizzlies. Their Playoff hopes were dashed and all they could do was hope for the best next season.

The Warriors in the 2021-2022 season was a very different team than the previous two seasons. Klay Thompson eventually worked his way back into the line-up 50 games into the season. Jordan Poole developed into a solid starter and scored 20 points or more in 17 straight games. Kevon Looney proved his early injury issues were behind him and played in all 82 games as an effective yet undersized center. Gary Payton II worked his way onto the roster and played impactful minutes delighting fans with highlight dunks and tough on-ball defense. Otto Porter, Jr. also came off the bench and proved he was a 3-point threat as well as someone who could be relied upon to grab timely rebounds. Andre Iguodala returned after his stint with the Miami Heat and proved to be as valuable on the bench and in the locker room as he was on the floor. Finally, Andrew Wiggins found a home with this team and was voted to his first All-Star game. He became known as "Two-Way Wiggs" as he was often asked to defend the opposing team's most talented player.

In the first round of the playoffs the third seeded Warriors played the sixth seed Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets, with perennial All-Star and former league MVP Nikola Jokic, was a formidable first round opponent. With lots of big players Denver seemed like a mismatch for the Small Ball Warriors. To make matters worse, the Warriors' Steph Curry was injured at the end of the season and would not start the first four games of the series. He would come off the bench to make sure he didn't do too much too soon. The Warriors would win this first round series 4 games to 1.

The Western Conference Semi-Finals found the Warriors matched up with the second seed, Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies are a young, talented, dynamic team with tremendous upside. They play a similar up tempo style of basketball as the Warriors, plus they shoot a lot of 3 pointers. They proved to be a worthy adversary with All-Star Ja Morant at the forefront leading his team in all aspects of the game either on the floor as their starting point guard or as someone rooting his teammates on from the bench. The Warriors eventually went on to win this series 4 games to 2.

The Western Conference Finals would match the Warriors against the Luka Doncic led Dallas Mavericks. Doncic, a Rookie of the Year recipient and All-Star, is an incredibly talented basketball player. He can make shots from every spot on the floor and doesn't appear to have a weakness. Unfortunately, there aren't many other high caliber players on the Mavericks and Doncic just couldn't do it alone against the deep roster of the Warriors. The Warriors won this series 4 games to 1.

The 2022 NBA Finals had the Warriors facing the Boston Celtics. Boston was led by All-Star Jayson Tatum, All-Star Jaylen Brown, Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart, and All-Star Al Horford. This team was a worthy match up for the Warriors, and if the Celtics could find a shooting rhythm they would be dangerous. In the first game Boston shot the ball incredibly well, and for the first time in these playoffs the Warriors lost their first game and started in the hole. Golden State came back in Game 2 to tie it up, but it wasn't long before they found themselves down again by losing Game 3. This time, however, the future did not look good. Steph Curry was injured in Game 3 and his ability to play Game 4 was in question. Fortunately, Curry willed himself to play and scored 43 points to win Game 4. Seemingly righting the ship, the Warriors would win both Games 5 and 6 to win their 7th NBA Championship and their 4th in 8 years.

All that was left was to have a parade. This year it would be in San Francisco, home of the Chase Center where the Warriors now reside. Tyler left early in the morning with Chloe and her family to see if they could grab a good spot to see the champions. They found a space on Market St. between 5th and 6th Sts. near the end of the parade route.

Valkyries vs. Storm
76-70 (W)
6/14/25

This was Tyler's second game to see the Valkyries. He and Jordyn attended the very first Valkyries home win against the Mystics. At this game Jordyn was still getting over her bout with COVID, so she let Tyler and Connor have her tickets. Both have really enjoyed attending Valkyries games as her seats are super close and the atmosphere in the arena is electric. Players have commented on how the fans' vocal support continues to energize them in close games and provides them with the spark to push through tough situations.

This game saw the Valkyries take on the Seattle Storm. The Storm are a veteran team with four WNBA championships under their belts. Their roster includes six-time All-Star guard Skylar Diggins; nine-time WNBA All-Star, 2016 WNBA MVP, 2016 WNBA Champion, Stanford alum, forward Nneka Ogwumike; and two time medal winning French Olympian, 2022 Euroleague Champion, 2022 WNBA All-Defensive Second Team, 2024 FIBA Europe SuperCup Women Champion, 2024 European Player of the Year, forward Gabby Williams. This team made it into the playoffs last season but was swept in the first round. Regardless, this season they are known for their defense and fast pace and are still considered to be a dark horse in the playoffs.

As has been the M.O. for this Valkyries team, they started out strong and had as much as a 22 point lead at one point. Unfortunately, they tend to bog down in the second half and have some "sloppy" possessions that inevitably allow opponents to get back into the game. Such was the case in this game where, seemingly in control, the Valkyries let their foot off the gas and allowed the Storm to come roaring back. Coupled with lock down defense and timely shooting, the Storm chipped away at the lead and made a huge run in the 4th quarter to come within 4 points. Fortunately, the Valkyries dug down deep and kept fighting and turned the Storm away to preserve a 76-70 win.

Valkyries vs. Storm
84-57 (W)
6/29/25

Jordyn was still reeling from the after-effects of her bout with COVID. While getting better she had a small relapse and decided not to attend this Valkyries game. So, in her place, Tyler went to watch them take on the Seattle Storm again. Many of the European players were returning from the FIBA EuroBasketball Tournament soon, and this meant some of the players the Valkyries asked to step in as replacements were probably going to be released. One of those players was Kaitlyn Chen, Tyler's favorite player. Since this could potentially be her last game in a Valkyries uniform Tyler wanted to see her one last time. She didn't disappoint as she had a beautiful steal that culminated in a left-handed layup that brought the crowd to a frenzy.

The Storm had been on a tear in recent games. They had won 4 out of their last 5 games and had been shooting really well from the field. While the Valkyries were on a similar win streak (5-2 in their last 7 games), they knew the Storm were eager to exact a certain amount of revenge over their loss to the Valkyries two weeks prior. However, unlike the last game where the Valkyries jumped out to a sizable lead only to allow the Storm to claw their way back, this time the Valkyries took the lead from the opening tip and kept their feet on the Storm's throats winning in a laugher, 84-57.

One notable celebrity in the house this game was Steph Curry who drew a roar from the crowd when cameras caught him sitting in the stands a little over and above the Valkyries bench. Only slightly less famous, Tyler and Deb bumped into the Morimotos. Turns out they're Valkyries season ticket holders as well, and they sit only one section over from Jordyn's seats!

Valkyries vs. Wings
86-76 (W)
7/25/25

Mom was in Las Vegas with Grandma, Aunty Kathy, Aunty Lara, and Uncle Derek this weekend, so Tyler went in her place to the Valkyries game against the Dallas Wings. The Wings are a team to keep an eye on as they selected the overall number one pick in the last draft, Paige Bueckers. She along with center Li Yueru, whom the Wings traded for in mid June, and Bay Area native (Arch Bishop Mitty and Stanford University) Haley Jones make up a core of players who could help this Dallas team move up through the ranks and contend for a playoff spot.

The game started out slow for the Valkyries. It didn't help that they lost All-Star Kayla Thornton with a season ending knee injury during practice for this game. To make matters worse, Tyler forgot to wear his onenju (Jodo Shinshu prayer beads) to the game. He's worn them to every game he's attended thus far and they've gone on to win each of those games. Despite the loss of their best player and Tyler's beads, the Valkyries found a way to break through their malaise and came alive in the second half winning by a margin of 10, 86-76.

Valkyries vs. Mercury
91-98 (L)
8/19/25

While Connor, Mom, and Dad were traveling south to drop Connor off at SDSU, Tyler and Jordyn attended this game against the Mercury in the hopes Tyler would keep his win streak alive. Prior to this match up he was 6-0. Unfortunately, his streak came to an end when the Mercury came from behind to beat the Valkyries 91-98. It was an exciting game, none the less, but a tad bit disappointing.

Unfortunately, the Valkyries have had to deal with the injury bug since the All-Star break. The biggest loss was Kayla Thornton who had season ending knee surgery. Other notable Valkyrie players who missed this game included Monique Billings, Tiffany Hayes, and Cecilia Zandalasini. With that much fire power out of the game it was hard to imagine the Valkyries mustering enough scoring to beat another team.

The crazy thing was the Valkyries got off to a great start and led at halftime, 59-47. Then, the fatigue factor kicked in. With only 8 active players on the roster for this game, the Valkyries got outscored 51-32 in the second half. It was obvious, despite the great start, they simply didn't have enough fresh healthy bodies to close out the game.

Valkyries vs. Mystics
99-62 (W)
8/30/25

The Valkyries haven't had many laughers this season, but this game probably qualifies. At tip off, Jordyn was still on approach to San Jose Mineta International Airport on her way back from her vacation in New York. Jordyn transferred the tickets to Mom, so Tyler and her made their way to Chase to enjoy the game. There were a lot of really cool things at this game including bumping into Mike and his dad, Mel, sitting in the Morimoto's seats, $1 popcorn, and special spectator, Jeremy Lin, who only posted about an hour earlier his retirement from pro basketball.

As mentioned, this game was a laugher from the beginning. The Valkyries jumped out to an 11 point lead in the first quarter and extended that lead to 29 by halftime. In the second half, with the game well in hand, Valkyries Head Coach Natalie Nakase took certain players out of the game to save them for the Indiana Fever who they would play on the very next day. With this game, Tyler started a new win streak, 1-0!

Valkyries vs. Wings
84-80 (W)
9/4/25

At tip off the Valkyries' magic number sat at 1. One Valkyries win or one Los Angeles Sparks loss would give the Valkyries their first playoff berth. This game against the Wings was what could typically be considered a "trap" game. The Wings owned the worst record in the WNBA with only 9 wins so far this season despite having overall #1 pick and Rookie of the Year candidate, Paige Bueckers. However, in a brutal quirk of scheduling, it was the fourth game in six days for the Valkyries, and despite always bringing incredible effort and energy at the outset, the Valkyries always bogged down in the second half due to a slew of injuries to key players. Despite their recent second half struggles, the Valkyries were riding a 4-game win streak and looked to be primed to win their 5th straight against a struggling last place team. It had all the earmarks of a game the Valkyries should win, but if they didn't come in with the proper mindset it could very easily get away from them.

The game started off like the last game against the Liberty when the Valkyries needed a little time to get into gear. They ended the first quarter with a one-point lead, but the wheels started to come off in the second. Turnovers, poor shot selection, and no communication on defense had the Valkyries running around chasing the Wings players. At the half the Valkyries were in the hole, 32-41. Fortunately, the coaching staff must have said something (both players and coaches have confirmed there was a lot of yelling and swearing) in the locker room so when the team returned to the court they were excited and rejuvinated. It took a little bit, but by the end of the third quarter the Valkyries cut the deficit to only 4 points. Then, in the fourth quarter the Valkyries really turned it on. They outscored the Wings 26-18 and had the 21st consecutive sell-out crowd at the Chase Center in a frenzy. When the final buzzer sounded the Valkyries defeated the Dallas Wings, 84-80 in a thrilling come-from-behind win and secured their first ever playoff spot!

A couple of interesting sidenotes at this game, both Tyler and Jordyn were interviewed by a S.F. Chronicle reporter before the game asking about Kaitlyn Chen (Tyler was rocking his Chen jersey). They answered a few questions and are waiting to see if what they talked about gets published. Also, at some point during the game they were highlighted on the Jumbotron. They didn't realize it at the time, but several people around them told them they were on the big screen. Then, on the Caltrain ride home they met up with Coach Bryan, who also has Valkyries season tickets, and he said he saw them on the big screen too.

The following are videos Tyler took at the game.