Thanks in large part to four NBA titles in seven years, the Golden State Warriors fanbase isn’t exactly all that popular around the league. Now there’s even more ammo to throw at Dubs fans.
A graph from BetOnline.ag began circulating on Twitter on Wednesday, showing that Warriors fans complain about the refs more than any other fanbase on Twitter. Golden State edged out the Bulls, Cavaliers, Heat and Nets in the top five.
There are probably a couple things at play here. One, the Warriors have one of the biggest Twitter followings of any NBA team on Twitter. They don’t have the biggest, however. The Lakers have almost double the Twitter following are ninth on this list.
There’s also the notion that over the years, Stephen Curry has not gotten the type of calls that other superstars get throughout the league. It’s a notion that has been perpetuated by those on the television broadcast, and while possibly true, there is also a self-fulfilling nature to it. It’s an idea that was inflamed during the Warriors-Cavs rivalry, where Curry’s whistle was compared to that of LeBron James’, a player thought by many to get some of the softest calls in the league. Put simply, Warriors fans are very sensitive to the calls that Curry does, and doesn’t, get. Hell, even Ayesha Curry famously lost it on the refs during an NBA Finals game.
Finally, the Warriors fanbase was one of the most passionate in the league back when the team was the worst in the NBA. It’s simply a very engaged and basketball-obsessed fanbase. Now that the team is the cream of the crop, and it makes sense that the passion has only spiked.
On the other hand, the Warriors are dead last in free throw attempts and give up the most free throw attempts per game, so maybe there’s some reason for GS fans to be so annoyed no matter whose fault that is.