Warrior Matt Barnes on his team's Salt Lake City destination: 'There's no nightlife in Utah'
Game 3 of the Golden State Warriors’ Western semifinal series will take place on Saturday night in Salt Lake City. The team will likely stay overnight in the home of the Utah Jazz following the contest, prior to sleeping in an area hotel yet again on Sunday night prior to Monday evening’s Game 4 against Utah.
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Game 6, only decided if the Jazz are still active at that point, is set for Salt Lake City but technically To Be Determined until the underdog Jazz get out of the first four games with two wins to their credit. The angry Utah Jazz, spurred on by their even-angrier fanbase, might have enough arguable armament to will the team toward an extra contest on their home floor.
Especially after what Golden State swingman Matt Barnes reliably came through with on Monday, speaking from home in the Bay Area to ESPN’s Chris Haynes:
“No comparison. There’s no such thing, man,” Warriors’ forward Matt Barnes told ESPN. “There’s no nightlife in Utah. Obviously as players, you want to be able to have a little bit of a nightlife, but the main focus is winning games.”
OK, is this just because the Clippers also rank as one of the 142 nine teams (including the Clips and Warriors twice) that Barnes has played for in his 14-year NBA career?
“Me personally, I want to get out there because I want to beat the Clippers. That’s my former team and my kids are out there.”
The 37-year old seemingly dug himself out of a hole with that one, but there is always a “but” with Matt Barnes:
“But as far as nightlife, there’s no comparison to nightlife in Utah and L.A.”
That’s been the NBA joke, dating back decades. Not so much because there truly is no comparison between the nightlife in L.A. and most other cities (as many well-heeled locals were reminded on Saturday), but because of Utah’s entrance into the competition. The NBA’s joke states that there is barely any “comparison to nightlife” between Utah and Indianapolis, for that matter, and not just New York and Los Angeles.
That’s Matt Barnes, though. His can’t be typical of the sensible, anywhere I lay my head, Warrior mindset, can it? Sure respected veteran and longtime GSW bulwark Andre Iguodala is around to lend some insight:
“The problem with Utah is that you’re just sitting there and your mind is like dead, because in L.A., you still got energy for the game,” Andre Iguodala said. “Because you’re in L.A., you’re like, ‘Man, this is just the vibe in L.A.’ but in Utah, it can kind of lull you to sleep. And then you’ve slept too long or I’m bored out of my mind and now you got to try to pump yourself up for the game. You know you’re in the playoffs and you’re supposed to be pumped anyway, but the vibe is just like, ‘Man, let’s just get out of here.'”
Yeesh, OK, first-year Warrior stud and former Oklahoma City denizen Kevin Durant?
“I’m sure it’s probably clubs, but I’ve never been to one in Utah,” Kevin Durant told ESPN. “It’s a few restaurants close to the hotel, but you’re not scattered out. L.A. is just bigger. That’s the only difference. But preparation wise, my approach is the same as in any other city.”
SLC cannot get a break. Head coach Mike Brown, at least, dove in. Attempting to quiet the rumbling:
“See, I disagree,” Brown said of Salt Lake City’s “boring” perception. “I think if you really want to find something to get into, I don’t care where you are, you can find something to get into.”
Come to Salt Lake City, You’re Partying With Mike Brown.
This goes beyond Cleveland’s recent root for Milwaukee. Complaints from NBA players – coaches, media, fans that have never been to Salt Lake City – about working out of Utah have persisted since the team moved to the city in 1979. Journeyman guard Derek Harper (who did not react well to L.A., twice in his career) famously gave the location a thumbs down in 1997 with his “you go live in Utah,” suggestion, and the image has sustained.
To the great delight of many SLC denizens, more than content in their hometown and with their home team. Happy for the chance to cheer and boo even more heartily than they usually would.
Iguodala’s point is worth revisiting, especially after noting this, from Chris Haynes:
Iguodala never said he wasn’t a fan of Salt Lake City. He mentioned the nice bars, Park City, the unique restaurants, movie theaters and the cleanliness of the town as appealing attributes.
Famously low-key, out of step nightlife-wise with even those that are his own age …
Ros: "You hanging out with Drake tonight."
Andre: "Nah. I'm not famous. I'mma read my book."
— Marcus Thompson (@ThompsonScribe) November 17, 2016
… this hardly means Iguodala doesn’t like consistency, familiarity. If you’re used to hitting certain spots while working on the road, as white-to-blue-to-platinum collars often due during off hours, Salt Lake City can provide a challenge. And, sometimes, staring at the same hotel wall (or book) for hours on end can take an employee out to their usual rhythm, even while technically on off-hours paid on the company’s dime.
Some travelers, ones that work every other night, need something to take their mind off those same hours while off the clock a day later. In this instance, some Golden State Warrior veterans find entrance into their chosen Fun Zone easier on a Sunday night in Los Angeles than it would be on a Sunday in Salt Lake City. That’s inarguable.
What’s now left to the Jazz and their fans to do is encourage a visit on Thursday May 11.
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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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