Restaurant Memories in the Warrior Dynasty (1): Those who bring the Warriors together for a group meal

Note: This article is a long article written by Tim Kawakami, editor-in-chief of the TA Bay Area reporting team, on May 6, local time, with a translation of more than 7,000 words, so it is published in three parts.

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Central BBQ, Memphis, Tennessee — This barbecue is full of warrior myths, and some sauces may still drip on their clothes. By the way, this is not a bad thing. The meat was smoky and very tasty. The atmosphere here is... Relaxed.

Yes, it's become a tradition for the Warriors to go to this restaurant every time they come to Memphis, including the Western Division semifinals earlier this week, and it all started in May 2015. When I went there a few hours before the G2 game on Wednesday, one of the Warriors' staff had already finished eating the meal on his plate.

After I tweeted out my lunch that afternoon, someone criticized the restaurant as a tourist trap. However, Joe Lacob texted me immediately after this and told me that I had chosen the right place and that this was the last stop on the tour.

I know what you're thinking. But, no, I'm actually talking about Central BBQ, not Blue City Cafe, which certainly has a more glorious official status in the legend of the Warrior Dynasty. I admit that this may be an over-discussed matter, and I was involved in a large part of the discussion.

About the internal history of 2015: Lacob and a large group of people came to the Central barbecue in Memphis at the same time. Lacob swore at dinner that it was the most delicious roast he had ever eaten.

Whenever the Warriors come to the city, their staff and players flock to where the restaurant is located. In fact, after the Warriors won the first game of the series, Lacob and several executives came here to dine.

"The G1 of this wonderful weekend (Monday Beijing time) and the barbecue of the evening... What a great day now! Lacob texted me and said.

Late in May 2015, Stephen Curry and Dream Green and the likes came to Blues City for dinner when the Warriors lost to the Grizzlies in the second round of the playoffs, a dinner that soothed the hearts and minds of the players.

When I told Curry a few days ago that I wouldn't ask him for details about that dinner for this story, he responded instantly: "Thank you!" Still, Curry quickly thought of some other memorable team dinner stories. It is also mentioned that several Warriors have recently gone on pilgrimage to Central.

The point is: to really understand the Warriors' successes and successes in this day and age (and some of the devastating failures), you have to know how players, coaches, and management socialize, decompress, form bonds, strategize, resolve any disagreements, and simply spend time with everyone. And most of the time, this happens during a dinner party – obviously, not all meals are the meals of the whole team and the staff.

Most of these activities take place in smaller groups — sometimes with most of the players; sometimes with family; a lot of times with executives and coaches hanging out and relaxing.

These gatherings bring the Warriors together, and the scenes and food create an atmosphere. These times are meaningful because they spend it together as they feel the speed and weight of the journey together. These few hours in the restaurant allow time to slow down, enjoy the wine and company with each other, and then restart the next adventure.

These beautiful dinner times can be marked, transcending time and becoming memories.

That's why the first story Curry came up with was a big late-night party in Morton, Cleveland, on the night of June 2015, when the Warriors won the first championship of the period.

"The meal itself wasn't as memorable as the reason you were there, that moment," Curry said. "It's not disrespectful to Morton Steakhouse, but those are interesting atmospheres and settings. You're there either celebrating or anxious about the next game, and you're in the Finals, and that's one of the things that impressed me the most. "

Bosses Joe Lacob and Peter Cooper pay for much of these meals; the players are looking forward to the food rather than eating it all; Steve Cole likes to bring his coaches together for long talks; the delicious food piled on the table, which is about the cheerful culture that helps maintain the atmosphere of the team, which is brought to the dressing room, the court and the executive suite.

Curry said: "Now is the time to relax, eat some good food, relax and get together," Curry said.

"Absolutely, it's part of our job. Apparently, most of the time Joe and Peter had provided that from the time they came in, especially in the playoffs. "

"It's a good atmosphere; it doesn't really matter if you're looking forward to it a little bit after winning or losing. It has a kind of soul-purifying effect. "

Former Warriors center **** recently said that in the years leading up to the dynasty, he and Harrison Barnes began going to dinner in almost every away city. They would meet in the hotel lobby, invite any other players who wanted to come, and soon, almost the whole team was asking about the time and place of the next dinner with Barnes.

Once management saw this happening, the front office began arranging dinner, either in the hotel restaurant or in a private room in a nearby location. Almost every night there are players on the road for hours together, eating high-quality food in a protected environment, and the value of what they want to be together is self-evident.

"I had the opportunity to talk to Draymond about his upbringing, what he went through in Michigan,"

Said recently in my podcast. "I couldn't have learned that on the pitch. I wouldn't have learned that in the recordings in the training room, would I? You get to know your teammates. Harrison Barnes' story is amazing, about his upbringing. Or the story of Andre Iguodala, and so on.

"It's all about food. At the end of the day, as an NBA player, you have to eat, right? So why not spend an hour or two together? You can go out to parties, do whatever your day job, video games... You can do this later. But from 7 to 8:30, 9, you have time to sit with your teammates. That's invaluable. ...... I can tell you that even after a bad defeat, we would all eat together and forget about it and move on to the next game. Not many teams can do that. I would probably bet 10 to 15 percent of the teams would do that. And it's usually the teams that are at the top of the table. "

Another note: This team loves high-quality catering. It's not necessarily the most expensive treat (e.g., central barbecue), but from executives to coaches to basic players, a lot of value is invested in a pleasant restaurant experience. And, if you're happy while eating, you'll usually be happy to be around you as well.

"When you think about the wonderful encounters in life, a lot of things happen at a meal," said Assistant General Manager Cork-Lacob. "People can have in-depth communication over a meal. But another thing we've been finding all along is that people value free food. This goes back to my father's days at Kleiner Perkins. When he worked at Kleiner Perkins, they were known for having a daily meal lunch. And that wasn't common at the time. Despite the high costs, he also strove to continue doing so in the budget meeting. Because he says people rarely have anything more important than enjoying a delicious free meal.

"I don't want to make delicious free meals the 'Golden State standard'... But Steve is very focused on friendship and family atmosphere. What better way to make friendships and family harmonious than eating together? "

Meals are important, they can be historic, but at the same time they can be simply delicious. Here are some of the best and most meaningful Warriors dinners of the past decade or so, and a few important scenes for me, in order of historical influence.

(Part II will be updated tomorrow)