Through the first two games of the series, Kings fans have made their presence felt as they’ve watched their team race out to a 2–0 lead over the rival Warriors. As the series shifts to San Francisco, Golden State believes it has found the prescription needed to cure its postseason ailment: no more cowbell.
Sacramento fans routinely make Golden 1 Center rock with the popular noise-making devices, but they won’t be allowed to bring them over for Game 3 as the visiting crowd. Chase Center won’t allow cowbells in the building, and the Kings posted on Twitter on Wednesday that fans will have to check in any cowbells into a secure location for retrieval after Thursday’s contest.
The Kings’ fanbase is in fervor as Sacramento makes a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2006, and the team used that energy to secure two wins over the defending champions and take command of the series.
Sacramento’s faithful have long cheered on their team by clanging cowbells in the arena, a tradition that dates back to the team’s hotly-contested playoff matchups with the Lakers in the early 2000s. Back then, Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson derisively referred to the city as a “cow town,” and Kings fans responded in a way that would make Christopher Walken proud.
Game 3 is scheduled to tip off on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET at Chase Center, where the Warriors will be without forward Draymond Green after he was suspended for stomping on the chest of Kings center Domantas Sabonis during the fourth quarter of Game 2.
