The defending 2021-22 NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors made made the trip over to Japan to take on the Washington Wizards at the Saitama Super Arena as part of the NBA Japan Games 2022 presented by Rakuten & Nissan. The preseason exhibition is part of a two-game series in Tokyo between the Warriors and Wizards, the first played in Japan since the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors played a preseason game in 2019.
Article by: Jeffrey Johnston
Photos by: Jeffrey Johnston & Alain Planta
Prior to the NBA Japan Games 2022, Under Armour unveiled Stephen Curry’s signature “Curry Court” out in Tennozu Isle, read full article here: Curry Court Opens in Tokyo Ahead Of NBA Japan Games
Full game day highlights/scores and details from both games 1 & 2 can be found here: NBA Japan Games 2022
Saturday Night Fan Event (October 1st, 2022)
On October 1st, the Saturday night event of the NBA Japan Games 2022 preseason exhibition in Japan between the Golden State Warriors and the Washington Wizards was held at Saitama Super Arena. Players from both teams, as well as legendary players, gathered together to create a lively atmosphere.
At the post-game press conference of Game 1 of the NBA Japan Games, Rui Hachimura was asked if he felt the pressure of playing at home, in other words, in his home country. (laughs)”
When asked about the enthusiasm of the Japanese fans, who cheer even when Legends players are introduced between games, he seems happy that the fans are even more excited than when he was a child. After talking, he laughed, “There are a lot of NBA fans.
I can understand the feeling that Hachimura wants to pout when he says that. From seeing the uniforms worn by the fans in the stadium and hearing the cheering during the game, he felt that the Warriors had as many fans as the Wizards had Hachimura.
Come to think of it, the fact that even though a team with Japanese players makes a triumphant return to Japan, the fact that there are about the same amount of fans cheering for the opposing team that does not have Japanese players is proof that the NBA has permeated Japan.
Even in Game 1, Warriors’ third-year player James Wiseman was met with an unexpectedly large round of applause as he entered the game. Even though he was the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft, it was a little surprising how many fans knew about Weisman, who has played in just 39 games in total due to injury.
Slam Dunk Contest
Special Mop Show
And in between games, at a Saturday Night event on Oct. 1, the Warriors showed why they’re so popular.
First of all, the presence of popular superstar Stephen Curry. After getting excited with the dance performance using the autopilot mop that took place between the events, he took the microphone and called the rookies to dance. As is often the case at NBA fan events, Curry himself expressed his desire to entertain Japanese fans.
Shooting Stars
Shooting Stars is a familiar event for NBA fans that also happens during All-Star Weekend. Teams of three aim for shots from various locations and compete for time.
The first shot from under the goal, the second shot from the free throw, the third shot from the three-point line, and then everyone challenged the half-court shot. If even one person makes a half-court shot, it will be cleared.
A total of four teams participated, including active players and legend players of each team, Richard Hamilton and Tim Hardaway, aka “Rip”.
The Wizards’ first group featured Anthony Gill, Corey Kispert, and Hamilton. After scoring under goal, a free throw and three points on track, Gill’s second half shot finished in 20.4 seconds.
The first Warriors are Andrew Wiggins, Patrick Baldwin Jr., and Hardaway. Wiggins struggled to 3 points and lost time. The half-court shot was also difficult to decide, ending in a record of 53.2 seconds.
The second pair of Wizards is Monte Morris and Johnny Davis, and Hamilton appears again. When you sink smoothly from each point, Hamilton succeeds in a half-court shot with one shot. He broke the record with 15.9 seconds.
The final Warriors second group is a three-person challenge with Ryan Rollins, Donte DiVincenzo and Hardaway. Although I sunk smoothly, I struggled with half court shots as in the first group. Rollins finally sank it, but the record was 37.2 seconds.
As a result, Morris, Davis and Hamilton became the second Wizards team to win the Shooting Challenge.
In the winning interview, Hamilton, who scored the half-court shot in the first shot and became the driving force behind the victory, said, “I was worried because I forgot to bring a mask, but Bradley Beal said “Muscle memory, so I’ll be fine.” Thanks to his advice, I was able to score a shot.” The venue was filled with excitement.
3-Point Contest
And the highlight of all was the Splash Brothers in the 3-point contest. It was a foul combination in which Curry, the best shooter in the league, and Thompson’s Splash Brothers teamed up in a two-person competition, but they showed off a different dimension of shooting power. Curry started the first rack, hitting all five shots from the right corner, Curry making 9 of 11 and Thompson making 12 of 16. Together, they scored 8 out of 9 bonus balls that scored 2 points. In addition, they both succeeded in heaving balls (3 points) from far away. The venue was filled with excitement.
Thompson missed the first game of the Japan Games due to conditioning, and it has been announced that he will also miss the second game. There were many fans who were disappointed by that, but they should have been satisfied with this 3-point contest alone.
The topic of Saturday Night was stolen by the Splash Brothers, but Hachimura and his teammates showed up at the venue with a smile and enjoyed the event. Hachimura has been an NBA fan since he started playing basketball in junior high school. It was a Saturday night filled with the charm of the Warriors and the NBA.
Special Live Perfomance by Yuzu
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