Quicken Loans Arena locker room gets revenge on Warriors after Cavs loss
The Golden State Warriors took care of business on Martin Luther King Jr. Day as they went into Cleveland and defeated the Cavaliers 118-108.
It was some measure of revenge for the Warriors, who lost their last game played in Quicken Loans Arena in last season’s NBA Finals. That one loss was the only thing keeping the Warriors from achieving the first perfect postseason in NBA history.
But after the game Monday, the Q ended up getting the last laugh.
When the Warriors went for their postgame showers, there was no hot water to be found, at least in the visitors locker room.
No hot water in the Cleveland visiting locker room. You can hear the players shrieking as they enter the cold showers.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 16, 2018
Golden State players complaining because the locker room showers don’t have any hot water. Players are coming out shivering.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) January 16, 2018
“Man, they got to do something in ‘The Q.’ Somebody call Bron!” Kevin Durant yelled, referring to LeBron James, who unofficially runs Quicken Loans Arena, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the state of Ohio.
It was 27 degrees in Cleveland on Monday night, which made matters even worse. Shortly after taking an ice-cold shower, the players had to step into the frigid Cleveland night around midnight to board the team bus. They then took a chartered flight to Chicago, where a temperature of 12 degrees awaited them.
There is no word on whether the home locker room was without hot water, but the fact that there is no word should tell you that everything was normal for the Cavaliers.
This isn’t the first nor will it be the last time that “gamesmanship” could have been at play with a rival team. Perhaps Dwyane Wade even got into the ear of whoever controls the water for the locker rooms based on his past experience.
In last season’s playoffs, Wade and his team at the time, the Chicago Bulls, lost to the Celtics in TD Garden. They returned to the visitor’s locker room only to find out that the Ghost of Red Auerbach was still playing tricks on opposing players:
Wade just informed teammates there's no hot water for showers in visiting locker room.
— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 27, 2017
Of course Danny Ainge pleaded ignorance back then, which is likely what the Cavs will do this time around.
Of bigger cause for concern for Cleveland is the fact that the Cavs are 3-9 in their last 12 games.
There is also a growing concern among players that they won’t simply be able to “flip the switch” like they did last season. According to reports Tuesday, multiple players don’t think the team can get back on its championship track with its current roster.
It’s been an up-and-down season in The Land as the Cavs started off 5-7 and then won 18 of 19 games before hitting this recent spell. Cleveland has an average margin of defeat of 18.5 points over its last four games.
But at least the Cavs had warm water in their locker room.
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