The city of San Francisco has decided to ban gatherings of more than 1,000 people, including Golden State Warriors games due to the coronavirus scare, according to Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle. The ban will take place for two weeks.
Considering the Warriors will have a five-game road trip during that time, they have some time to figure out the next steps for two home games: Thursday's game against the Brooklyn Nets game and a March 25 game against the Atlanta Hawks.
The Nets game will also be the one in which Kevin Durant returns to The Bay for the first time since a heartbreaking Game 6 loss in the NBA Finals. Many expected Durant not to make the trip at first, but head coach Jacque Vaughn confirmed he will indeed travel with the team.
This 1,000-person limitation will likely hinder any tribute the Warriors had planned for Durant, instead likely opting for something more personal and less ceremonial in his return.
Many states have recommended sporting events should be played with no fans in attendance, but San Francisco is the first NBA city to come forward with a rigid, though momentary ban to address the issue.
The Warriors make roughly between $3.6 million and $3.8 million per game in ticket sales alone, making closed-door games a major financial loss for the franchise. The state-of-the-art Chase Center was built under the premise that the high-ticket sales would pay for the expense.
If the Warriors continue to be unable to sell tickets in the remaining games of the regular season, it would represent a huge financial hit for a team that spent a lot in the building of a new arena.
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