The Warriors board the posh NBA bus again for a critical I-80 trip to play the Kings

Who will win tonight’s March Madness-style win or go-home play-in game between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings?

Those looking for answers from the hoop gods may wonder about Steph Curry’s vibe as he boarded a team bus for Sacramento early in the afternoon Monday. Did he again challenge his teammates not to bother ducking onto the luxury coach for the 86-mile-trip unless they were 100% committed?

Last season’s nail-biting seven-game battle was famously known as the I-80 series because both teams opted for the approximately 90-minute (depending on traffic) bus ride rather than the rigmarole of a short flight.

And the bus trip provided a central motivation for Curry.

After a sleepless night following an embarrassing loss to the Kings in Game 6 on the Warriors home court, in a legendary pep-talk, Curry told teammates that getting on the bus was symbolic.

Following the Warriors’ emphatic win, Draymond Green, on his podcast, quoted Curry as challenging his teammates,.

“If you get on this bus, you make a commitment to this team,” Green recalled Curry saying. “I don’t care how many minutes you play. I don’t care if you don’t play a single second. I don’t care if it’s points, rebounds, whatever it is.”

Green added: “When he delivered that speech, I can’t say I knew he was going to come out and get 50, but I knew there was no way he was going to allow us to lose that game.”

Bus over plane

For mere mortals, rather than basketball icons, a short hop on a posh team jet might sound more appealing than joining the masses on the interstate. But many NBA players and coaches agree that bus travel is preferable, when practical..

Anytime you don’t have to fly, it’s better on your body.,” Kevin Huerter told The Bee last year before the Kings-Warriors series.

Monday the Warriors practiced at their facility next to the Chase Center and then took the bus ride on I-80 to Sacramento, arriving in Sacramento around 3 p.m.

The NBA grind does include a lot of bus travel, mostly from airports and hotels. And being on a second bus implies higher status.

Bench players, assistant coaches, and video coordinators usually answer the call for the first bus about 10 minutes before the first bus departs, according to The Bee’s Chris Biderman, who rode on the Kings’ second bus once in Oklahoma City. And yes, hesaid, it is posh.

The Kings Keon Ellis, who has risen from 10-day-contract status to being a Kings starter is now a second-bus player, Bidermansaid.

No matter who wins tonight’s game, the environment is a winner from the Warriors’ bus versus plane travel decision. According to Terrapass, short-haul flights should be avoided. A flight of 200 miles or less on average emits around 109 pounds of CO2 per passenger. Taking a charter bus is 10 times lessconsequential, with just 19 pounds of CO2 per passenger.

Of course, the Kings hope a lot of jet travel is still in their future this season.