SAN FRANCISCO -- The Golden State Warriors hoped to open a new chapter of excellence when they unveiled the $1.4 billion Chase Center on the other side of the Bay. Little did they know that the first win in the arena's history, a 127-118 shocker over the Portland Trail Blazers, would be claimed by a roster that contained few recognizable names, none of which competed in the Warriors' NBA Finals run just months ago.

On his 23rd birthday, Warriors rookie Eric Paschall scored a career-high 34 points and received the first genuine "MVP" chants in the history of the building as the crowd finally matched the electric atmosphere so many thought they'd lost in the move from Oracle Arena.

"That was a little crazy, I'm not gonna lie," Paschall said of the MVP chants, after apologizing for being a little out of breath from a postgame lift before speaking to the media. "No honestly, for a rookie, like, you're hearing 'MVP' -- that's a 'wow' moment. I was more focused on the game because I was like, 'all right we have a chance to win right now,' but to hear that, I just thank Dub Nation, honestly, for believing in me."

His performance also drew the attention of his somewhat famous teammate, Stephen Curry, watching from home as his broken left hand continues to heal.  

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who this time last year could have never imagined a group like this picking up the first-ever Warriors win at Chase Center, couldn't help but feel pride for his rookie as he was showered with praise.

"The over-under was not game six for the 'MVP' chants, or game seven, whatever this was," Kerr said with a smile. "But I loved it. I thought it was great. I'm sure he heard it, and he was the MVP of the game -- I know that. Pretty good birthday for him, too."

Undrafted rookie Ky Bowman put up 19 points and eight assists in 37 minutes, and got in the face of Portland center Hassan Whiteside after Whiteside cleared him away with a one-armed shove following a Bowman layup. Every Warrior in the arena, including those on the bench, immediately rushed to their teammate's aid.

"It means a lot," Bowman said after the game. "Just knowing that each other's got each other's backs -- that's big for us."

The Warriors, in recent years the victims of coming out flat and losing to hungrier, less talented teams, completely flipped the script on Monday. When the final buzzer sounded, the unlikeliest of casts had etched their names into the Golden State history books:

  • Ky Bowman
  • Jordan Poole
  • Glenn Robinson III
  • Eric Paschall
  • Willie Cauley-Stein
  • Omari Spellman
  • Alec Burks
  • Damion Lee
  • Marquese Chriss

They did exactly what Kerr demanded of his team on the night of Curry's injury -- play hard, be the first to the floor, have fun. It was the most fun fans have experienced at Chase Center, and certainly the most fun the Warriors have experienced this season. All thanks to a group of players that could easily be mistaken for a G League roster.

"They went out there and had a monster game," said Blazers guard Damian Lillard, who scored 39 points in the loss. "They were confident, they played together and we put ourselves in a position where it was a dog fight. The crowd was into it, they were believing. It was a tough game and they won it."

With the Warriors set to return to full strength next season, most of these players will have moved on to a new destination if and when the franchise returns to glory. But they'll always have this night, and this win.

"That's what fans want to see. They want to see effort," Kerr said after the game. "Our fans have been treated to an incredible run of basketball the last seven years really -- seven straight years of playoffs and great success. But eventually you've got to move into a new era, and I think we'd like to bring some of these young guys along, so that when we do get guys healthy again, we've got a deeper roster and options and versatility, and that's the name of the game.

"And in the meantime, let's win some games."