All eyes on Oakland as Warriors set to tip off in NBA Finals

There hasn't been a lot to get excited about in Oakland from a sports perspective for quite some time. All that changes tonight when the Golden State Warriors take to the court at Oracle Arena to face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Today the Raiders showed their support by taking out a full centerfold ad in the San Francisco Chronicle to tell the Warriors to "Just Win Baby". The Warriors responded on Twitter showing their appreciation for the support saying #BayAreaUnite.

Thanks for the love, @RAIDERS! #BayAreaUnite #DubNation pic.twitter.com/FE0sbyqXqr

— Golden St. Warriors (@warriors) June 4, 2015

It is an interesting hashtag considering the two teams both play in Oakland. They are literally neighbors. They share a parking lot. The main entrances of O.co Coliseum and Oracle face each other with about 50 feet between them and it's been that way for 49 years.

Even with Oakland as their home, the Warriors don't have the city in their name. They have the Bay Bridge in their logo as a symbol they see themselves as the Bay Area's team, not just East Bay or Oakland. They also have plans to build a new arena in San Francisco in the near future. They don't see the move across the bay affecting their fan base.

The national broadcasts love to show iconic images of San Francisco when they cover the Warriors. The crooked street, cable cars, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge. It's enough to give Oakland an inferiority complex.

They also feel inferior in the Championship arena. The 49ers have won five Super Bowls since the Raiders brought a trophy to Oakland and the Giants have won three World Series since 2010. The last time any Oakland team won a championship, as it turns out, was 1989 when they swept the San Francisco Giants in the World Series.

The San Francisco worship from the media had many wondering if the Warriors' prospective Championship parade would be taken from the East Bay. Oakland mayor Libby Schaff put those concerns to rest when she said recently that the parade would be held in Oakland.

Too many in the nation have a negative idea of Oakland. A bit more coverage from the East Bay city would help to change that negative perception. And that helps ALL Oakland teams, especially the Raiders whose hopes of remaining in their current location could rest in attracting real estate developers and investors who see the potential of the proposed Coliseum City project.

While the Warriors have their sights set on crossing the bay, the Raiders are trying to keep their home field in Oakland while also keeping their plans alive for a potential move to Los Angeles. But talk of LA and San Francisco is for another day. Tonight, it's all about Oakland.

It's all about the Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Andrew Bogut, and the rest of this exciting young Warriors team looking to hoist a NBA Championship banner up in Oakland for the first time in 40 years, and the first of any kind the East Bay in 26 years.

Tip off is 6pm (Oakland time) tonight. For Oakland, and from Oakland; Just win, baby.

Follow @LeviDamien