By Esther Misa Chavez

Oakland– Thousands of Filipinos from the Bay Area showed up to give their support to the second Filipino Heritage Night during the Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers game at the Oracle Arena.

Some Filipinos bought special tickets and wore their dark blue commemorative, while some well-heeled Pinoys shelled out $150 to be at the VIP lounge. Portions of the revenue benefited Filipino American non-profit organizations.

Filipino heritage was showcased before and during the ball game, starting with a martial arts performance from the Kamatuuran School of Kalijin under Joseph Arriola. Philippine flags and Filipino sports and martial arts memorabilia were also on display and for sale.

A quartet called “Pinay” composed of UC Berkeley alumnae sang the American anthem accapela and dancers from the Likha Pilipino Folk Ensemble under Herna Cruz, were on center court during one of the time-outs dancing the Tinikling while the Warriors and Trail Blazers huddled around their respective coaches for the next game play.

Needless to say, the Warriors led most of the game and won 105-98 over Trail Blazers.

Franco Finn, the official Warriors “hype man” kept the crowds entertained with constant announcements of freebies and contests, as he tied the whole Pinoy Heritage Night into one great fun experience.

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THE Golden State Warriors are holding Filipino Heritage Night #2 on Thursday, February 12 against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Oracle Arena , which will start at 7:30 p.m., the team has announced.

The first Filipino Heritage Night, which drew over 2,500 fans and created the demand for the upcoming event, was held last November 21 against the Chicago Bulls.

As part of the evening, Filipino cultural elements will be on display, including a Filipino cultural performance on-court prior to the game.

Fans can purchase a special discounted Filipino Heritage Night ticket for $30 (with additional savings available for groups of 20-or-more), which includes a seat in the Filipino Heritage Night section and a limited edition Filipino Heritage Night t-shirt.

A portion of each ticket sold as part of the Filipino Heritage Night package will be donated to Bay Area Filipino non-profit organizations.

For more information on the Golden State Warriors, log on to www.warriors.com.

BOXING fans now have an opportunity to watch the Oscar De La Hoya versus Manny Pacquiao fight.

Limited seats have been made available following an arena reconfiguration for “The Dream Match” at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

The match will feature two of boxing’s biggest attractions: Olympic gold medalist and 10-time world champion De La Hoya and current Ring Magazine No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound champion Pacquiao.

They are scheduled to fight on December 6 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

MGM said tickets are now on sale and available for purchase here and here.

The bout will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9 p.m. EST/6 p.m. PST.