The NBA Playoffs is off to a great start, and as a basketball fan, this is probably the happiest and most anxious time of the year for me.
We’re all rooting for our favorite teams to perform for us every day and it’s a great sight to see the highest level of basketball athletes juke it out, with no regard for load management and all that other stuff. Every game is important. Every play is important. And I love every second of it!
I think it’s also worth talking about the people beyond the 94 feet of the basketball court: the fans. Fans have been part of NBA games since its inception, but at such an important time of the season, do they really play a big role for the home teams?
Imagine this: you steal the ball, run for a fast break, and you rise for a highlight dunk. The crowd goes crazy, your teammates go crazy, and you face your home crowd and shout “THIS IS SPARTA!!!!” Okay, now imagine the same thing, but after the dunk, all you see are empty seats and all you hear are fake crowd noises and probably a few claps from your teammates. Is the feeling any different?
Some people chalk it up to nothing, saying fans are just there to watch, and the players perform the same way with or without them. It’s basketball and they're basketball players. Fans shouldn’t have any added or subtracted effect on their game. Others, however, dub fans as the "true 6th man” and their cheers and chants somehow provide some sort of mystical power for the players to perform better.
Between 2000 and 2017, NBA teams playing at home had a 59.9 winning percentage, according to Sports Reference. If you expand it to all-time record, that number jumps to about 62 percent. There hasn’t been a season where the percentages tilted towards the away team.
Superstars like LeBron James and coaches like Steve Nash were vocal about wanting to perform in front of fans especially early in the season. They were jealous of other home venues which had huge crowds providing that boost of energy after every highlight play.
The mere fact that this is LeBron’s first postseason at Staples Center as a Laker is mind-boggling since he already won a title last year. Mentioning how he wants Laker fans to be part of the playoffs must say something of their importance.
In the first round of the playoffs, we witnessed Trae Young clapping back at Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden, taunting them, “I’ll see you at the A [Atlanta].” Then dominating the Knicks on their floor, saying “We at the A now!” to the home crowd.
Jayson Tatum also talked about how much he missed the fans and that he couldn’t wait to play in front of them at TD Garden. In case you missed it, he went off for 50, playing in front of their home crowd.
This year, the impact of fans in the arenas is a lot more interesting to think about. Throughout the season, a handful of teams have allowed people inside the venues at varying capacities, usually ranging from 10 to 50 percent. By the time the playoffs arrived, however, that percentage dramatically increased as teams have allowed more people to come in. The State Farm Arena in Atlanta, for instance, is up to full capacity now.
The gradual limitations, of course, are due to safety concerns amidst this COVID-19 pandemic. I believe the number of people inside the arenas affects, to a certain extent, which teams play better and which teams don’t. I think teams that are used to having such amazing fan bases, like the Lakers and Knicks, are going to have a difficult time with limited fans in the venue, while those with smaller fan bases will have the advantage.
There have also been numerous instances of fan misdemeanor in the last couple of games. From the guy that threw popcorn at Russell Westbrook, the mean comments toward Ja Morant’s family, the fan that spat on Young, the guy who threw a water bottle at Kyrie Irving, and most recently, the random person who went inside the court in Washington while the game was ongoing. Crazy! As more fans are allowed back in the venues, they should remember to just enjoy the games and have fun.
Maybe it’s just me, but it goes without saying that beyond the 94 feet of a basketball court, the fans—and the energy and atmosphere they provide—will always be part of the game.
