Well here we are deep into the second round of the NBA playoffs and for the remaining teams there really is no place like home. The Utah Jazz, the LA Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs, the New Orleans Hornets, the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers are all perfect at home in the second round. As a matter fact the only team that advance this far that couldn’t take care of home court is the Orlando Magic, but that is not due to lack of effort. They came one point shy of winning game 4 at the Amway Arena.
What is it about playing in front of a friendly crowd that brings out the best in these elite athletes? When you think about it, it really shouldn’t make a difference where they play. They are professional and should always bring there “A” game regardless of the environment, but that is not the case. Let’s take my Utah Jazz for example; they are near perfect at home during the regular season, only dropping 4 games at the Energy Solutions Arena. Their road record on the other hand leaves much to be desire.
We all know that the fans do not decide the outcome of the game. Basketball is the players’ game to loose, but if that was the case why do teams like the Celtics and the Lakers loose to team that are far less superior to them, at least on paper, when they are playing away from the comfort of home. The Boston Celtics lead by their big three of Kevin Garnet, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen, allowed the lowly seated Hawks to take 3 games in their first round match up. The Atlanta Hawks of all team people! This is a team that finished the regular season under .500, by Western Conference standards they weren’t even close to making the Playoffs, let alone threaten the top seated team in the Conference. The Lakers were supposed to run through the Jazz on their way to the Western Conference Finals and for the first 2 games it looked like they were on their way, what was different in game 3 and 4 outside the fact that they were playing in Utah. It’s the same players, the same coaches; the rims are the same size, so why would a hostile atmosphere affect these players? It boggles my mind when I think about it.
If this trend keeps up during this playoff run, we are in for a long and exciting couple of months; unfortunately I don’t see that happening. Something got to give eventually, like they say the cream always rises, one of the powerhouse team will break this streak and take a road game or I could be wrong the Celtics win every home game at the end and call themselves world champions. After all its’ not call home court advantage for nothing.
