10 Most Passionate Fanbases in the NBA Today

A "fan" is short for "fanatic." "A person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm." 

Gotta love it when a definition can almost stand alone as an entire article, don't you? 

We are fans, and most of us fans have two favorite teams, the _________ and whoever is playing the __________, which normally is the rival of the ____________. 

So that brings up the "passion" or "Strong and barely controllable emotion."

Yes, fans are passionate, and sometimes it's a good emotion and sometimes, it's a...let's use the word "cathartic" emotion. 

Yep. For every fan there's a hater. For every fan of a team or a player, there's someone who wants them to fail miserably. 

So these fan rankings are a combination of both. These are the teams fans are most passionate about, whether you love them or hate them. 

For clarification as it seems I inadvertently gave a wrong impression here of what I'm discussing: My thought in writing this article wasn't who makes the loudest noise in the games or has the best attendance. I'm talking about the ones who have the most passion between the games. The ones who talk about their teams the most, or those who "hate on" their nemesis the most. 

I'm using things like online discussions, fan-based articles and blogs, and the like as my substance. 

This isn't about attendance; it's about passion. So here's the deal I'll make: Make your case who goes in. If your comment gets five likes, I'll make the change and bump out whoever is number 10. Same if you think your team is too low. You make an argument that gets five likes, and you go up. Just to clarify though, an argument isn't just the name of the city. 

Don't tell me the passion is there, show me! Even if you need to summon up your fellow fans to like your comments.

So far Cleveland, Utah, Oklahoma City and Portland have been added because of this rule. Philadelphia, Sacramento, Denver and Washington have been dropped.  

10: Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz are one of the toughest places to play in the NBA. Their fans come out and support their team with an intense passion that makes Energy Solutions Arena one of the most intimidating places to play in the NBA. 

I mean seriously, doesn't it look like that nice little lady up there is getting ready to wing that blue thing at the ref for making a bad call or what?

It's like the Mormons save up all their pent-up aggression for Jazz games. 

The Jazz fans defend their team as well as anyone. And for a market that is 36th in the country, it's impressive that there's never been even a whisper about them moving.  

9: Oklahoma City Thunder

When the New Orleans Hornets spent some time as the Oklahoma City Hornets for a season, the town fell in love with the NBA so they went and bought the Super Sonics.

They renamed them the Thunder, and it's an apt name because the games there are as loud as thunder. Without a doubt one of the loudest arenas in the league, if not the loudest. 

In Oklahoma City they have a lot to cheer for with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook leading the way. They made it to the Western Conference finals this year and they are aiming higher next. 

Oklahoma City fans let their passion be known and were voted on this list by the readers. 

8. Cleveland Cavaliers

It was easy to show up when they had one of the best teams in the league and their hometown hero was winning MVPs. When they were losing, they kept showing up.

When Cleveland ended the longest losing streak in NBA history they did it in front of a full stadium, with fans behaving like they just won the championship.

In Cleveland they love their Cavs, for better or worse, and we are all witnesses.  

7: Portland Trail Blazers

In Portland they love the Trail Blazers, but I think what's maybe the most impressive about them, is they don't stand for nonsense. They chased the Jail Blazers out of town. 

They don't just want a good team. They want a good team, as in respectable. Now the Jail Blazers have been replaced by quality people like LaMarcus Aldridge, Brandon Roy, Nicolas Batum and now Gerald Wallace. 

Portland fans want to win. They support their team. They scream like banshees. But they want it done the right way, and you have to respect fans that won't take winning as an excuse for criminal behavior. 

6: Dallas Mavericks

Tell me that's not one of the best signs ever held up at a sporting event!

The biggest Mavericks fan in the world is their owner. How many fans can come up with a fanciful trade scenario and then do it? 

Look, Cuban is almost like his own little pocket in the whole NBA fandom thing as he has fans of his fandom and others are annoyed by it. 

Mavericks fans are awesome. They really love their team. 

The only reason that they aren't higher is that I can't find the bandwagonners. I know bandwagonners have a bad name, but come on! If they aren't there, it's because the faithful just aren't trying hard enough to convert people. 

You have the NBA champs, and no bandwagon is even on the road! Get it out there! Leave comments, post blogs, preach the gospel according to Dirk! 

Mavericks fans, you're just not offending enough people to generate the haters.

5: Boston Celtics

I was expecting more from Boston. Perhaps it was the disappointing finish last season.

Perhaps President Obama said something that took the entire city off its game. 

Celtics fans have had a lot to cheer about over the history of the franchise.

Getting to the second round of the playoffs for them is like the Clippers winning 25 games. Being a "playoff" team is expected. Boston fans tend to be about as passionate as their team is good. Sure some will be around when the Celtics struggle, but they have a fair share of fair-weather fans.

Their hardcore fans are truly hardcore, though, so don't get them mixed up with the fair-weather types or you might not have a head anymore.   

4: New York Knicks

Now New York fans are a special commodity.

No one can accuse them of being bandwagonners. I mean, they are about as close to the Chicago Cubs as an NBA team can come.

You'll never get anyone to admit it now, but there was a time when the Knicks fans were believing that Jamal Crawford and Eddy Curry were going to lead them to the promised land. You have to give it to the Knicks fans, they know how to believe.

Chris Paul is going to New York next year and then they're going to the finals—just ask anyone in New York. Of course, last year it was LeBron James who was going to lead them to the finals, but that's the beauty of being a believer: When things don't work out, "there's always next year."

Just ask any Cubs...erp Knicks fan. 

3: Chicago Bulls

There are two ways you can understand the passion of the Bulls fans. First, I double-dog dare you to say anything bad about any Bull other than Keith Bogans or Carlos Boozer.

Bulls fans protect their own. Even with Bogans and Boozer, exercise caution. It's a "I can pick on my brother but you can't" situation. 

And if you go after Derrick Rose or Joakim Noah, you might not make it out of town alive!

The second thing is that they will defend anyone who is not a Bull that they want to be a Bull.

To listen to the fans of Chicago, the two best shooting guards in the NBA after Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant are Courtney Lee and OJ Mayo.

If "Completely Unrealistic Trade Scenarios Offered by Fans Frequency" or "CUTS OFF" were a real NBA stat, Chicago fans would be cut off from making any more suggestions.  

2: Miami Heat

If you're wondering how in the heck I could put the Heat here, read the slide first. 

The one thing my extremely scientific (note extreme sarcasm there) methodology doesn't distinguish here is between fans and haters. 

Suffice to say the Heat generate a lot of, shall we say, "discussion?"

Are there long-term Heat fans? Yes.

Are there bandwagon Heat fans? Yes, but most of them are still on it. Give them credit. They haven't bailed for Dallas.

Are there haters and critics? Oh yeah. That's why they're here. The Heat are the most hated team in the NBA, and those who hate them hate them with a passion. Remember, these rankings are based on passion either way.  

Whatever the reason and whatever the loyalty, it almost seems that if the Heat aren't your favorite team, then your second favorite team is whoever is playing the Heat. For better or for worse, the Heat have become a polarizing team in the NBA, and their fans go to bat for them.

As many haters as there are, the comments come out in defense of the Heat as well. Heat fans don't back away from the Heat, just because they lost in the finals.

You have to give them credit for that. 

1: Los Angeles Lakers

What can you say about Lakers fans that Doug Randall (above) hasn't already shown you. Who cares if it's fake? The fact that it's believable tells you all you need to know. 

Lakers fans and their love for Kobe at times is almost "stalky." 

But seriously, the Lakers have a huge amount to cheer about. Arguably the best franchise in the history of North American sports.

Their overall winning ways exceed even the Yankees since they've come into the league. In 64 years they've made the playoffs 58 times, they've won 16 NBA Championships since 1949 (same as New York). In their history they've won about 62 percent of all their games.

That's an average of 50 wins per year. So yeah, forgive them if they get a little over-the-top-psycho-spooky sometimes—it's because they deserve it. If they got to the finals in Lakers gear when the Lakers aren't even in the finals, it's just an honest mistake. 

They defend their team with a passion that doesn't need reason. They have literally never had a team that didn't have at least one Hall of Fame player on it. 

I mean, that kind of consistency and winning breeds a little bit of crazy, and that's what a fan is supposed to be...fanatic! No one supports their team like the Lakers fans. The rest of us may find them ubiquitous and annoying, but they've got a right to be.