Power Ranking Each NBA Playoff Team's Home-Court Advantage
In power ranking each NBA playoff team's home-court advantage during the 2013 postseason, this list focuses on the 13 teams currently remaining as of Friday morning.
Following the elimination of the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets, each of the remaining home-court advantages are measured in terms of home record as well as environment.
While fan noise and energy are certainly more subjective, each regular-reason home record as well as postseason record from 2011-12 playoffs are identified throughout.
The home-court advantages specifically—along with how that environment helps its team perform at home—are then ranked accordingly.
No. 13: Brooklyn Nets
1 of 13Regular-Season Home Record: 26-15
2011-12 Home Playoff Record: N/A
The Nets finished their first playoff game since moving to Brooklyn, New York, with a home win on April 20 over the visiting Chicago Bulls.
Heading into Game 7, back in Brooklyn on Saturday, the Nets are 2-1 during the postseason on their new home court.
During the 2012-13 regular season, the Nets compiled a 26-15 home mark as compared to a similar total of 23-18 on the road. But while the ultimate home-court advantage of the Nets in Brooklyn is still to be determined, Saturday's Game 7 will have a major impact in writing that first chapter.
If the house that Mikhail Prokhorov built is as loud as it can be, the Nets could be on their way to a matchup with the Miami Heat in Round 2.
No. 12: Atlanta Hawks
2 of 13Regular-Season Home Record: 25-16
2011-12 Home Playoff Record: 2-1
As evidenced by a playoff .gif captured by SB Nation recently, Atlanta Hawks fans are uniquely passionate. Unfortunately, however, that doesn't always result in home wins for their beloved Hawks.
After opening last season's playoff series with the Boston Celtics by defending home court in Game 1, the No. 5-seeded Hawks dropped Game 2 in Atlanta before losing the series in six.
While earning the No. 5 seed in each of the previous two seasons, the Hawks posted home records of 24-17 and 23-10, respectively.
Despite dropping to the No. 6 seed in 2012-13, however, Atlanta has gone 2-0 at home in the postseason to force a Game 6 on Friday.
Hopefully, for the Atlanta faithful, it isn't the last game for free-agent-to-be Josh Smith in a Hawks uniform.
No. 11: Los Angeles Clippers
3 of 13Regular-Season Home Record: 32-9
2011-12 Home Playoff Record: 2-3
The diehard contingent of Los Angeles' other NBA fanbase has been waiting decades to root on the team they have now in 2012-13.
According to Fox Sports West, Chris Paul has attributed the home-court advantage his Los Angeles Clippers have enjoyed throughout the year to the energy provided by long-suffering Clippers fans on a nightly basis.
After capitalizing on this new environment by compiling a 32-9 home record during the regular season, however, the Clippers just dropped a critical Game 5 to the Memphis Grizzlies at home 103-93.
In five home playoff games during the 2012 postseason, the Clippers finished with a 2-3 mark after eliminating these same Grizzlies last year.
Trailing 3-2, if the Clippers are able to force a Game 7 back in Los Angeles they will need as much of that home-court energy as possible to advance.
No. 10: Houston Rockets
4 of 13Regular-Season Home Record: 29-12
2011-12 Home Playoff Record: N/A
Whether Chandler Parsons has time to reward rabid Rockets fans with fist bumps or not, Houston has been filling the Toyota Center with playoff-caliber energy.
While earning a playoff berth during James Harden's first season in Houston, the Rockets posted a 29-12 record at home.
Even while missing the postseason in 2011-12, Rockets fans created an environment that helped their Harden-less team go 22-11 at home as compared to 12-21 on the road.
After a 1-1 mark in the postseason thus far, the Rockets will take their series with the Oklahoma City Thunder back to Houston for Game 6.
Parsons has promised fist bumps all around on Friday, too, so expect the crowd to keep believing.
No. 9: Indiana Pacers
5 of 13Regular-Season Home Record: 30-11
2011-12 Home Playoff Record: 3-3
Following a Game 5 win over the Atlanta Hawks, George Hill offered the quote below describing the environment inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse:
""Tonight, this building was rocking. It was loud, and we feed off of that." - @george_hill3 tells @mark_j_boyle.
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 2, 2013"
The Pacers will hope that home energy carries over into Game 6 in Atlanta, as Indiana attempts to eliminate the Hawks on Friday.
During the regular season, the Pacers posted a 30-11 mark in the state that gave birth to Larry Bird and the movie Hoosiers.
They are a perfect 3-0 at home in the postseason thus far as well, with a home game scheduled for Game 7 in the event it becomes needed.
No. 8: San Antonio Spurs
6 of 13Regular-Season Home Record: 35-6
2011-12 Home Playoff Record: 6-1
Since his arrival in 1997, Tim Duncan has given the San Antonio Spurs fanbase plenty to celebrate.
In response, they've showed up consistently throughout Duncan's tenure to help make the AT&T Center an extremely difficult place for an opponent to win a basketball game.
Prior to posting a 35-6 record at home during the 2012-13 campaign, the Spurs went 28-5 and 36-5 at home in each of the previous two seasons.
This means that in 2011-12, the Spurs only lost a total of six times at home in the regular season and playoffs combined on their way to the Western Conference Finals.
After making short work of the Los Angeles Lakers, the Spurs are currently 2-0 at home heading into the second round.
No. 7: New York Knicks
7 of 13Regular-Season Home Record: 31-10
2011-12 Home Playoff Record: 1-1
Seated behind Spike Lee in Madison Square Garden is a passionate group of NBA fans who were much more confident about their series with the Boston Celtics a week ago.
Despite holding a commanding 3-0 lead, the Celtics have forced a Game 6 in Boston.
If Game 7 is eventually needed, the series will return to New York where the Knicks are currently 2-1 during the 2013 playoffs.
In the 2012 playoffs, New York split a pair of home games before being eliminated by the Miami Heat in the first round.
Fueled by what appeared to be a more renewed, mature spirit for much of the 2012-13 campaign, the home crowd rooted on a 31-10 Knicks team during regular season.
There will be an air of awkwardness surrounding a Game 7 that could be forced by three straight Celtics wins, but it still won't be an easy place for Boston to win.
No. 6: Memphis Grizzlies
8 of 13Regular-Season Home Record: 32-9
2011-12 Home Playoff Record: 2-2
Inside the "Grind House," Memphis fans pride themselves on working as hard as their home team does while rooting on their Grizzlies.
Memphis has gone 2-0 at home during the playoffs thus far as a result, before stealing home-court advantage from the Clippers with a Game 5 win in Los Angeles.
Now, as Eric Hasseltine from 92.9 FM in Memphis tweeted, the roof could very well blow off in Game 6:
"Now that was the epitome of Grit and Grind! One more to go! Time to show Clipper fans how its done, blow the roof off of @fedexforum!
— Eric Hasseltine (@EricHasseltine) May 1, 2013"
During the 2012 postseason, however, the Grizzlies dropped two critical home games before being eliminated by the Clippers.
After posting a 32-9 home mark during the regular season this time around, however, the Memphis faithful will be passionately rooting on a different outcome on Friday night.
No. 5: Miami Heat
9 of 13Regular-Season Home Record: 37-4
2011-12 Home Playoff Record: 11-2
Miami Heat fans are often accused of being bandwagon-ish, which is something even Heat fans themselves readily acknowledge.
The fact remains, however, that their team is the defending NBA champions who only play better in the friendly confines of American Airlines Arena.
The role players—like Mario Chalmers, who shot 43.3 percent from three-point range at home during the regular season as opposed to 38.2 percent on the road—improve their production in Miami.
This combines to help make LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh that much more difficult to beat collectively.
So while the home crowd may not always make it to their seats on time in Miami, once they do, they usually see the Heat win.
No. 4: Chicago Bulls
10 of 13Regular-Season Home Record: 24-17
2011-12 Home Playoff Record: 2-1
After posting a 26-7 home record with Derrick Rose during the lockout-shortened season of 2011-12, the Chicago Bulls posted a 24-17 home mark without their superstar in 2012-13.
Like they always have in Chicago, however, the fanbase creates an atmosphere packed with enthusiasm no matter who is suiting up for the home team.
On the heels of Rose's tragic injury in 2012, the Bulls finished their postseason run prematurely with a 2-1 record in Chicago. Thus far, they are 2-1 again heading into Game 7 against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
No. 3: Boston Celtics
11 of 13Regular-Season Home Record: 27-13
2011-12 Home Playoff Record: 8-2
There isn't a more proud and storied fanbase in all the NBA than that of the Boston Celtics.
We all know that by now, and we also know that Boston isn't a place you're excited to go when your team needs to win a basketball game.
Despite an under .500 regular-season road record in 2011-12, the Celtics capitalized on their home court by posting a 24-9 mark on their way to the playoffs.
That home mark only improved in the postseason, too, as the Celtics extended their season by winning eight of 10 games at TD Bank Garden before being eliminated by the Miami Heat.
In 2012-13, while struggling with injuries to Rajon Rondo, Jared Sullinger and others, Boston compiled a 27-13 home record before splitting two home games with the New York Knicks in the first round through Thursday.
No. 2: Oklahoma City Thunder
12 of 13Regular-Season Home Record: 34-7
2011-12 Home Playoff Record: 9-1
The Chesapeake Energy Arena, home to the Oklahoma City Thunder, is appropriately named.
Thunder fans have filled this building over the last few years with valuable noise and energy that has created a distinct advantage for Kevin Durant and his teammates.
While the Thunder faithful are still in their infancy, having not yet suffered through any significant period of prolonged losing, they have been overwhelmingly enthusiastic since the team first arrived.
Oklahoma City saw its first NBA Finals win during the 2012 postseason, while the Thunder posted a 9-1 home mark overall throughout the playoffs.
They are currently 2-1 at home against the Houston Rockets in the first round this year, after a 34-7 record during the regular season.
No. 1: Golden State Warriors
13 of 13Regular-Season Home Record: 28-13
2011-12 Home Playoff Record: N/A
The Golden State Warriors advanced to the second round of the 2013 playoffs by eliminating the Denver Nuggets on Thursday.
The team immediately credited its fanbase for the home-court advantage created throughout the series directly following the decisive game.
"#DubNation, you came through once again. This is our house. This is #WarriorsGround. Best fans in the NBA, HANDS DOWN twitter.com/warriors/statu…
— Golden St. Warriors (@warriors) May 3, 2013"
While they haven't had many opportunities to root on their Warriors during the playoffs prior to this year's appearance, Golden State did compile a 28-13 home record in the regular season.
That excitement, combined with the built-up energy of support previously silenced by losing, has created an environment that nobody in the Western Conference is excited about playing in.
