NBA Playoff Predictions: Lakers, Celtics and the Toughest Places To Play
The NBA Playoffs give teams, as well as cities, the chance to showcase their best attributes.
For the team, it is obviously their ability to play and win four games against their opponent. For the city, it is a chance to showcase their fans and diehards of the sport of basketball.
One can underestimate the thousands upon thousands watching and cheering, but it will be very silly. The fans play a huge role in the playoffs, especially when the two teams matchup very well.
Boston and LA have won the NBA Finals a combined six times of the last ten seasons. It also so happens that they have two of the loudest and meanest fans in the game today.
Well, let us rank the places that the road teams dread to play in.
10. Oklahoma City
1 of 10
Average number of fans (league ranking): 18,130 (13)
Alright, so to kick things off we have the Oklahoma City Thunder who come in tenth.
Now, this could very well be just me thinking back to the days of the Sonics, but let's face it, OKC fans don't get loud often enough.
They come in bursts, and there could even be spots in the game where there is just this standard humming of the crowd in the background.
The fans do have energy and are absolutely great, but they just need to get used to the Thunder more so that one day someone can say that they were there since the beginning.
As of now, that would involve going back a couple of years. They just haven't developed the hardcore base.
9. Miami
2 of 10
Average number of fans (league ranking): 19,748 (5)
Yes, Miami makes it to the list; sue me.
They also have a very loud and energetic fanbase that is not afraid to voice its opinion. However, I do have a question of loyalty for many of the fans coming into the stadium.
If the game is a decisive loss, I do not see the support I expect out of a hardcore group of fans. I just don't feel the intensity.
If the Heat are winning, then the fans are loud and happy; if they are losing, there is a lot of silence.
This can be said for multiple teams, but a crowd needs to energize the players; not put them to sleep.
8. Phoenix
3 of 10
Average number of fans (league ranking): 17,439 (14)
The Phoenix fans have often been hailed as some of the most intelligent fans in all of sports.
They are also some of the most loyal fans, and are not the kind to empty the seats if the team is losing. There is a sense of pride in the building that is hard to expect when a team has no championship banners.
If there is a bad call, you can be sure you will hear the fans the moment the whistle blows and the refs don't get away with much on their own court.
If there were more people in the seats, they would be higher, but don't let the number fool you. It is not about quantity, but about quality. Well, to be exact a mixture of the two.
In this case, the quality is great and the quantity could be better.
7. Portland
4 of 10
Average number of fans (league ranking): 20,483(2)
I am expecting to get a lot of heat for this, but honestly, I just don't feel the Blazer fans the way others seem to.
Yeah, they're loud and they do pack the house, but they lack the intensity and the emotion that the other six teams on the list have.
They are great and have loyal fans who show up to every game and pack the house, but the feeling of the building isn't there.
If any of you have seen or have been to a Portland game, you know what I am talking about. The volume doesn't match the number of people.
Nothing personal, just make sure to scream next time you're at the game.
6. Los Angeles (Lakers Fans)
5 of 10
Average number of fans (league ranking): 18,997 (8)
You see this guy? Picture another 18,996 just like him.
I assure you that every person in that arena has this poster somewhere in their bedroom. The Lakers fans are loud, rude and tough to overcome.
It will be interesting to see what happens after Kobe leaves, but I am sure that LA will still manage to pack the house.
Lakers fans have a history, and the love of this team often gets passed down generation to generation and this is what makes this one of the best fanbases in all of professional sports.
With that said, one might wonder why are they so low.
Well, simply put, there are five teams that have better fanbases and are tougher to face.
5. New York
6 of 10
Average number of fans (league ranking): 19,716 (6)
When a team plays in New York, they are bound to have a strong fanbase, simply due to the amount of people there.
They have a very loud crowd and the history of Madison Square Garden alone is intimidating to many players.
Sure, some superstars might have amazing nights, but that is actually in favor of the arena.
Why?
Because the intensity of the arena brings out that competitiveness in the great players, and while other young guys might struggle, the great superstars find a way to play through it.
This atmosphere demands the best one can bring and that is why many teams fall there, they can't keep up to expectations.
P.S.—Points off for the Heat jersey in the back. If I saw the No. 6, this slide would be tenth.
4. Chicago
7 of 10
Average number of fans (league ranking): 21,613(1)
Now, I know that in theory MJ is more of a representation of Charlotte in the current NBA.
However, do you think of anyone else when I say Chicago Bulls? I didn't think so. The Bulls have the most fans in the league, and some of the most loyal ones, as well.
They come to every game and stick by their team. Nonetheless, they do lack volume. It is just something that this generation of Bulls fans has had for the last couple of years.
This could be attributed to the years of poor play, or it could just be the nature of the current Chicago fans.
However, they still show up ,and when 21 thousand whisper, you can barely hear the announcers.
3. Boston
8 of 10
Average number of fans (league ranking): 18,624 (11)
Here we have perhaps one of the best fanbases in the history of sports, and yes we are only at number three.
Historically, the Celtics have always had amazing fan support, and even in the years of misery, have had seats filled and people willing to sit through the agony.
The history of this team is just as deep as the Lakers past and both have had rivalries passed down through generations.
The fans are hostile and get excited very easily. Also, when I say excited, I mean to the point where the announcers stop talking.
This is a great crowd to be in (unless you are wearing a Lakers jersey).
2. Cleveland
9 of 10
Average number of fans (league ranking): 20,159 (3)
I have to give props to Cleveland fans for consistently showing up to every game and being one of the most hostile crowds in recent memory.
It takes talent to talk trash when you are getting embarrassed for the 20th straight time, real talent. The fanbase has remained strong, and has remained as alive as ever if not more so this season.
True, the NBA is all about diehard fans like these, and for maybe the first time this year, Cleveland is high on a list not involving losing.
Also, the team record is not in consideration because the team is terrible so the fans can only do so much.
Maybe Cleveland has now even earned the respect of Joakim Noah, maybe.
1. Utah
10 of 10
Average number of fans (league ranking): 19,541 (7)
Oh my god!
The fans who pack these seats have to be escaped convicts, or maybe current convicts, because I have never seen a crowd as hostile as this one. Talk about diehards.
Everything you would think a bad and evil person would do has been done by these fans.
Make fun of cancer?—Check
Be outright racists?—Check
Make fun of rape?—Check
The list goes on, but I am in the mood to keep my lunch.
There is, however, one more point. These fans are the most loyal fans in NBA history, pure and simple. They stick by their team no matter what happens and love them or hate them, some respect is earned for that.
I don't approve of their actions, but I have to give credit where credit is due.
Well that is all! Thank you for reading!
Please comment and let's get a debate going!
