Home-Court Advantage: Power Ranking the 30 NBA Fanbases

Let's face it: they don't call it home-court advantage for nothing.

When you go to an NBA game, whether it's the playoffs or the regular season, you expect to see some hard-core cheering going on.

I've always known basketball games to be at least ten times more exciting when the home team has the crowd pumped up. That's why games at MSG or the Staples Center are a lot more fun to watch than games at places like the Target Center in Minnesota.

And its not necessarily the team that's fun to see because, as we all know, the New York Knicks have had their fair share of losing seasons.

Yet, die-hard Knicks fans keep coming back every season because they love their team and never give up hope.That's what being a basketball fan is all about.

Here are the 30 best and worst NBA fanbases of the 2010-2011 season.

30. Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are currently fighting for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. They are 32-40 and have been playing some pretty good basketball as of late, thanks to 2009 Most Improved Player Danny Granger.

They are also currently last in NBA attendance at a shocking 13,562 fans per game. This is pretty surprising considering the huge amount of filled up seats behind Danny Granger in the photo (joke).

Not surprising, considering that they play in an arena called the Conseco Fieldhouse.

29. Sacramento Kings

Next season, the Kings will be moving 400 miles south to the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

They've had some great runs in their 26 seasons in Sacramento, but I think almost everyone agrees that its time to move on.

The picture here shows some die-hard Kings fans trying to save their team. Unfortunately, this is highly unlikely considering that they have the 2nd worst attendance rate in the league this season.

28. Memphis Grizzlies

For the first time since 2006, the Grizzlies are making a great run towards the Western Conference Playoffs.

Thanks to the stellar play by Rudy Gay and their amazing fans (?), the Grizzlies are in position to nab the No. 8 seed.

They are also in position to nab the fifth worst attendance rate in the NBA.

Trust me when I say that there are plenty of other more exciting things in Memphis besides the Grizzlies.

27. New Jersey Nets

I'm sorry, but this photo is just plain depressing.

No one can really blame the Nets fans for not showing up to games after a season with only 12 wins.

The Jason Kidd and Vince Carter era is long gone, and after hearing that the franchise will be relocating to Brooklyn, I'll bet that fans will wish they'd never traded their star players.

Luckily, they have a new star on the horizon in Deron Williams and things are starting to look up.

Then again, they still have the third worst attendance rate in the NBA at 13,985 per game.

26. Philadelphia 76ers

No, Allen Iverson is not coming back to the 76ers no matter how much Philly fans want him to.

However, the 76ers do have a different Iverson that will help them a lot as they surge towards the playoffs.

One thing that won't help them too much is there fourth worst 14,341 fans that show up every night.

25. New Orleans Hornets

I feel bad for these fans, especially after all that they've been through with Hurricane Katrina.

The team temporarily relocated to Oklahoma City after the hurricane and they haven't been the same since. The only thing that the New Orleans Arena has to look forward to every night is the stellar play of All-Star point guard Chris Paul.

Unfortunately, the man with two first names only reigns in about 14,851 fans a night, good for seventh worst in the league.

24. Atlanta Hawks

As we go deeper into the slide show I'll start to show more videos about why the teams deserve the ranking that they got.

This video sums up the Atlanta Hawks fan base in less than three minutes. For a consistent playoff team, their fans are absolutely brutal.

The Hawks are  ninth worst in attendance and currently in the No. 5 spot in the East. Somehow, they manage to pull a playoff spot out of the bag even with minimal fan support. 

23. Toronto Raptors

I don't really understand why the Raptors fans are booing the greatest player in their team's history in this video.

But at least they have some passion and a full house unlike some of the other teams ranked below them.

The Raptors have the 19th best attendance record in the NBA, but don't seem to have a whole lot of passion, which is why they are ranked this low.

22. Minnesota Timberwolves

The T'Wolves attendance has shot up from last season, much thanks to Kevin Love.

Love recorded a 30 point, 30 rebound game that will mark him down as one of the greatest Timberwolves player since Kevin Garnett.

I guess fans are hoping that he might do it again, as evidenced by their decent attendance rate.

21. Charlotte Bobcats

The Bobcats made the playoffs for the first time in their short history, thanks mostly to Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace.

Wallace was recently traded to the Portland Trailblazers, and the Bobcats haven't been doing so well since. Yet, the attendance record is still pretty good; probably because the fans want a chance to see legendary Michael Jordan on the sidelines.

20. Washington Wizards

This video doesn't have anything to do with basketball, but it did occur at the Verizon Center, home of the Washington Wizards.

Wizards fans have a lot to look forward to with a ton of young talent on their team. 16,567 fans gather each night to watch young guns John Wall, Nick Young and Javale Mcgee play some great basketball.

19. Houston Rockets

The days of Hakeem Olajuwon, Dikembe Mutombo, and Yao Ming are over.

The Toyota Center rarely gets a chance to host a playoff game nowadays with the Rockets performing the way that they are.

The fans still have passion and love for the Rockets, but it does not help with their 10th worst attendance record.

18. Detroit Pistons

The Palace of Auburn Hills is an arena filled with rich history.From Isiah Thomas and the Bad Boys to Rip Hamilton and the Piston's championship runs in 2004 and 2005, it has always been a place of excitement.

Unfortunately, fans are really starting to lose interest as the Pistons organization begins to fall apart. They are 18th best in the league in attendance—a number that will soon drop if they don't find a solution to their problems.

17. Phoenix Suns

The Suns are a perennial playoff team and its not hard to see why, considering that they've got two-time MVP Steve Nash and a decent fan base to cheer them on.

They're 15th in the league in attendance, but this doesn't mean that the fans that DO show up aren't rowdy, as you can see from the video.

16. Los Angeles Clippers

Surprised to see the Clippers this high on the list? Well don't be, because the Clippers are finally making a turnaround after years of losing seasons.

That doesn't mean they'll make the playoffs this year, but in a few years time, Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon are going to be two of the best players in the NBA.

And when that happens, Clippers fans everywhere believe that their team will replace the Lakers as the most exciting team in Los Angeles.

15. Orlando Magic

The Magic keep inching closer and closer to the NBA title, but can never seem to finish the job.

Led by big man Dwight Howard, the Magic have made great playoff runs the past two years, but lost both times to the Celtics and Lakers. One thing that I love about Magic fans is how pumped and energized they get before and during the game.

They are currently 9th in the league in attendance.

14. Miami Heat

I find it sad, personally, that the Miami Heat fans will always be known as bandwagon jumpers.

Sure, there are a lot of band wagoners, but Dwyane Wade and his Heat fans have had some tough seasons in the past.Only true fans would be able to stick with a team that finished 15-67 two years after winning a championship.

The Heat are currently fifth in the league in attendance, but it's obvious that this is mostly due to the trio of superstars named Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

13. Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets probably have the biggest advantage in the NBA in terms of their home-court. They play in the Mile-High city, a fact that makes it hard for outsiders to adapt to the lack of oxygen.

Also,  their airport is very far away from the arena, a fact that makes opposing teams very tired when they come to play.

To add to that, they have some awesome fans, a fact that makes them 16th in the league in attendance and 12th on this list.

12. Milwaukee Bucks

The Milwaukee Bucks playoff campaign ads last year could have been the funniest things I've ever seen related to basketball.

"Fear the Deer" is also one of the greatest slogans I've ever heard.

Unfortunately, the Bucks are not even close to being one of the greatest teams I've ever seen, but they do have some awesome fans.The support mostly comes from their one-of-a-kind mascot, Bango the Buck.

The Bucks are currently 23rd in the league in attendance rating.

11. Golden State Warriors

The No. 8 seed Golden State Warriors defeating the No. 1 seed Dallas Mavericks could be the greatest underdog moment of all time.

Besides for having a great team, the main reason for this happening was the amazing support of the Warriors fans, show in the video. After the series, Warriors fans adopted the slogan "We Believe".

The team hasn't had much playoff success since then, but the future is looking bright with the dynamic duo of Steph Curry and Monta Ellis leading the backcourt.

10. Oklahoma City Thunder

You have to watch until the very end of this video to understand why OKC fans are some of the best in the NBA.

They really and truly help their team and are the epitome of "home-court advantage".The fact that they have two potential MVP candidates in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook helps as well.

They are currently 13th in the league in attendance, which is incredible considering that they play in Oklahoma City.

9. San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs will go down in history as one of the best teams of the 2000s. In my mind, they should go down as the team with the most personality in the NBA.

From sneaky Manu Ginobili to flopping Robert Horry to dirty Bruce Bowen, this team has always had a ton of personality. It doesn't help that they have some of the best fans in the NBA and are currently 12th in attendance.

They are also on track to be the best team in the NBA going into the 2011 Playoffs.

8. Cleveland Cavaliers

I probably should show you a video about LeBron James and Cleveland's hatred for him, but everybody already knows about that.

Every basketball fan in the nation knows that James left Cleveland to join the Miami Heat. The next season, the Cavs set the record for longest losing streak, yet Cleveland fans keep coming to games.

They are currently third in the league in attendance, but this is sure to drop soon as they realize that they need some serious changes in their organization. 

7. Dallas Mavericks

Dirk Nowitzki is the greatest basketball player to ever come from Europe and the Dallas Mavericks fans know it.

I've only seen one Mavericks game this season, but after I watched it, I truly believed that the Mavericks look the best out of any team in the NBA.

Their style of play is phenomenal and Mark Cuban and the rest of the Mavericks fans love watching their team each night.

They are fourth in the league in attendance as of this season. 

6. Chicago Bulls

I know a lot of people are going to be angry at me for putting the Bulls fans this high on the list. I don't know what it is about them, but I just get the feeling that they lack the passion that some of the other teams on this list have.

They are currently No.1 in the league in attendance, but I think that the fans just come hoping that Michael Jordan might randomly emerge out of retirement and play for one game. 

5. Los Angeles Lakers

It's pretty much common knowledge that most all Lakers fans are bandwagoners. This may be true, but that doesn't mean they don't love their team and the game.

The Lakers are back-to-back champions and looking to complete the three-peat this year.

18,997 fans look on every game to watch Kobe Bryant and his team compete to win the NBA Finals for the 18th time in their glorious history.

4. Boston Celtics

The greatest basketball team in terms of success of all time is only ranked 11th in the league in attendance.

This doesn't seem to affect the Celtics or their die-hard fans too much as the team is currently tied for first in the East. Led by the Big Three (or Big 4 if you count Rajon Rondo), the Celtics are looking for revenge against the Lakers and will receive plenty of support from their fans. 

3. New York Knicks

New York is the greatest city in the world and it is home to some of the greatest fans in the world. All of the New York sports teams, the Rangers, Jets, Giants, and Yankees have enjoyed tremendous success.

Unfortunately, the Knicks have usually been the joke of the NBA.

Knick Nation has been waiting since the days of Patrick Ewing for an actual good player to come along, and now they've got a whole teamful.

Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, and Amar'e Stoudemire have changed the complexion of the Knicks completely and they are aiming for a deep playoff run this year.

I'm glad to see that the loyalty of the Knicks fans has finally paid off and they might enjoy some success for once.

2. Portland Trailblazers

The days of Clyde "the Glide" Drexler are long gone, but the Rose Garden is still the same.

It's still got the same amazing fans who come out every night to cheer on their Trailblazers. Just look at 1:14 of this video and you will see the epitome of united fans.

The Blazers are a second or third tier team, yet amazingly, they are second in the league in attendance.

The Blazer fans have incredible loyalty and this is shown every night as the Rose Garden becomes filled with electricity and excitement.

With the help of LaMarcus Aldridge, the Blazers could finally make a deep playoff run this year.

1. Utah Jazz

Fact: The Utah Jazz fans are the loudest and best fans in the NBA.Night in and night out, Energy Solutions Arena is filled with the craziest people in Utah who get together and make the opposing team feel small.

It's impossible for any team to play in Energy Solutions Arena without being intimidated by the ocean of fans screaming and cheering.

The Jazz may be seventh in the league in attendance rate, but in my eyes, they are first in the league in passion for the game.