Somebody please help me understand this.
How is it possible that simply being at home during the second round of these NBA playoffs can seemingly make the difference between a 20-point win and a 20-point loss?
It happened again tonight in the Hornets-Spurs series and I'm really not getting it.
You would think at this point in their careers, the players are numb to how many fans are cheering for them rather than against them. Heck, it seemed like Michael Jordan actually preferred playing on the road with fans screaming every obscenity in the book, daring him to beat them with one more game-winning basket or spectacular performance.
I'm usually an advocate of David Stern and his cronies fixing the playoffs to their liking, but even though a Lakers-Celtics series would certainly be Stern's dream matchup, it's hard to cry foul this season since there's no real favorite and fans have certainly taken to the heightened style of play.
Honestly, before this year, I never really considered homecourt advantage to be a huge factor in the playoffs. Of course, now that the home team has won 20 of the 21 conference semifinal games, I've been forced to reconsider.
My only guess as to why homecourt has mattered so much this year is because since these teams are SO evenly matched, especially in the West, that just one off night or one small factor (like homecourt) can make a HUGE difference in the span of one game.
With that said, I think the Lakers (my pick to win it all) will break the mold and take out the Jazz on Friday. Still don't know what to make of the shaky Celtics, so that's a toss-up.
But ultimately, this homecourt thing is bound to end in the last two rounds.