That home crowd was awful last night

[birdbrady]

Seriously, our crowd has been so good all season.  Seeing it like that was depressing.  What was up with that?  It was a very exciting game, with both teams playing efficient offense, and the Celtics were building a lead and had all the momentum? I am convinced the Celtics would have been able to finish that game off if the crowd was really going in the 4th quarter.  What the hell happened last night? Hopefully this doesn't carry over.  We've got some big freakin' games coming up.

[Greenbean]

Seriously, our crowd has been so good all season.  Seeing it like that was depressing.  What was up with that?  It was a very exciting game, with both teams playing efficient offense, and the Celtics were building a lead and had all the momentum? I am convinced the Celtics would have been able to finish that game off if the crowd was really going in the 4th quarter.  What the hell happened last night? Hopefully this doesn't carry over.  We've got some big freakin' games coming up.

The crowd didnt seem too loud to me either. However, sometimes it doesnt seem loud on TV when it really is.

Was anyone at the game?

[celtics2]

A: The Celts have a History of giving up good size leads.

B: The Celts also lose close games that could have been won.

C: We are out of gas towards the end.

The Mavs kept up pressure the whole game.

[birdbrady]

A: The Celts have a History of giving up good size leads.

B: The Celts also lose close games that could have been won.

C: We are out of gas towards the end.

The Mavs kept up pressure the whole game.

D. It was a very tight game, a game which we had momentum in multiple times.  It was a very good game between two close-to-evenly matched teams, and usually a good home crowd can tip games in the home teams favor.

[moiso]

Seriously, our crowd has been so good all season.  Seeing it like that was depressing.  What was up with that?  It was a very exciting game, with both teams playing efficient offense, and the Celtics were building a lead and had all the momentum? I am convinced the Celtics would have been able to finish that game off if the crowd was really going in the 4th quarter.  What the hell happened last night? Hopefully this doesn't carry over.  We've got some big freakin' games coming up.

The crowd didnt seem too loud to me either. However, sometimes it doesnt seem loud on TV when it really is.

Was anyone at the game?

I was there.  I didn't even notice that we weren't loud.  

[Celtics4ever]

Don't kid yourself crowds don't win games, players do.

[tfwhiteiii]

Don't kid yourself crowds don't win games, players do.

A good home crowd can possibly alter a game.  There is no disputing that.

[tenn_smoothie]

those return home games after any significant road trip always seem to involve a letdown - for all teams. you see it over and over in the NBA.

the players get keyed up and focused to do battle on the road and they expend a lot of energy during an extended trip - tough games with hostile crowds, sleeping in hotels, meals on the road and you never quite relax completely or get real rest when you are away from home.

so there is a very natural lowering of the guard when a team returns home, combined with some loss of focus and hunger as a result of a successful trip - especially the Laker win.

this particualr game, the letdown carried over to the fans, who were maybe a little fat & happy after the 3-1 west coast trip as well.


the psychology of sport and athletic performance is complex.

[MBz]

Seriously, our crowd has been so good all season.  Seeing it like that was depressing.  What was up with that?  It was a very exciting game, with both teams playing efficient offense, and the Celtics were building a lead and had all the momentum? I am convinced the Celtics would have been able to finish that game off if the crowd was really going in the 4th quarter.  What the hell happened last night? Hopefully this doesn't carry over.  We've got some big freakin' games coming up.

The crowd didnt seem too loud to me either. However, sometimes it doesnt seem loud on TV when it really is.

Was anyone at the game?

I was there.  I didn't even notice that we weren't loud.  

Same here, I didn't think it was too bad.  I thought there were a lot of empty seats for a Friday night game though.

[nickagneta]

Been to three games this year. Only the game where KG returned seemed like a lifeless crowd but that was a Monday night holiday game and there was a ton of wives and kids in attendance. The others were much more loud and rowdy and seemed as if the "regulars" were there that night.

Don't get me wrong, I am sure women and kids can be just as loud and boisterous as the next fan, if they are a fan. But I get the idea there are some nights when people give away tickets or it's one of those nights where the guys seem to collectively take the girlfriends or kids for a night to the game, and the girlfriends and kids just seem to be more into the entertainment during breaks and the Jumbotron than they are the game.

Unfortunately, to sell tickets, the game of basketball gets put on the back burner and the entertainment becomes more important and there comes a few times a year where those types of crowds are there just when you wish they really weren't. I don't know if last night was one of those nights because I wasn't there, but I will say that MLK Day against Orlando was definitely one of those days.

[vinnie]

They lost because they were outplayed. Had nothing to do with crowd noise.

[BASS_THUMPER]

they lost cuz wasnt hear drankin my ole e~

[Eja117]

Don't kid yourself crowds don't win games, players do.

A good home crowd can possibly alter a game.  There is no disputing that.

Can you give me an example?

[MBz]

Don't kid yourself crowds don't win games, players do.

A good home crowd can possibly alter a game.  There is no disputing that.

Can you give me an example?

I agree, I don't see a home crowd making a big deal at the NBA level.  In college, when the kids are young? Possibly, but those arenas get much louder than an NBA arena.  The home court advantage has very little to do with the fans in my opinion.  The home court advantage is more about the home team feeling comfortable on their court, shooting on those rims in 41 games in comparison to 2.  Also, I see it being more of a disadvantage to the away team then an advantage to the home team.  You have to sleep in a hotel and not your own bed, you may have to be on a plane all night, you're in an unfamiliar locker room.  These are things the home team usually does not have to worry about, thats where the advantage lies.