What happened to our home court advantage?

[liam]

I 1st noticed this during the Utah game ( The fans in Utah are rabid and never stop either booing bad calls or cheering there team on to victory!) but our fans are not bringing it. Are we spoiled because we've seen so much great basketball in Boston? Are we just lazy, like LA fans and only cheer the spectacular over the solid play? After that Jazz game I went to the garden for the Spurs game and there was no energy in the building from start to finish. Is that why our team is so good away from home, better crowds?

[Q_FBE]

The fans aren't cheering hard enough. 

The playoff crowd is coming in to flip the switch. That will get 'em going for sure. I promise it will.

[liam]

The fans aren't cheering hard enough. 

The playoff crowd is coming in to flip the switch. That will get 'em going for sure. I promise it will.

...or at all. We have a winning team that's going to the playoffs. I beat Nets or Wolves fans would be going crazy. But ho hum in Boston. Go to a sox game or a Bruins game if you want some noise.

Look at the home and away record. They are the same. We are getting no advantage from being home. For what ever reason, that's a problem.

[BballTim]

  Since the Celts aren't getting a top 2 seed, they wisely decided to trade in their home court advantage for road court advantage, which should be more valuable in the playoffs.

[mgent]

I went to one game this season and i remember it took the crowd a while to get into the game after halftime.  The game was going on and all i heard was the same chattering that was going on during the break.  Maybe this supports your theory that the crowd is affecting the players (seeing as we're always horrible at the start the 3rd quarter).

[liam]

I went to one game this season and i remember it took the crowd a while to get into the game after halftime.  The game was going on and all i heard was the same chattering that was going on during the break.  Maybe this supports your theory that the crowd is affecting the players (seeing as we're always horrible at the start the 3rd quarter).

Only The Celtics, Philly, NJ, Wash, have the same records away or at home. Even Minn. has a better home record than road record.

[CelticSooner]

I think the fans are a little spoiled with things they weren't accustomed to seeing the past two years. Whether anyone wants to admit it or not we C's fans have a standard for this team which really hasn't been met for the majority of the season. There are both good and bad reasons why that is so but the standard is there.

[PosImpos]

The behavior of the fans at home is a direct consequence of the Celtic's behavior on the court at home.

[Mr October]

The team was awesome at home the last 2 years, and a championship was won. Sure enough the good seats are all filled with band wagoners with excess money to spend.

This part of pro-sports stinks.

...In Utah, the fans are still starving for a championship.

If any of you are going to the games, make some freaking noise. (I sure as heck do at Clipper and Dodger games of all places!)

[barefacedmonk]

The team was awesome at home the last 2 years, and a championship was won. Sure enough the good seats are all filled with band wagoners with excess money to spend.

Good point.

[Mr October]

The behavior of the fans at home is a direct consequence of the Celtic's behavior on the court at home.

Lately the C's have been busting their tails at home. And I don't hear much crowd noise over the TV. Its kind of embarrassing. The city of Boston should be better than that.

When are all those band-wagoners in the good seats supposed to actually start making noise?

Heck even if one player is busting it, shouldn't the crowd at least vocalize some support for that one player.

I do at least hear it a little for Rondo, Nate.

[PosImpos]

The behavior of the fans at home is a direct consequence of the Celtic's behavior on the court at home.

Lately the C's have been busting their tails at home. And I don't hear much crowd noise over the TV. Its kind of embarrassing. The city of Boston should be better than that.

When are all those band-wagoners in the good seats supposed to actually start making noise?

Heck even if one player is busting it, shouldn't the crowd at least vocalize some support for that one player.

I do at least hear it a little for Rondo, Nate.

It's true, lately (other than yesterday) the fans have had good things to cheer about at home.  In general, though, the C's haven't been taking care of home court, so it's understandable that the intensity level of the fans at home isn't the same. 

[Mike-Dub]

The behavior of the fans at home is a direct consequence of the Celtic's behavior on the court at home.

So why not start cheering harder to pump them up and give them more energy?...  I can understand booing after a game like the one against the Nets, but not last night when the team has been playing much better.

We've gone from a top three homecourt crowd to a bottom three in a year.  The fans need to show inspiration and faith for our team, and not be booing every nit picking little mistake we make, but trying to pick us up and cheer us to play harder and get the W.

People take for granted going to games, I get to go to about one every two years.  If I was at the games I would be screaming my lungs off every possesion trying to will us to win just by doing that lol.

[barefacedmonk]

A crowd that backs its team definitely helps...the players feed off the crowd's vocal support.

A couple of quotes from our first playoff game against Atlanta in 2008:

"You hear the crowd. You hear the building rocking. The bleachers were shaking and I was the last to run out." -KG

Every seat was more or less filled as the national anthem was sung. As the Hawks were introduced, the hometown crowd drowned it out by chanting, "Let's Go Celtics!". The crowd roared when the Celtics were introduced.

"It was phenomenal," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers of the atmosphere. "It's funny. It's rare when you can hear the fans in the locker room when the teams run out. Today you actually could."

I also remember the fans chanting "Rondo is better" whenever Bibby went to the FT line. It doesn't matter if he was at that point in his career but such crowd behaviour has the potential to effect a player's game.

And this from that excellent series against the Bulls last year:

The Celtics were pushed by a highly energized capacity crowd at the Garden during Game 7 with the noise level rising at numerous junctures.

“The crowd was phenomenal,’’ said Brian Scalabrine. “When we needed a defensive stop, they stepped up, and the good, old Boston crowd, they were probably hitting it early today.

“They got us going and geared us up. You can tell the buzz in the air. When they do the ‘Celtics’ chant’ in the warmup line, you know it’s going to be a great night.’’

This is what Shelden had to say on the opening night against Bobcats:

"I had heard a lot about the crowd in Boston and I want to see how loud it can get on a nightly basis. I know from playing as a road player here that there is great fan support, and sometimes you really need that."

Whether we want to believe it or not...an energized home crowd surely helps.

[liam]

A crowd that backs its team definitely helps...the players feed off the crowd's vocal support.

A couple of quotes from our first playoff game against Atlanta in 2008:

"You hear the crowd. You hear the building rocking. The bleachers were shaking and I was the last to run out." -KG

Every seat was more or less filled as the national anthem was sung. As the Hawks were introduced, the hometown crowd drowned it out by chanting, "Let's Go Celtics!". The crowd roared when the Celtics were introduced.

"It was phenomenal," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers of the atmosphere. "It's funny. It's rare when you can hear the fans in the locker room when the teams run out. Today you actually could."

I also remember the fans chanting "Rondo is better" whenever Bibby went to the FT line. It doesn't matter if he was at that point in his career but such crowd behaviour has the potential to effect a player's game.

And this from that excellent series against the Bulls last year:

The Celtics were pushed by a highly energized capacity crowd at the Garden during Game 7 with the noise level rising at numerous junctures.

“The crowd was phenomenal,’’ said Brian Scalabrine. “When we needed a defensive stop, they stepped up, and the good, old Boston crowd, they were probably hitting it early today.

“They got us going and geared us up. You can tell the buzz in the air. When they do the ‘Celtics’ chant’ in the warmup line, you know it’s going to be a great night.’’

This is what Shelden had to say on the opening night against Bobcats:

"I had heard a lot about the crowd in Boston and I want to see how loud it can get on a nightly basis. I know from playing as a road player here that there is great fan support, and sometimes you really need that."

Whether we want to believe it or not...an energized home crowd surely helps.

That's what " Home Court" means and we just don't have it this year at all.
TP