Basketball fans, good and bad
The roar of the crowd, the lesser devils of human relation.
Good morning. Let’s basketball.
Young Man at His Window, Gustave Caillebotte
It is widely acknowledged by players and non-players alike that these playoffs have been more exciting and entertaining on account of having fans in the arenas. Honestly, count me among those who didn’t realize that real, organic crowd noise and fan/player interactions were such a big part of the product. From the pops and quieting of Madison Square Garden to the roar of the Phoenix crowd to symbiosis between Donovan Mitchell and the Utah faithful, it’s been really something enjoyable through five days of playoff basketball. Dallas is going to be electrified for Game 3.
You know how when a team misses the playoffs for a while, and there’s this pent-up catharsis that explodes when they break through and those first home playoff games are nuts? Because fans haven’t been in the arena much or at all for a year now, we’re getting that in basically every city. It improves the viewing experience for those of us at home so much, and it’s interesting that the data seems to indicate that crowds — not arenas or travel considerations — are the source of home court advantages. It’ll definitely be something the NBA takes from this uncontrolled experiment as it shapes the viewing experience for years to come.
However, with the good of fans returning in large numbers to the arenas, there is also the bad.
This appears to be a New York fan spitting at Trae Young.
This is a fan in Philadelphia pouring popcorn on Russell Westbrook, who is being helped to the locker room with an injury.
You could say people forgot how to act after a year cooped up, but that ignores that this stuff has always happened in sports and it excuses behavior that isn’t just a little awkward but downright antisocial. It’s the downside of the NBA having fans so close to players with no barriers. And the NBA needs to police it heavily, especially now with COVID-19 concerns remaining high and valid. If the Knicks fan intentionally spit on a player? Forget ejected from the game and banned from the arena. He should be ejected from the planet. The popcorn dumping fan was kicked out and banned. He should frankly never be allowed to enjoy popcorn again.
Obviously no readers of GMIB would ever engage in this type of behavior. I think good fans do have a role in shaming and rejecting fans who would do this. And the NBA has a bigger role in protecting players.
Scores
NBA
Wizards 95, Sixers 120 (PHI leads 2-0) — For those who questioned Ben Simmons’ low scoring total in Game 1, he dropped in 22 on 11/15 shooting. The Philly lead was 20 in the third, so the entire Sixers starting lineup played less than 28 minutes. The box score line to gawk at: Matisse Thybulle with four steals and five blocks in 20 minutes. Like … what?
Hawks 92, Knicks 101 (Series tied 1-1) — Atlanta started the game hot and looked like they might cruise to stealing both games in New York. Trae Young had 20 at the half and Bogdan Bogdanovic had 14. Midway through the third, the Hawks had a 12-point lead. But the Knicks finished the quarter on a 18-5 run to take the lead and by the time Trae got his fourth quarter rest in with eight minutes left in the game, New York’s lead had ballooned to 10. Atlanta’s execution late was really rough — the Knicks threw bodies at Young and his teammates couldn’t hit a three and didn’t attack inside. New York shot less than 40 percent for the game; Atlanta might regret letting this one slip.
Grizzlies 129, Jazz 141 (Series tied 1-1) — Donovan Mitchell looked very, very glad to be back. He finished with a team-high 25. Mitch hit five threes, and that was the story of the win for Utah: they were fully in their offensive groove taking early threes and hitting half of them. That’s very hard to beat if you can’t slow down and muck the game up. But Ja Morant sure as hell tried to keep pace. He had maybe the best game of his career (at least that I’ve seen), finishing with 47 on 15/26 shooting with seven assists. A steady diet of floaters, short jumpers and lay-ups.
And uh alley-oop reverse dunks.
Just an absolute star. This play both illustrates Rudy Gobert’s awesome defensive skill and Morant’s utter fearlessness.
Gobert made some key plays on both ends down the stretch as Memphis kept clawing back into the game. Heckuva series.
WNBA
Aces 85, Mercury 79 — Jackie Young is playing out of her mind. Brittney Griner with a big game in her return.
Schedule
All times Eastern.
Wings at Dream, 7
Bucks at Heat Game 3, 7:30, TNT (MIL leads 2-0)
Suns at Lakers Game 3, 10, TNT (Series tied 1-1)
Nuggets at Blazers Game 3, 10:30, NBA TV (Series tied 1-1)
Links
The Lynx haven’t won a game, but help is on the way: Napheesa Collier has been practicing with the team after arriving from overseas and the team is going to sign Layshia Clarendon.
Yaron Weitzman on Nerlens Noel’s huge impact on the Knicks.
J. Cole has left the BAL after playing in three games. He finished with 5 points, 3 assists and 5 rebounds. Not per game, total. Legitimately: he brought some more awareness of the BAL to American basketball fans, and that’s worth something. I do sympathize with players who feel that was a publicity stunt. In start-up sports leagues, publicity is a key ingredient!
Welp, a minority partner in the Wolves and Lynx is suing over the sale of the teams to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez. The suit also alleges something to give Wolves and Lynx fans a stomachache: there’s no clause preventing Lore and A-Rod from moving the teams.
A big Ian O’Connor piece on Kyrie Irving’s status as misunderstood.
Be excellent to each other.
I'm generally anti-social, so I haven't missed the fans during the Covid protocols. I've enjoyed being able to hear so much of the on-court chatter with players, coaches, and referees. I've enjoyed players not getting injured after stepping on photographers plopped too close to the court behind the end lines. I've enjoyed not having to look at the Bloated Class in courtside seats. I've thoroughly enjoyed not seeing crowd reaction shots of tubby, middle-aged accountants talking shit to players who can't hear them.
Obviously, ticket sales are too important to the solvency of teams to keep fans out, particularly in the smaller markets. The NBA absolutely has to get control of the fans, and tossing a guy from the arena isn't sufficient. Sporting venues are not their own jurisdictions where laws don't apply. What happened to Westbrook was assault. What happened to Young was an assault.
If fans are going to behave like assholes, then there are going to need to be real-world consequences. These actions are criminal in nature, and perpetrators should be charged accordingly. Even with this step, the NBA still needs to create physical barriers to protect the players, even if all they do is keep fans at least twenty-five feet from the court and access points. If teams are unwilling to do this, and players continue to be attacked, then the NBA needs to sanction them, monetarily or in the form of draft picks.
It goes far beyond the fact that these guys make a ton of money and need to be protected from physical abuse for solely business reasons. Players are entitled to their dignity, and shouldn't have to give that up because they're rich, or because they play a game for a living.