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What gives the home team such a huge advantage?

So far in the Conference Semifinals, the home team is 17-1.

In the first round, the home team was 22-12.

So overall so far, the home team is 39-13.

Look at the Spurs-Hornets series for example. The home team is winning by an average of 18 points per game. What makes the Spurs absolutely blow out the Hornets at home, but then get embarrassed on the road?

The Magic blew out the Pistons by 25 at home...
The Cavs beat the Celtics at home by 24...

I dont get how its possible to win one night at home by 20+, and than the very next game to the same team you lose by the same amount...

A number of commentators have commented on this - the key is the bench and role players; these are energy players that feed off the energy of the crowd. As for why a lot of the star players (Bostom 3, Duncan, etc.) are struggling on the road I really don't know.

Home court didn't matter for the Rockets. They just let it go, and Utah kicked our butts 2 times at home.

I think it is because there is a lot of parity between most playoff teams, so the homecourt just pushes the home team over the top. There really are no dominant teams anymore, those teams would be able to win on the road in tough playoff games...not anymore

For the Celtics, terrible coaching....

The Lakers have played the Jazz close in two straight road games and really should have won one of them if you think about it..

the spurs situation doesn't make sense.

For the Jazz and Hornets at least, I expect it also has to do with youth on the team. Younger players just get psyched out a little more easily on the road than seasoned veterans do.

No excuse for Boston and San Antonio though

As someone alluded to earlier it's role players. Role players play good at home, but stink it up on the road.

Didn't really matter for the Pistons so far 3-2.

Anyway younger players and role players take comfort at home, can't really explain certain stars having trouble though.

Texas Longhorns wrote:Home court didn't matter for the Rockets. They just let it go, and Utah kicked our butts 2 times at home.

That's because our crowd sucks.

The Celtics scenario and the Spurs-Hornets games are shocking.

Boston beat Atlanta at home by an average of 25, but lost all 3 on the road. And they have lost both games in Cleveland. I dont understand that at all.

The Hornets won their 3 home games v. SA by an average of 19.6ppg
They lost on the road by an average of 15.5ppg

GSW2K4 wrote:For the Celtics, terrible coaching....

The Lakers have played the Jazz close in two straight road games and really should have won one of them if you think about it..

the spurs situation doesn't make sense.

And the Jazz have been within 5 in the last five minutes of both the games in both games in LA. So All 4 games have been winnable late by either team. does that mean the Jazz should have on one in LA "if you think about it"?

Officiating has a lot to do with it as well. Which is really an indictment on the state of the NBA right now.

GSW2K4 wrote:
The Lakers have played the Jazz close in two straight road games and really should have won one of them if you think about it..

Which one? I'm thinking about it...

the home team plays with more confidence and sense of urgency since they know they should and need to defend the court. that combined with feeding off of the crowd's energy leads to more hustle plays and more overall aggression. the team playing with more energy usually gets more calls too.

The Refs...which is really unfortunate. The rules should be the same no matter where the game is being played.

That 17-1 figure is nothing short of amazing. I don't think you can really account for something that lopsided by saying that bench players are energized by the home crowd. These games are blowouts, many of them, and do not hinge on the marginal contributions of your respective Jannero Pargos, Joe Smiths and Brent Barrys.

I'd say the refs have a lot to do with it, being influenced to make calls in favor of the home team, but I don't have the numbers to back it up, at least not right now.

Few great teams. Teams too dependent on role players that stiffen up or don't perform on the road. Sometimes even stars not performing.

Refs unfortunately, can easily dictate the course of the game with nothing more than tic tac fouls on visiting players and it doesn't even have to be intentional. Think of Derek Fisher picking up a quick 2 in Utah the other night, and as soon as he goes out Utah catches up, and goes on a run that puts them in position to control the game. Tyson Chandler seems to be another guy that can easily be put into foul trouble depending on how close the refs want to call him against Duncan.

Whatever the case its making for a incredibly boring second round.

Look at the all-time Road Records in the playoffs

Road Records



Now look at the Home Records

Home Records


This is why having homecourt is so vital and a team that loses while having homecourt really doesn't have any excuses to make.

Article about just this question:
http://www.slate.com/id/2191488

Its the Building?
Its the Crowd?
Its the Refs?
Its the Travel?

Unsurprisingly, they have no magic answer.