Teams that play the Thunder in Oklahoma City understand that no lead is ever safe. For starters, the Thunder are athletic enough to score in transition and rack up points quickly. Like the Heat, Kevin Durant and company can erase a 10-point deficit in what seems like 30 seconds. Then, there are the fans. After a game in which Oklahoma City erased a 13-point deficit and energized their notoriously rowdy arena, Chris Bosh did not seem overly impressed by the noise level in the Chesapeake Energy Arena.
“Everybody keeps talking about how loud it is,” Bosh said according to Eye on Basketball. “It’s regular. We’ve been in a lot of other arenas and it’s about the same. Once it gets really loud, it’s all about the same.”
Bosh then added that the Thunder “have a great homecourt” and called the fans “very vibrant,” but we all know it’s the word “regular” that is going to stick out in the minds of the Oklahoma City faithful come Game 2. The Thunder are 9-0 at home during their impressive postseason run, so it’s safe to say their fans take their jobs seriously.
That being said, Bosh is right. All arenas are loud in the playoffs — especially the NBA Finals. I’m sure the Mavericks fans didn’t exactly act like they were in church when Miami lost in the Finals last year, just as the Boston fans cranked up the noise in the Eastern Conference Finals this year. Once it reaches a certain level, noise is noise.
Photo credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE
