NBA Playoffs: Ranking the Best and Worst Playoff Crowds

May 12, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; General view of the interior of Oracle Arena during the first quarter in game four of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs between the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs. The Warriors defeated the Spurs 97-87 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The playoffs are always full of excitement, mostly because of the home crowd. Teams like the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs are good, yes, but where would they be without their home crowds?

It’s incredible, considering that buildings are literally alive come playoff time. It’s a bundle of excitement in these buildings that inspires fans to be as loud as they can be.

With that being said, a team is literally nowhere without their home crowd, unless they’re just that good. Here’s a list that ranks the best and worst home playoff crowds.

Maybe they have something to do with the losses?

The Best:

Golden State Warriors:

The Warriors are one of the youngest and most exciting teams in the NBA, I’m sure we can all agree on this. What many don’t think of, however, is that their home crowd is indeed the best as well.

They have diehard fans who are faithful even when they lose. Their fans stay until the end instead of just ducking out when their team trails by five with a minute left. The building in Oracle literally came to life this postseason, and the Warriors were the lowest seed to make it past the first round.

Los Angeles Clippers:

There may have not been many Clipper fans before Chris Paul entered the scene, but damn, they know how to celebrate. Their team was upset in six games by the Memphis Grizzlies, even after the Clippers built a 2-0 lead to start off the series.

Fortunately for them, however, their team will continue to play good basketball, and will be a dynasty in the future. They showed the NBA that they have life and they may now be the talk of Los Angeles, not the Lakers. They may have had an increase of fans after the Lakers were crushed by the Spurs, but they show heart, and that definitely counts for something.

Oklahoma City Thunder:

Unlike the Lakers fans, the Thunder fans are diehard and love their team no matter what. After a disappointing series against the Grizzlies, seeing Russell Westbrook go down, the Thunder played their hearts out, and the fans supported them along the way. They were faithful and never gave up.

They may even be back louder than ever. The chants of “OKC, OKC,” rained down as the fans watched their team step off the court for the last time of the 2012-2013 season.

The Worst:

Miami Heat:

Don’t get me wrong here, the Heat are the best team in the NBA right now in the postseason, but they don’t have the support of the fans. As the Heat trailed by just three points with one minute left in the ballgame in Game 2 of the Pacers series, their fans headed for the exits. The Pacers’ radio announcer called them out saying that they were all losers and unfaithful.

As much as this hurts me, I agree with him. The Heat fans are loud at times, but it usually sounds like a tennis match in that building. There’s a reason the Heat have been so dominant on the road in the playoffs.

Atlanta Hawks:

You know that you have a terrible fan base when your team is discounting playoff tickets and the arena feels half-empty. That’s just unacceptable. The Hawks were the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, not too bad?

They still managed to win most their games at home despite playing in a game that had no advantages in it. The fans were dull, boring, and didn’t seem at all interested. The Hawks are a good team with horribly boring and dull fans. Show some exuberance! It’s the playoffs, for goodness sake!

New York Knicks:

The Knick fans have been there for their team consistently in the recent years. The problem is their energy, however. When the Knicks are winning, they’re very energetic and all, but they lose all momentum when the opponent scores.

Again, the Knicks fans aren’t always terrible, but they did a terrible job of supporting their second-seeded team in the second round of the playoffs. The Knicks had an open window this season, but they blew it.