NBA: Best Home Crowds for Bad Teams

Apr 17, 2013; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings fans hold up a sign during the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Sleep Train Arena. The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Sacramento Kings 112-108. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

In the NBA, some teams completely rely on home-court advantage during the regular season. The Nuggets have a good home crowd, but are below average at 19-22 on the road. If they didn’t have that home court in Denver, they wouldn’t be in the position that they’re in right now. Other teams that haven’t had as much success as the Nuggets, like non-playoff teams, may not be winning, but they always have an excited crowd to look forward to.

Here is a list of the best home crowds for non-playoff teams.

1. Portland Trail Blazers:

Year after year, critics and analysts have predicted that the Blazers would make the playoffs. Since the Brandon Roy era, however, the Blazers have continually failed to do that despite a talented roster.

Do their fans care? Not at all. They love their team unconditionally and have always been that way, just like Warrior fans. Their fan base will continue to stay loyal even if the Blazers have three more losing seasons.

A playoff trip and perhaps a deep run is just what these fans are deserving of, and that’s going to be coming pretty soon.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers:

After the whole LeBron James fiasco, the Cavaliers were left dead in the water, and had the longest losing streak in NBA history. You would think that that’s enough to drive away fans, especially after many years of success, but it’s not.

The Cavalier fans stayed faithful and getting a player like Kyrie Irving was a treat. Now that their whole starting lineup will be lottery picks, they’re bound to make the playoffs at some point, and those Cavs fans will be hoping to encounter the Miami Heat.

3. Toronto Raptors:

The Raptors are a non-playoff team just like these other two. They were also “screwed” by Chris Bosh, who left them to join the Heat in their quest for a championship.

The Raptors fans were stunned, and some didn’t come back. Midway through the season after Bosh left, the fans started to show up again. Now with DaMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay, they’re ready to start a new future, and hopefully bring in some fortunes to their team.

4. Sacramento Kings:

The Kings have had it tough. During their most successful playoff run, they were bested by the Lakers in the Conference Finals. They deserved to be in the Finals, but never made it there. The Kings fans weren’t as loud and excited after that.

Despite the horrible seasons, they continued to come back, eventually becoming more and more passionate. Nobody really gave their fans any credit till they managed to keep the Kings in Sacramento this past year.