Rockets looking to crowd Warriors at Toyota Center
With an eye toward boosting advantage, doors will open early
Rockets president Tad Brown heard the crowd roar and saw his team rally in the fourth quarter on Tuesday, and he thought not of when they had not but of how badly he wants that from the opening tip next week.
The impact of the Rockets’ home crowd and home-court advantage against Golden State could be valuable, Brown said. He did not want to fall back on better late than never and began a push to get people in the building earlier and the people in the building to their seats on time.
“Our fans get a bad rap. ‘They show up late. The people in the high-priced seats don’t appreciate what they’ve got. They need to be in their seats, etc., etc.’ I think it’s kind of a bad rap,” Brown said. “We’re all in a part of the year you can tell it does make a difference when your crowd is engaged and active and participating in the process.
“The other night … it was palpable when the crowd decided in the fourth quarter to stand up and cheer for basically the entire fourth quarter. It had a huge impact on the game. Our guys went on a big run, got some steals, got out on the break. Chris (Paul) was going crazy. It had an enormous impact on the game. That’s what we need our crowd to do for the entire series. We need to have that home-court advantage.”
With that in mind, the Rockets moved up the party outside Toyota Center to begin at 5:30 p.m., with the doors opening and happy hour specials beginning earlier at 6 p.m. for Monday’s 8 p.m. tip.
“We’ve enjoyed it all year,” Brown said. “We’re tied for the best record in the NBA at home, 34-7. It’s not like we don’t play well at home. We need that extra spark, that extra juice from our fans who are in their seats and engaged and ready to go. They can do it. We just need them to do it.”
There will be multiple street closures around Toyota Center on Monday, potentially complicating getting fans in the building. But the access to most surface lots and the garage will not be affected.
Account representatives “are making sure each of our fans understand how much of a difference they make in this entire series,” Brown said. “This isn’t any game on a Tuesday night in January. This is the Western Conference finals. Our guys are competing for a championship. It’s the best opportunity we’ve had around here for a long, long time.
“The players, they notice it. They talked after the game that the crowd made a difference in the fourth quarter. Those were the types of things we’re focusing on. Now, more than ever, going up against what is arguably one of the greatest teams in the history of the NBA, we’re going to need every bit of competitive advantage we can get.
“Our fans are an enormous competitive advantage when they get up, get out and get crazy at the tip.”