Who’s got next?
Empty arenas in the NBA’s bubble give off feeling of pickup games, even in the playoffs
Rockets forward P.J. Tucker appreciates the NBA’s efforts to muster up game atmosphere with crowd sounds and virtual fans on videoboards in the bubble near Orlando, Fla.
In another way, however, the rough-and-tumble Tucker, about as old school as one gets in the league, enjoys this unintended nod to pickup basketball in late summer.
“It’s literally like meeting up at a YMCA and just playing, that’s seriously what it is,” Tucker said of the no-fans setting for pro basketball’s biggest stage — the postseason. “Even with the sound effects they try to make it game-like, but it’s just mainly us. Each team rooting each other on and getting each other going, getting behind each other and rallying.
“Every game is a neutral court.”
Through two double-digit victories over the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Game 3 of the opening round of the playoffs set for 5 p.m. Saturday, the Rockets could not be happier with the neutrality of it all, and they’ve done their best to crank up the gusto from the shadows beyond the court spotlight.
“We have to generate our own enthusiasm,” Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said. “We don’t have fans here, so it’s really up to the bench and the players to generate the energy we need to get over tough times or fatigue battles. They’ve been great.”
The Rockets’ head cheerleaders through the first two games haven’t played a minute: guard Russell Westbrook and center Tyson Chandler. The All-Star Westbrook is out for at least the first three games with a strained quad muscle, but he was more active than anyone not suited up in the Rockets’ 111-98 comeback victory Thursday in Game 2.
Perhaps in another nod to pickup basketball in parks and worn gyms across the country, Westbrook even sported a black, sleeveless Iron Maiden T-shirt while cheering on his teammates and taking part in animated conversations with referees. Iron Maiden is an English heavy metal band formed in 1975, 13 years before Westbrook was born.
“Russell Westbrook (is) engaged in the basketball game,” ESPN analyst Mark Jackson said while enjoying a lively Westbrook serving as a welcome addition to D’Antoni’s staff. “Look at (his teammates’) eyes, paying attention to him (during a time out). I want greatness not just to sit and chill, I want dialogue with everybody, and to be engaged. That’s outstanding leadership by Westbrook.”
Poked Rockets star James Harden with a slight smile: “He better be cheering — he’s got nothing else to do. … Russ is our leader.”
Harden, too, typically reserved during breaks on the bench, was active and engaged in cheering on the Rockets overcoming an early fourth quarter deficit to win by 13 points.
“We feed off each other,” said Harden, buoyed by the Rockets’ role players after his own subpar shooting night. “We’ve got to give each other encouragement and energy, even when things aren’t going well, we’ve got to keep giving each other that boost of confidence … We try to spread that among our teammates and our coaches, and they feed it back to us.
“That goes a long way, especially here without any fans.”
The fourth-seeded Rockets technically were the home team against fifth-seeded Oklahoma City in the first two games, although the Thunder on Friday admitted the addition of their own virtual fans on Saturday likely won’t mean much to the outcome, for better or worse.
“To sit here and say we’re not (officially) coming home now, this is tough and difficult … the reality is everyone is playing in the same situation,” said Billy Donovan, who is trying to avoid his first 0-3 start to a playoff series in his five seasons as Thunder coach. “A crowd can only do so much. … In a normal series people may say, ‘Oh, you’re back home and you’ve got homecourt (advantage),’ but you’ve still got to play. And we need to play better.”
Meanwhile, D’Antoni, 69, seems to be having as much fun coaching as ever — even in a mostly empty YMCA, er, arena.
“Tyson Chandler, who hasn’t played, you hear his voice always,” D’Antoni said. “You can’t put a premium on that. Russ has been super encouraging, and it’s been fantastic. That’s what it’s about. No matter what, everyone is cheering for the other guy … and when you have that kind of spirit, it’s great. … James is in there congratulating all the guys on the job they did.
“That goes a long, long way, and you can’t teach it — it just has to happen. It’s fun at this point.”