NBA '08 Playoff Thread

[ucacm]

I have to say I'm not sure that Houston as a whole is a "bandwagon" town. AA might disagree with me on that, but as a whole, I really think we love our teams through thick & thin.

Are you kidding me? I'm one of the biggest Rockets fans you'll find, but Houston is a HUGE bandwagon sports city.

 

[Bruce Leroy]

And in regards to Bibby running his mouth before the series about the Boston fans, find me anything in his quote that wasn't true.

I'm glad they brought their A-games tonight.

I'm sure they tried just as hard as any other playoff team.

 

[Lieslntx]

I have to say I'm not sure that Houston as a whole is a "bandwagon" town. AA might disagree with me on that, but as a whole, I really think we love our teams through thick & thin.

Are you kidding me? I'm one of the biggest Rockets fans you'll find, but Houston is a HUGE bandwagon sports city.

Well, I might have to disagree with you on that one. Only because I attended four Texans' games last year (yes, only four home games, but still) and Reliant Stadium was packed each and every time. Last game of the year, we all knew nothing could come from a win, but that place was packed & pumped. I was there and I know. Call Houston what you want, but tell me what games you have attended and then make these comments.

 

[bostonbred]

If you're looking for diehard fans, check out that list. You'll see Sacramento filled 100 percent of its seats last year for a team that went 33-49.

I'm guessing that had something to do with Bibby's comment.

Sac has great fans, but it's also a one-sport city. There are so many more sports options in New England, like the other major sports teams, as well as Minor League Baseball, Can-Am Baseball, AHL hockey, Arena Football, WNBA, UConn/BC basketball, college hockey, pro lacrosse, NASCAR, MLS, high school/tons of colleges sports etc.

 

[Boobie Miles]

I have to say I'm not sure that Houston as a whole is a "bandwagon" town. AA might disagree with me on that, but as a whole, I really think we love our teams through thick & thin.

From the above link, the Rockets were 21st in attendance and 14th in percentage of capacity and they were a contender last year.

Whoever said the diehards stick with the team and the rest of a city is bandwagon was 100% right. Doesn't matter if it's Boston, New York, Houston or anywhere else. (Doesn't apply to many NFL cities though).

 

[Boobie Miles]

I have to say I'm not sure that Houston as a whole is a "bandwagon" town. AA might disagree with me on that, but as a whole, I really think we love our teams through thick & thin.

Are you kidding me? I'm one of the biggest Rockets fans you'll find, but Houston is a HUGE bandwagon sports city.

Well, I might have to disagree with you on that one. Only because I attended four Texans' games last year (yes, only four home games, but still) and Reliant Stadium was packed each and every time. Last game of the year, we all knew nothing could come from a win, but that place was packed & pumped. I was there and I know. Call Houston what you want, but tell me what games you have attended and then make these comments.

Texas as a whole is football crazy -- the whole country is for the most part -- and there are only 8 home games to fill. It's apples and oranges compared to every other sport.

 

[Boobie Miles]

The whole "fair weather" fan thing? I've attended plenty of Celtics games during the past few years, including this season. Nothing different, except the product on the floor and harder-to-find tickets.

Of course they're harder-to-find tickets. The Celtics ranked 20th among 30 teams in NBA attendance a year ago and 23rd in percentage of seats filled at home games.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/attendance?year=2007

And the Hawks were 26th in attendance and 29th in percentage...

There was pretty much no reason to go to the Garden last season. Pierce was out for most of the season and it was basically a bunch of unfamiliar scrubs (minus Al Jeff) like Michael Olowokandi, Brian Scalabrine, Sabastian Telfair, and Gerald Green. With so many sports options in New England, I'm surprised that attendance figure wasn't even lower. Especially with the harmful tanking allegations, which alienated a sizable amount of the diehard fanbase.

"Diehard fanbase"? You mean the "fanbase" that only gives a shirt when the Celtics are good? Boston is home to the most fair-weather fan base in professional sports. "fork 'em" when they lose and "I knew we could do it!" when they win.

I think that's taking it a bit far. That may apply to the Celtics and Bruins, but I don't think it's the case with the Patriots and there's no way that's the case with the Sox. I'm guessing if we put our heads together we could come up with a more fair-weather city than Boston.

 

[Lieslntx]

I have to say I'm not sure that Houston as a whole is a "bandwagon" town. AA might disagree with me on that, but as a whole, I really think we love our teams through thick & thin.

Are you kidding me? I'm one of the biggest Rockets fans you'll find, but Houston is a HUGE bandwagon sports city.

Well, I might have to disagree with you on that one. Only because I attended four Texans' games last year (yes, only four home games, but still) and Reliant Stadium was packed each and every time. Last game of the year, we all knew nothing could come from a win, but that place was packed & pumped. I was there and I know. Call Houston what you want, but tell me what games you have attended and then make these comments.

Texas as a whole is football crazy -- the whole country is for the most part -- and there are only 8 home games to fill. It's apples and oranges compared to every other sport.

You are right. I should not have used football as my reference, as you really can't compare it to other sports in this instance. I suppose I am basing my opinion on the general energy level that I noticed at a Rockets early this season that I attended. No, the stadium was not sold out, but it was rather full. Also, as a die-hard fan, I tend to surround myself with other die-hard fans which probably skews my opinion as well. So to me, Houston does not feel like a bandwagon town. But maybe it is and I'm just not interacting with the fair-weather fans enough to know this.

 

[Chi City 81]

The whole "fair weather" fan thing? I've attended plenty of Celtics games during the past few years, including this season. Nothing different, except the product on the floor and harder-to-find tickets.

Of course they're harder-to-find tickets. The Celtics ranked 20th among 30 teams in NBA attendance a year ago and 23rd in percentage of seats filled at home games.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/attendance?year=2007

And the Hawks were 26th in attendance and 29th in percentage...

There was pretty much no reason to go to the Garden last season. Pierce was out for most of the season and it was basically a bunch of unfamiliar scrubs (minus Al Jeff) like Michael Olowokandi, Brian Scalabrine, Sabastian Telfair, and Gerald Green. With so many sports options in New England, I'm surprised that attendance figure wasn't even lower. Especially with the harmful tanking allegations, which alienated a sizable amount of the diehard fanbase.

"Diehard fanbase"? You mean the "fanbase" that only gives a shirt when the Celtics are good? Boston is home to the most fair-weather fan base in professional sports. "fork 'em" when they lose and "I knew we could do it!" when they win.

I think that's taking it a bit far. That may apply to the Celtics and Bruins, but I don't think it's the case with the Patriots and there's no way that's the case with the Sox. I'm guessing if we put our heads together we could come up with a more fair-weather city than Boston.

The only one I'd be willing to give a pass to is the Sox. But Foxboro was a dead zone for about a decade in between Super Bowl XX and Bledsoe's first playoff appearance.

 

[friend of a friend]

If you're looking for diehard fans, check out that list. You'll see Sacramento filled 100 percent of its seats last year for a team that went 33-49.

I'm guessing that had something to do with Bibby's comment.

Sac has great fans, but it's also a one-sport city. There are so many more sports options in New England, like the other major sports teams, as well as Minor League Baseball, Can-Am Baseball, AHL hockey, Arena Football, WNBA, UConn/BC basketball, college hockey, pro lacrosse, NASCAR, MLS, high school/tons of colleges sports etc.

Your argument isn't really helping your cause.

Sounds to me like you're giving plenty of examples of why Boston fans are bandwagon jumpers. "Well, the Celtics suck this year. Let's go to a pro lacrosse game, instead."

 

[rube]

As someone hailing from the Detroit area, I can admit to you that things are split. Tigers fans are fair-weathered losers because I can recall going into Comerica Park the year they set the losses record for $1. And when we'd get to the gate, sometimes, they just let us go in because the attendance was downright pitiful in mid-July.
Lions fans are insane. The team has been a joke for the past 30 years and whether it's Ford Field or the Silverdome, you can't hear yourself think before the game starts. Red Wings fans stick it out, Pistons fans for the most part hung through the tough times in the mid 90s. And to be honest, Tigers fans did hang around for a while until it got terrible.
But the point here is, Atlanta is a pathetic sports city -- Boston isn't as great as it likes to think it is -- but at the end of the day, don't we think it's a bit ridiculous for Boston fans to STILL be in a pissing match with forking Atlanta Hawks fans??

 

[friend of a friend]

As someone hailing from the Detroit area, I can admit to you that things are split. Tigers fans are fair-weathered losers because I can recall going into Comerica Park the year they set the losses record for $1. And when we'd get to the gate, sometimes, they just let us go in because the attendance was downright pitiful in mid-July.
Lions fans are insane. The team has been a joke for the past 30 years and whether it's Ford Field or the Silverdome, you can't hear yourself think before the game starts. Red Wings fans stick it out, Pistons fans for the most part hung through the tough times in the mid 90s. And to be honest, Tigers fans did hang around for a while until it got terrible.
But the point here is, Atlanta is a pathetic sports city -- Boston isn't as great as it likes to think it is -- but at the end of the day, don't we think it's a bit ridiculous for Boston fans to STILL be in a pissing match with forking Atlanta Hawks fans??

yes