I voyaged off my recliner and drove the 40 minutes to SLC to be in house for game four. I've seen a handful of NBA games live and enjoy them every time. If you doubt the athleticism of NBA players you really should see a game live. The game is so physical and fast you really need to see it live to fully appreciate what NBA players do. I got there early and was able to see a few warmups. Gordon Hayward only stayed out for a few minutes because had the runs and ended up playing less than ten minutes. JJ Redick was my favorite player to watch warmup... you can tell he is very meticulous with his warmup. I got my seats on the side of the Clipper bench so I could see into the huddle and on the bench.
What a home court advantage the Jazz have. I've been to one other playoff game (last year Celtics v. Hawks at the TD Garden) and Vivint Smart Home Arena Delta Energy Solutions Stockton Center was way louder than the garden. The game at the TD garden went into overtime and Isaiah Thomas hit a game winner in the corner. The place got loud, but nowhere near as loud as when Deandre Jordan went to the free-throw line last night. The place got even louder in the fourth quarter and was erupting when the jazz took the lead and won the game.
I'm a pretty reasonable fan. I understand when my team gets bailed out by a bad call or gets away with something. When I heard the fans go bananas when Deandre Jordan went to the free throw line I took a step back and started to think about humanity. People are jerks. Here is a guy who struggles with shooting and the crowd is just demolishing him. Deandre stepped up to the line and hit nothing but air... the ball didn't draw anything--net, iron, backboard. When he shot that air ball the place went berserk. The crowd started waving those towels, yelling even louder because they knew they made him cower at the stripe. Imagine 20,000 people ganging up on something you suck at.
I swear I saw Deandre Jordan shrink from the seven foot giant to a city league small forward with a receding hair line. He looked small. He looked shook. If he goes to the line in game 6 I'll try to get a video.
It was comical that a minute later JJ Redick (89% free-throw shooter) was at the line and the crowd didn't even bother to wave the towels. Why bother when he will just knock them down.
That's why sports sometimes are not for the nice grandmas. Sometimes I don't get it either, it doesn't make sense. What other place can fans just destroy someone with towels and chants. My dad used to say that fans cheering against you makes you a stronger person. No one ever messed up at a piano recital to hear the crowd chant, "wrong note! wrong note!"
The jazz fans were loud but a handful were not the best fans. The fans at the TD garden were more knowledgeable about the game. The fans at TD garden were more focused on the game and less on the selfies they were taking. Last night I even heard one fan cheer for a Derrick Favors shot by shouting "Ruuddddyyyy!" Rudy Gobert was on the bench. My friends said the fans sitting in their section were somewhat similar.
But the majority were nice and put up with the pockets of Clippers fan. Game 6 should be an enjoyable one.
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