Home Court Advantage

Poor little Cavaliers. They lost again last night. They had a lead with a minute or so to go, then folded like Superman on laundry day It looks like its pretty much over. They would have to win four in a row now. Unlikely. They did play much better last night. Not coincidentally, it was played in Cleveland.

Why do teams play better at home? In every sport and every league a team is more likely to win at home than on the road. I used to think it was because the crowd encouraged the team. If a team is behind, they don't give up and if ahead, they don't let up. There might be something to that, but that isn't apparently the main reason for home court advantage.

There was a good book, I think called Scoreboarding, that talked about this issue. They made a pretty convincing point that the crowd doesn't influence the home team as much as they influence the referees. Referees/umpires/judges, whatever. They said that, at least subconsciously, officials benefit the home team. Its just human nature that a person doesn't want thousands of people booing them. On the other hand it is a lot more fun to have people cheering you. So close calls are more likely to go for the home team.

That being said, the Cavaliers have another home game. If they win that game, unlike last night, where they still have a chance. They'll be down three games to one, but that is how they were last year and they won three in a row and the championship.

So, I keep hope alive.