Best NBA city

[Skandery]

Some fans win everything.

 


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Best NBA city: San Antonio
By Steve Greenberg - SportingNews


As part of SN's celebration of sports' best, our writers make cases for the best football, basketball, baseball, hockey, NASCAR and college cities.

The boss asked me -- wait, told me -- to write a short blog on why San Antonio is the best NBA town. So let me crack my knuckles here and ... turn it over to one of my favorite fan bloggers, the great SanAnDynasty:

"Most major cities in the U.S. have multiple professional sports teams. San Antonio has just one -- the Spurs -- and that is a blessing in disguise," SanAnDynasty writes in an e-mail to the lazy Sporting News employee whose work he is doing. "Although I would love an NFL team in my hometown, the Spurs' being the only pro franchise allows us, as fans, to concentrate all of our energy and focus on the team we love so dearly."

SanAnDynasty breaks down about 1,000 other reasons San Antone is No. 1, including:

1. The Spurs and their fans handle winning with class. "Do we overturn cars and start fires when we win a title?" he writes. "No. We celebrate with friends and family, maybe have a margarita on the Riverwalk and turn our focus to next season."

2. Spurs players don't get into any trouble off the court. "They represent our city with pride and dignity."

3. The bottom line: "Nothing comes before the Spurs. That's what makes San Antonio the best NBA town."

I would disagree with any of that if I could.

I was in San Antonio for a Spurs game this season. The energy from those fans was wonderful -- very positive and yet more intense than you typically get from sports' politest, best-behaved crowds. That arena got loud and, no question, everyone there was glued to the game.

It impressed me because of how long the Spurs have been winning. The fans haven't gotten spoiled at all. They're still hungry.

But I'm going to stop here because, let's face it, I'm not saying it half as well as SanAnDynasty can.

 

[WayOutWest]

The best NBA city is the one with the highest fan attendance, don't know which franchise holds claim to that stat.   Fluffy bunny BS cannot dispute hard numbers.

[Skandery]

The best NBA city is the one with the highest fan attendance, don't know which franchise holds claim to that stat.

Chicago

Fluffy bunny BS cannot dispute hard numbers.

Start getting used to the way we discuss basketball around here, WOWser!!

[Reality]

I'll bet Okla City is cool.

Golden State Cow Palace used to be so lax people would freely toke up in the stands.

Utah you would be surrounded by relatives no matter where you sat.

[WayOutWest]

Golden State Cow Palace used to be so lax people would freely toke up in the stands.

We have a winner!

[westkoast]

Kind of hard to turn over cars and light them on fire when everyone drives wagons.

Sac-Town sells out every single home game for the past 6-7 seasons I thought? 

I'd say Sac-Town, SA, and Pheonix.  PHX is turning into a huge basketball city.  You should see how nuts they get out there during the season/playoffs.

[rickortreat]

A very stupid argument- which city is the best for the NBA!

There are so many parameters that you could use to rank them, that any results you come up with would be highly subjective.

Which stadiums have the best site-lines, the least expensive seats, the best concessions, the knowledge of the fans, the coverage in the media, access to the players by the public......

Just the product of a sportswriter trying to create more controversy.

[JoMal]

Wouldn't this be a much more interesting topic if they would rank the worst NBA cities?

And why?

[rickortreat]

I think not.  The worst NBA city would be one that doesn't even have a team!

St. Louis, Cincinnati. Kansas City and Pittsburgh come to mind as cities large enough to support an NBA team, but don't have one. Not only that, but some had teams and lost them.

 

[Joe Vancil]

Sorry, but I've got to disagree.

The best fans in the NBA are in Portland.  I think that it's obvious that the best NBA fans are in Portland, the best baseball fans are in St. Louis, and the best football fans are in Green Bay.

Seriously.

These folks know the difference between a player playing hard, and a player who is dogging it - and they'll let them hear about it.  They're well-versed in basketball knowledge.  They don't support players when the players misbehave, but instead, call it the way that pretty much everyone in the country sees it. 

I went to see two games in Portland in the 2005-6 season (thanks for the tickets again, ziggy), and I found the fans to be friendly, knowledgeable, and absolutely unforgiving to players who were giving less than their best effort.  And folks across the town could talk basketball with you. 

And we only need to point as far as ziggy on the board to see the example of the kind of folks I met in Portland at the game.

I felt that way about Portland fans before I went to the game, and my experience simply confirmed everything I believed going in.

[Laker Fan]

My vote for some of the best fans in the NBA goes to Sacramento. Teams going into the land of the cowpies know they are going into a very hostile environment. Same for Utah Jazz fans.

Now I'm not talking about who has the most knowledgable fans, Joe may very well be correct in assessment of Blazer fans, and judging from our resident Portland fan, he probably is, but raucous, insane fans, thy names are Kings fans.

Absolutely worst fans? slam dunk, Philly and Nick fans, period, end of story. It doesn't even matter what sport you pick, Philly is the worst.

Most apathetic, uninvolved fans? Laker fans.

[JoMal]

I honestly have some concerns about SacTown fans.

Rabid? You bet!

Knowledgible?  ummmmmm, not really.

If any indication is to be made from the call-ins to the radio talking heads shows, or letters of complaints to the Bee, some of these folks around here really need to boost their knowledge of what constitutes talent with an NBA team, or just common sense.

[Laker Fan]

I never said they were the most knowledgable fans JoMal, just some of the craziest, loudest ones.

You think you have some inbred 'tards calling in to your local sports shows in Sac Town, try listening to a local show in LA!

[JoMal]

I never said they were the most knowledgable fans JoMal, just some of the craziest, loudest ones.

You think you have some inbred 'tards calling in to your local sports shows in Sac Town, try listening to a local show in LA!

What rabid gene is floating around the shallow end of the pool that makes these people who are pathetically incapable of recognizing their plant-like features all want to talk anywhere near where others can hear?

Most of them are out of their depth in a parking lot puddle. 

[WayOutWest]

I don't know about some of your comments Laker Fan.  Philly fans are some of the most classless fans in the country but they are definately "rabid", same with Knick fans.  IMO NY fans are some of the most knowledgeable, or at least arrogant.

I don't think Laker fans are the most uninvolved, we just have more fair weather fans than most places.  If you were to go one-for-one as far as "rabid" fans, the Lakers would have just as many as any other city.  The problem is we have so many people that uninvolved Laker fans probably outnumber any other city as well.  Most fans that go to the game have money, it's too expensive for me to go games and I make pretty good money.  So the fans that most other cities see are fair weather fans with money, and in a city like L.A. if you have money there are tons of other things to do so why waste your time rooting for a losing team, just wait till they get on track then show up at Staples for your TV close up. 

If I could afford it I'd be at every Laker home game win or lose, but most fans like me don't have the super bank roll to make that happen, especially with a mortgage and four kids.  I TAKE CARE O MY KIDZ!