The NBA Championship Formula Part Four: Making Home Court An Advantage

The New Orleans Pelicans have to start winning at home in order to become legitimate contenders for a title.

David Grubb | Sep 20, 2022

Apr 22, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green gestures to his players in the second half of game three of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at the Smoothie King Center against the Phoenix Suns. The Suns won, 114-111. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

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New Orleans Pelicans

Entering the 2022-23 NBA season, New Orleans Pelicans fans are expecting a major jump in the standings with the return of a healthy Zion Williamson and the maturation of a lineup that pushed the Phoenix Suns to six games in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs.

How close are the Pels to being a legitimate championship contender?

To answer that, first there has to be an understanding of the components of a championship NBA team. After looking at the past decade of champions, some trends stand out.

This is part four in a five-part series identifying those keys to victory.

Home court matters in the NBA.

During last season’s playoffs, the team that held home court advantage in each series finished 12-3. In every case where a team managed to knock off the higher-seeded foe, it took seven games and a rare win on the opponent’s home court to advance.

If the New Orleans Pelicans have their sights set on holding up the Larry O’Brien trophy at the end of the 2022-23 season, then the franchise will have to make the Smoothie King Center a far less hospitable place for visit teams.

Last season, the Pels finished their home slate with a 19-22 record. Only five teams in the Western Conference finished with fewer home wins (San Antonio, Sacramento, Portland, OKC, Portland).

Golden State was 31-10 at the Chase Center during the regular season and 11-1 in the postseason as the Warriors claimed the franchise’s fourth championship in eight years.

That’s consistent with the performance of championship teams throughout the past decade. The last team standing has a 320-79 record at home, a better than 80 percent winning percentage.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans were 19-22 at The Blender, finishing below .500 at home for the third time in the four years. New Orleans hasn’t posted a winning record at home since making the playoffs in 2018.

The best the franchise has done over the last 10 years was a 28-13 mark during the 2014-15 season. Even the worst champion of that era, the 2020 Lakers, finished with a better winning percentage.

It’s hard to blame it on fan support when, relative to the team’s on-court performance, attendance has been solid. Based on figures from ESPN and relative to percentage of tickets sold, the Pelicans were 15th-best in the NBA in home support. That’s better than the Suns, Grizzlies, Clippers, Nuggets, and Spurs.

Chris Paul and Jose Alvarado — Apr 22, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Chris Paul (3) has the ball knocked away by New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (15) in the second quarter of game three of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Considering that New Orleans is one of the league’s smallest market, as people are prone to remind Pelicans fans, the fact that fan attendance has been as high as 13th in the rankings without falling lower than 20th over the past ten years is a remarkable one.

It shows that the Pels 12 has shown up pretty consistently while the team has been a thought what at times has felt like a relentless cycling of players and expectations.

And the fact is that the Pelicans 12 that takes the court this season will have to do a better job of showing up than it has in year’s past.

Facing the Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center should be the worst part of any opposing player’s trip to the Crescent City.

It’s time for the New Orleans Pelicans to become very poor hosts and leave the hospitality to the industry professionals.

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