Home Sweet Home? 🏠

Home court advantage…Yesterday, it didn’t seem to matter much; buckle up, Smallball-ers, and let's ride through a day in the NBA playoffs where the road teams (mostly) ruled.

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Let’s dive right into the Sunday scoreboard:

🗽 New York Knicks at 🐎 Detroit Pistons

• Knicks win 94-93

• Karl-Anthony Towns made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 46 seconds left

• Knicks lead the series 3–1

⭐️ Los Angeles Lakers at 🐺 Minnesota Timberwolves

• Wolves win 116-113

• Anthony Edwards exploded for 43 points, outdueling Luka with 38 and LeBron with 27

• Wolves lead the series 3-1

☘️ Boston Celtics at 🪄 Orlando Magic

• Celtics win 107-98

• Boston took care of business on the road behind Jayson Tatum’s 37 points

• Celtics lead the series 3-1

🏎️ Indiana Pacers at 🦌 Milwaukee Bucks

• Pacers win 129-103

• Bucks star Damian Lillard, who just returned from a month-long injury, left the game in the 1st quarter with another potentially serious leg injury

• Pacers now lead the series 3-1

Notice any patterns? All 4 winning teams now lead their series 3-1. And 3 of the 4 road teams won! Only the Timberwolves defended their home court.

The Pistons almost defended their home court... but not quite. The Knicks pulled out the win in Detroit on a wild ending: Piston Tim Hardaway Jr. launched a potential game-winner, got bumped by the Knicks’ Josh Hart... and no foul was called. Take a close look:

After the game, one of the referees said: “The contact was more than marginal and should have been ruled a foul.”

Sometimes it’s a great shot that decides the game. Sometimes it’s the whistle that never blows.

🏟️ So... What Exactly Is Home Court Advantage?

You've probably heard it a million times: “They’ve got home court advantage!” Or in baseball or football “home field advantage.” But after watching 3 road teams wins yesterday, you might be wondering: Is home court advantage real?

Here’s the idea behind home court advantage:

• Sleeping in your own bed (Comfy!)

• No planes, no hotels (Fresh legs!)

• Familiar routines: same breakfast, same locker room, same warmup music

• And most importantly... the crowd roaring for you, not against you

All those things add up. Historically, experts calculate that NBA teams playing at home have about a 3 point advantage in the regular season, and that increases to about 6 points in a playoff game 7. In Game 7s, home teams win about 80% of the time!

But there’s more: Noise doesn't just hype players. It can even mess with the referees. Studies show that in loud arenas, refs sometimes (without even realizing it!) call games a little bit in favor of the home team.

Too bad for the Pistons. Even with their fans roaring, they didn’t get the late foul call they needed and the Knicks escaped with the win.

🎤 Would you rather try to lift YOUR crowd or crush someone else's home crowd with a game-winning shot?

Today’s games

Will home teams have more success today? Here’s what’s coming up:

• ⚔️ Cleveland Cavaliers at 🔥Miami Heat (Cavaliers lead 3–0); experts say 75% chance Cavaliers win

• 🚀 Houston Rockets at 🌉 Golden State Warriors (Warriors lead 2–1); experts say 60% chance Warriors win

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What we learned today: Home court advantage helps, but heart, hustle, and a little luck still matter most.

Thanks for reading, Smallballers!

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