They are always loud, often obnoxious and sometimes inspired by foamy beverages.
They are the fans of the Sacramento Kings and they will squeeze into Arco Arena tonight, 17,317 strong, when the Seattle SuperSonics visit for Game 3 of this best-of-seven first-round NBA playoff series. Though the Sonics have a 2-0 series edge after back-to-back wins at KeyArena, they know the Kings and their less-than-cordial crowd will be primed for payback when the two teams tip off at 7:30 p.m.
”They are very loud and they can be rough,” said Seattle coach Nate McMillan, choosing his words with care. ”They can say things that grab your attention. You hear some of it and you have to try to ignore it. You try to, but sometimes you don’t.
”The Sacramento Kings are Sacramento,” he said. ”That’s what they live for down there and they’re really serious about their basketball. That’s always been a very loud building, and I’m sure in the playoffs it’s even louder.”
”Their fans are going to be ready for us,” agreed forward Rashard Lewis.
Most NBA arenas have their own particular aura, making them distinct to visiting teams. The crowds at KeyArena, for instance, are not particularly hostile to opponents, but can be unusually loud because of the building’s design, which has fans much closer to the court than some of the league’s more spacious facilities.
By contrast, the crowds in Los Angeles are often of the see-and-be-seen Hollywood variety and have something of a pompous air about them. Likewise, the fans in Phoenix are not decidedly raucous, maybe because they’re drained by the warm weather and because America West Arena is so cavernous. Portland fans at one time were a rowdy bunch, but they have backed off in recent years, probably because the team has fallen into mediocrity.
The most spiteful fans, at least in the NBA’s Western Conference, probably reside in Utah and Sacramento, although the Kings probably have the edge for two reasons. One is alcohol, which does not flow freely in Salt Lake City. The other is the cowbells, which some Sacramento spectators use to make as much racket as possible.
McMillan remembers one game when a fan seated directly behind the Seattle bench was yelling and clanging his cowbell so loudly, the team had to move its timeouts onto the court.
Though Sonics center Jerome James (a former King) admits that Arco Arena ”is a tough place to play,” he dismisses the impact of the noise. Specifically, the cowbells.
”The first game they bother you,” he said, ”but after that you really feel sorry for people that they have to resort to those tactics to try to help their team win. Do they really, honestly think they have that much say-so to determine what’s going to happen on that court. We’re professional athletes and we’re going to play through whatever.”
”I like cowbells,” said Seattle’s Vlade Radmanovic with a smile. ”I think we should have more cowbells.”
The last time the Sonics and Kings squared off in the postseason was 1996. The teams split two games in Seattle before heading to Sacramento, and Kings fans were eager to remind the Sonics of their first-round playoff losses each of the two previous years. As Seattle players entered the arena, they were welcomed by scores of fans, taunting the team with hands-to-throat gestures.
The Sonics, of course, had the last laugh that season, winning both games in Sacramento to end the best-of-five series. And that, Seattle’s players and coaches say, is the best way to quiet hecklers.
”They can talk to me any way they want,” Radmanovic said. ”I’m just going to play the game. The only way you can answer them is to make your shots and make their team lose.”
To Seattle’s Ray Allen, crowds at Arco Arena are no different than fans anywhere else in the league – he ignores them all.
”I never pay attention to them,” he said. ”I don’t even look at them. I don’t want to give anybody the satisfaction that they’re in my ear. You can see some people’s faces quiver when they’re playing (in Sacramento), but for me nothing changes.”
Still, that’s not to say he doesn’t enjoy winning in hostile venues, like Arco Arena.
”I’d rather be in our own building, bringing our own crowd to their feet,” Allen said. ”But it’s cool on the road when people shut up because you’re making baskets. There’s nothing better than seeing people with scowls on their faces because their team lost.”
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