Home Court Must Be An Advantage For The Rockets

The Houston Rockets are finally an NBA team that can walk shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the league's best teams. Some big swings in the offseason have balanced out a team that was one of the leading defensive teams a season ago. Now, the offense should be much improved with the additions of Kevin Durant and Dorian Finney-Smith, along with offensive improvement from Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson.

While the team has improved significantly, the Rockets need a home-court advantage that matches their improved play into next season.

It's not that Houston's home court advantage isn't significant; the postseason crowd was some of the team's biggest in years as the Rockets earned a high seed and a marquee first-round matchup. However, failing to fill a stadium during the postseason would be a major failure for any NBA team. Even still, there are levels to fan buy-in compared to teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets that have walls of fans in their team colors during the postseason.

The play on the court is clearly the most important factor to Houston's chances at playing in the Finals and winning a championship, but their home-court advantage could play a major role throughout the postseason.

Head coach Ime Udoka has experienced the impact of a significant home-court advantage while coaching for the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics are one of the league's most historic teams. Playing in the postseason is part of the team's DNA, and the fandom has been passed down through family lines. Houston doesn't have the deep-rooted history of a team like the Celtics, but the Rockets have had exciting, contending teams since their championships in the mid-90s. Houston is building its own history with the quality of players that have passed through its locker room and practice facilities.

One factor is that the city of Houston has such a wide range of people from other states and even other countries. Opposing fans have filled the arena as much as Houston fans in the 2020s, but now the team is ready to change that for the next phase of the franchise.

This new era of the Rockets could establish a new standard for Rockets fans. The addition of Durant is a box-office move that increases Houston's ability to compete. Excitement has grown for the season as the Rockets prepare for one of their most anticipated seasons in the current decade.

Fans will be excited to get to downtown early, find their seats pregame, and stay the whole game as the Rockets expect to put out one of the league's most competitive and exciting teams next season.