Nuggets interim HC accuses Clippers of using fake crowd noise

Denver Nuggets interim head coach David Adelman thinks that the atmosphere at the Los Angeles Clippers’ new arena is a little bit inorganic.

Speaking with reporters after practice Wednesday, Adelman, who took over on the Nuggets bench after the team’s recent firing of Michael Malone, was asked about the challenge of playing in the state-of-the-art Intuit Dome. The arena, which is the home of the Clippers and is in its inaugural season, is set to host at least Game 3 and Game 4 of the Nuggets-Clippers playoff series. Denver also already played a regular season game at Intuit Dome in December.

In response, Adelman complimented the setup but also accused the Clippers of pumping in artificial crowd noise.

“They have the crowd towards our bench, it’s like a high school crowd which is actually really cool,” said Adelman. “And the other thing is they pump sound in that place. That place is so loud … That building, it’s very loud whether the crowd is cheering or not … [But] it is an amazing place by the way.”

Adelman is probably a bit suspicious since the Clippers ranked 28th in the NBA in overall attendance this season (per ESPN). But such an accusation is tough to prove because it relies mainly on conjecture and anecdotal evidence.

The NBA generally frowns upon any artificial noise during gameplay, but their specific rules on fake crowd noise are somewhat of a gray area. We do know though that the NBA used artificial crowd noise during the 2020 bubble in Orlando when no fans were allowed in attendance.

As for the Intuit Dome, which will be hosting its first-ever NBA playoff game on Thursday, it has already cemented its reputation as one of the most unique places to play in the entire league.