There's a good case to be made that the third game of this year's NBA finals was won by the Boston Celtic fans in Boston Garden. If that's so, there's an equally good case that the fourth and deciding sixth game of the series were lost by the Boston Celtic fans.
Many years ago I became fascinated by the theory of a little-known academic named Peter Senge about a mysterious process that happens especially in group situations that he called "alignment." This concept was later re-branded by others as "flow." Now everyone knows (more or less) what flow is--a state of hyper-awareness, almost unconscious efficiency at speed, when everything works beautifully. (Senge had better luck in branding when he came up with "The Fifth Discipline," that sold a lot of books etc.) One of Senge's examples of alignment was what sometimes happened in a basketball game. I was especially intrigued by the idea that it sometimes was felt by both teams.
Today the coaches and players talk often of the flow of the game, of being in rhythm, of playing with force, etc. Momentum is recognized as a reality, and teams go through periods when they score in bunches (or runs) while the other team suddenly can't defend, or an efficient offense suddenly gets out of synch and seems to fall apart.
Also recognized is the role of the fans in the building. There are a number of reasons that home games provide advantages to the home team, and the fans are often a big one. Their enthusiasm inspires energy and effort. The home team can ride on the waves they create, and interact with that enthusiasm, making it greater with great plays.
What is less obvious, partly because until recently it has been much less prevalent, is the negative vibes--the virulence up to the edge of violence--of home fans against the away team. How it can work, and then quickly backfire, was demonstrated in Boston.
Golden State fans are enthusiastic for their team, and as the fans in many other arenas, they may boo the other side but basically treat them respectfully. It's an aspect of self-respect, and of the culture. But Boston is one of those places with a different culture, and they took it up a notch in the first game of the finals to be played at Boston Garden: game 3.
With loud and repeated chants of "fuck you, Draymond," they set a new standard for viciousness and hate in what is supposed to be a sports contest, an aspect of entertainment. That Boston has been known as a bastion for racism in several decades of the 20th century, made this even more portentous and ugly.
It seems doubtful to me that this encouraged the home town team very much. But in this case it did rattle the visitors. Everyone on the close-knit Warriors team was acutely aware of the presence of Draymond Green's child or children, his family, and the other children in the building. Green's game fell apart. The Warriors fell out of alignment. Then Draymond heard Steph Curry scream in pain when a larger Celtic fell across his foot and ankle when they were on the floor grasping for a loose ball--exactly the same circumstance by which another Celtic injured Curry's foot during the regular season, causing him to miss several weeks of games. At that point Draymond lost it entirely. The Warriors lost the game, and were down 2-1 in the series. They would be returning to this court after just one day off for the now-crucial fourth game.
In their interviews between games the Warriors players and coaches seemed calm. Curry talked easily of his ten hours of sleep and his physical therapy on his foot. When Curry tested that foot with a three late in the first quarter, and nailed it, he cried out in triumph. The emotions hidden from the cameras and microphones started to come out on the floor.
Curry had a game that former teammate Kevin Durant called "iconic." Curry scored 43 points in 41 minutes. He had 7 threes, four assists and--incredibly--10 rebounds. He dominated the scoring by causing defensive havoc in how he hit from everywhere. But other Warriors also played an inspired game, especially in dominating the boards. Andrew Wiggins had 17 points--and 16 rebounds. Kevon Looney had 11, Draymond had 10. Klay Thompson chipped in 18 points, hitting key buckets and playing some crucial defense in crunch time. Jordan Poole led the bench that together added 25 points.
Later Draymond said he was sure that part of Curry's obviously emotional game was in response to the ugly chants and behavior of the Boston fans the night before. In retrospect, it seems that motivation was there for the entire team.
After a home victory in the fifth game, the Warriors were in the driver's seat. They could afford to lose the sixth game in Boston and win it all before their own fans at home. But that seems never to have been an option. From Coach Kerr to the players, they wanted to win the sixth game not only because anything can happen in 7th games, but because it was in Boston. They wanted to silence those fans. And by the end of the first quarter they did. Many of those rabid Celtic fans were on their way home before the game was nearly over.
The Warriors' response to those chants created an intensity by which they created their own flow. The silence was as good as cheers. It unleashed emotion that continued long after the game was over. Golden State had figured out the Celtics team. But they were playing to defeat the haters in the Celtics' stands.
