Bring The Noise
‘Intimidators’ (Ronald Martinez - NBAE/Getty Images)
Well, Jazz fans, we’ve done it now. While Utah has not won an NBA title yet, there is a title which the fans have claimed. We have been voted Most Intimidating! In a recent Sports Illustrated survey of 242 NBA players, they were asked which team’s arena is the most intimidating to play in as a visitor. Leading the way was our very own EnergySolutions Arena. That’s right Jazz fans, we are The Intimidators. We are part Dirty Harry and part Don Corleone. We make opposing players shake with fear and lose control of their bodily functions. (And you thought it was sweat that the ball-boys were wiping off the court all this time?)
I am assuming that the players are not particularly fearful of the actual building itself, even though it’s very name might conjure up thoughts of mid-level radioactive waste, which could be quite frightening. It’s not the green seats, the guy in the bear suit shooting silly string or the Mark Eaton jersey hanging from the rafters that makes them tremble with fear.
Obviously it is the ear-blistering constant roar of crazed Jazz fans which might make players feel like they are entering the Coliseum of ancient Rome, resigned to their fate that they are about to be devoured by the blood-thirsty lions. The thunderous fans have provided the ear-splitting soundtrack for Deron Williams and company as they’ve brought the Jazz back to legitimacy.
While the ESA does not have the best acoustics for concerts (I once made it through an entire Van Halen concert and could not make out any lyrics), it appears to be perfectly constructed for basketball games and LOUD SCREAMING AND YELLING. It also helps that the Jazz are pretty much the only major-league game in town. (Yes, that means you Real Salt Lake. I am calling you out, you David Beckham worshiping pansies. You scored like 4 goals all season long!).
So does it help to bring the noise? Well at home they are rolling over teams with a scorching 28-3 record so I would say that is a big yes. Their home record is even more amazing compared to their road trips which have more closely resembled those of the Griswolds. Against lowly Charlotte, they were roughed up so bad they might as well have had their hubcaps stolen off the family truckster too. In Minnesota, they fell asleep at the wheel and received a vicious beat-down from a team which would be on-the-bubble to make the N.I.T tournament. Against Chicago, they predictably phoned it in after whipping Dallas, Phoenix and the Nuggets.
If the Jazz can learn how to play on the road and somehow pull off home court advantage through out the playoffs, I would not bet against them. And if they can pull it off and bring home a championship, the fans will deserve a little ticker-tape parade themselves.
32 Comments to “Bring The Noise”
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That is pretty amazing we are the best nba team at home so far. I hope we can go in into the playoffs and kick some butt. I want the pull away with a championship be so freaking happy. I love the jazz they are the best team to like In my opinion.
Can you ever understand Van Halen at concerts????
I wonder why the players are so indimitated i mean it is just fans not much when they play infront of them every game. the players should be use to all the yelling and screaming.
I’m a big fan of the Jazz from Argentina and I can assure that I can hear that noice from here everytime they play on the EnergySolution Arena.
Go Jazz! and please give us a tilte!
Lautis! (laUTAHro)
The Jazz have fans all over the country! what do you expect! I am from Colorado!
I have followed the Jazz from Sydney Australia my whole life and on the rare occassion they put the Jazz games on tv here it is amazing the noise you can hear compared to those stupid Suns and Lakers games we are subjected to week after week!
There is just something about a Jazz game that creates a genuine aura for fans to feed off of. I lived in PHX for a few years and went to see the Jazz take on the Suns last year in PHX. The passion amongst the fans just wasn’t there, I’m sure PHX fans thought they were doing a good job, and making plenty of ruckus, but when Utah scored everyone in the arena knew I was a Jazz fan. After the game, the people sitting next to me and my date mentioned “So, sounded like you were sitting next to some Jazz fans”. I grinned, thinking to myself that perhaps, in some small way, I helped add a tally to the W column that night.
That’s a pretty derogatory comment there… You might be punished by the soccer gods for that. I like basketball, but I worship soccer. Also, RSL DID win the Rocky Mountain Cup last year, and we show some serious promise for the future. I wouldn’t be insulting this community. Watch yourself, pal.
Well i agree, it’s nice to be a hard arena to win in. I just wish the Jazz could take that energy on the road. If we could do that we would be the champs. However i’m really worried about Korver, i feel Sloan might be turning him into another Jarron or Hart…bench warmers. I know he starts every 2nd and 4th quarter but in the last few games i have seen Sloan pull him pretty fast and keep him on the bench. I would hate to see Korver turn into Fisher and bail on us at the end of the season. I like Korver He’s a great player and a great “off the court player” he fits here IN Utah and i want him to stay!!! Sloan we need his three’s keep him in the game!!!
Go Jazz!
Fans from Poland
You have never really been to a Van Halen concert if you CAN make out the lyrics. My wifedragged me to a Tim and Faith concert and unfortunately I heard every word. Oh yah GO JAZZ!
Good blog! Loved the soccer comment too… sad that we’re spending bookoo bucks to build a stadium for Major League Soccer’s worst team. Oh well.
Anyways, I’d be lying to say I’m surprised to read that ESA is the most intimidating place to play for a lot of opposing players/teams. I’m usually only able to make 1 or 2 games a year, and it never fails to amaze me how loud that place is. When you can’t hear yourself yell or scream after a big play, you know it’s loud. I think you make an interesting point about the Jazz being Utah’s only professional team (yeah, RSL could be considered professional, but they’ve yet to play like the other professional teams in the same league, so it’s difficult to determine if they are for real or not). It makes you wonder if the fans cherish the team that much more because of that fact. Most other NBA teams have other professional franchises. I don’t know what it is, but Utah fans are definitely die-hard. As soon as this team starts winning on the road, we can definitely make a push for a championship. Sadly enough, until then, we’ll just have to continue suffering through the mind boggling road performances of 2008.
Boston on Friday, could be over after the 1st quarter… sadly I can see it playing out much like the last time we were in New Orleans, 38 to 15 after one quarter. I hope that isn’t the case. Anyways, great blog. Thanks for the nice read!
I’m a die hard Jazz fan from Indiana. True blue at heart!
Go Jazz!!
I also agree with all of this. To tell you the truth, i can not figure out why utah is such a loud place. I hope the loudness doesnt stop though. well anyways i hope the jazz can start winning on the road more and keep up the home winning streak.
GO JAZZ!!!!!
It is for sure the the loudest arena in the nba because we jazz fans have passion unlike the other home croeds go jazz finish 38-3 at home and please do better on the road.
I think that being the greatest fans in the NBA is in the back of our minds at every game. We developed that reputation back in the Stockton to Malone days and there’s a responsibility when you go to the games.
Plus, its just a lot more fun to go nuts. I usually come home with a horse voice after the games I’ve gone to but, its worth it.
By the way, since the dollar has gotten so week I say we start our own line of currency, worth “3″ dollars, and call it the “Memo”. ‘Cause he’s money for 3!
Go JAZZ!
P.S. To all Jazz Fans abroad, “way to represent”! It’s good to hear from you on the post boards.
Good post. I’ve had the opportunity to go to Jazz games since I was a kid. I love them. I love the atmosphere, the intensity, the great basketball system that we get to see as Utah fans. I love to hear the players thank the fans after games, and I loved seeing the aforementioned poll in SI. It’s nice to know that we’re doing our part as fans to bring in those W’s (and we need those home wins, our home record has saved us this year),
But, having said all that…I think that we can get to another level as fans. Perhaps my memory is slightly flawed, but when I look back on the Finals runs, (I was there, Overtime victory, game one in 98), I can’t help but think we’re not at that level yet. I can’t help but shake my head as everyone gets on their feet for the promotional ball toss or t-shirt throw during a fourth quarter timeout of a close game, only to sit back down once the players take the floor. I know that we definitley have to be respectful of fans who can’t spend that much time on their feet, but when possible, I think that we can still show more intensity.
We all know that, as the poll shows, we Jazz fans are among the loudest, most passionate, and most effective home crowds in the league, and I’m proud to be a part of that and I love the games. I simply issue a challenge to fellow fans as we enter the final stretch of the regular season and ESPECIALLY during the playoffs… let’s take it up a notch.
On Your Feet Jazz Fans
I’m a Jazz fan from southern California and I’ve been to a few games for the Clippers and Lakers as well as Jazz home games and the two crowds can’t even compare. The Jazz home game I went to last year was neck and neck in the final minutes against the sonics and when Okur sank a three pointer with two seconds left, I thought my ears were going to fall off from it being so loud. Now if we could just hold the homecourt advantage again in the playoffs we’d probably win the championship for sure. GO JAZZ!!
GO JAZZ GO!!! I’m a jazz fan from URUGUAY (between Argentina and Brasil) and i can’t wait for the jazz to win it all. GO JAZZ GO!!!
Well done !
but still as an international Jazz fan, I still think that the jazz croud can learn something from the euroleague fan (i.e. fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv).
I hope we all have a great playoffs, good luck.
Go jazz! Keep on winning at home!(and hopefully on the road too) I only attend 1-2 games a year but they are a blast! I attended a playoff game against Houston last year (which we won) and the atmosphere was so loud and exciting.
Bring us home a title!
Been a Fan all my life from WayBack in the day since Frank Ladden, Mark Eaton, The Bear, and all of the other old school players. I lived in UT until I was 14 and then my family moved to IL, yep I was pretty much the only Jazz fan in the whole MJ killing if you all know what I mean!! Now I live in MN, and yes I was at the beating last month what were we thinking!! Any way wish I could see another home game live, but I will be cheering from MN GO JAZZ we can do it this year!!!!!!
Jonni L…. You and I have the same fear….. Korver. This same thing happened several weeks back… if anyone remembers a couple of hideous road losses? Well, there was a period of 4 or 5 games where Sloan was cutting Kyle’s minutes with each game…. he only played 6 minutes in one of them. The result? The team was LOSING! I’m not saying Korver is what makes the team win…. but it almost seems like the team wants to prove they can win without him, like they didn’t like how much credit he was getting for the team’s success (not Kyle’s fault by the way, he certainly wasn’t taking credit). It seemed as if Kyle was in the Sloan ‘doghouse’…… and I was going nuts. I understand one or two games, where matchups call for more play from Brewer, but it wasn’t that…. it was a nasty trend that did not result in a positive outcome for the Jazz, and quite obviously made Korver much more hesitant to shoot when he was in, something I found frustrating because he had not been hesitant to shoot since coming to Utah. Well, after those 4 or 5 games, things seemed to go back to the way they were….. Korver had his 24 minutes per game back, and was contributing once again. Of course the announcers claimed he had ‘broken out of a slump’, which irritated me, because he was hardly in a slump….. in order to be in a ’slump’ you not only have to PLAY in the game, but you have to have shot opportunities, both of which Korver was simply not getting. But, all was forgiven, as Sloan seemed to have had an epiphany. Fast forward to the game against Chicago the other night. The team was playing terribly……. so what is a coach to do? Well, for Sloan, it was to pull Kyle?? Huh? Why not just pull the whole team and forfeit? There the ‘trend’ started again….. playing time cut, and no shot opportunities. Kyle is moving well without the ball, running the plays he’s obviously being told to run…… actually finding open teammates and PASSING the ball to them (would be nice if they could do him the same courtesy). Doesn’t seem to matter though…. once again he’s fighting to be involved in the offense, and the team looks like they are playing a game of ‘keep away’ rather than basketball. Yeah, I know they managed to pull out the win the next night, but it was ugly, and the game followed the same pattern that started the night before, in Chicago. So, I’ll be very curious to see if it continues tonight against the Celtics. I am a big fan of Korver’s, so obviously I’m paying close attention to this, though I will be the first to admit when he is in a ’slump’ or his shots aren’t falling (something that will happen, as it all shooters go through ups and downs). That isn’t the case right now though….. Sloan needs to utilize the talent he has in Korver, before he ruins it……….yes, ruins it. How much can you muck with a guy’s head?? He needs to be shooting the ball more than once or twice a night, period. Even if he’s not making them….. he needs to be shooting. It’s easy to see, when the team is playing unselfishly, getting everyone involved (including Kyle), they do very well. So, I BEG of Sloan not to keep jerking Korver around, and to run some plays for the guy! Give him the chance to be involved…. just because the offense isn’t built around the 3 point shot doesn’t mean they shouldn’t take advantage of the talent they have. Plenty of teams have great 3 point shooters, and they manage to get them open, the Jazz can do the same…….. unless they are trying to prove some stupid point, in which case as much as I am thrilled to have Korver in a Jazz uniform, and as much of a great fit as I know he can be here…….. I would rather see him on a team where he can actually contribute, than have him in the ‘dog house’ every few weeks. Same thing goes for the Jazz players…. if I’m wrong, and there are no ego busting feelings of jealousy, that Kyle is such a fan favorite already, and that too many gave him ‘too much’ credit for the turnaround, then I’m happy to be wrong, would LOVE to be wrong on this one. Either way (note to MEMO), play as a team and pass the ball!! Maybe some of this will just take time….. DW has been racking up the assists, I know….. but he doesn’t seem to have a feel yet for hitting Korver when he’s open. No, I don’t expect Korver to take every shot……. I do however, expect him to take more than one or two shots a night….. that doesn’t seem to help anyone.
Okay, rant over. I made this same gripe in the ‘Closer’ thread as well…. I guess I’m a wee-bit frustrated(: I will comment about the ‘most intimidating arena’ now(: Someone in the tribtalk forum posted a link to fannation a week or so ago, where this poll is listed, and I was thrilled that ESA was on top! Not by a huge amount……. there is competition out there (don’t want ESA fans to rest on their laurels………LOL). Hope it’s okay to post the rest of the results? See below:
Which team’s arena is the most intimidating to play in as a visitor?
Jazz’s (EnergySolutions Arena) …… 20%
Spurs’ (AT&T Center) …… 18%
Pistons’ (The Palace of Auburn Hills) …… 13%
Knicks’ (Madison Square Garden) …… 8%
Kings’ (ARCO Arena II) …… 6%
Celtics’ (TD Banknorth Garden) …… 6%
Clippers/Lakers’ (Staples Center) …… 5%
Mavericks’ (American Airlines Center) …… 5%
Warriors’ (Oracle Arena) …… 4%
Nuggets’ (Pepsi Center) …… 3%
[Based on a survey of 242 NBA Players]
First of all it was great to hear from several international fans from around the world. From Uruguay to Tel Aviv to Argentina and Poland. From Phoenix to Indiana to Colorado and elsewhere. Sometimes we don’t fully realize that there are fans from all over the world so it is great to have you on our side. Thanks for the comments.
*To Brad: thanks for the comments but I can’t believe you didn’t have faith against the Celtics!! They pulled it out!
*To RSLnerd: okay I will admit I probably shouldn’t have thrown in the “pansie” comment. I really don’t have anything against the players or fans. I have loved playing soccer but I just have a hard time watching it and I still can’t understand why RSL would trade their leading scorer (Cunningham) when goals were already hard to come by!
*To Joni and MKbelle: Thanks for the comments and the manifesto/post. I think you have broken some sort of record with the length of your post but I cannot blame you. I am glad to know that I wasn’t the only one feeling that way. I too was blown away when Jerry had Korver sit during the end of the Bulls and Bucks game. With no Korver, look no further than December to see the results (11 losses). He might not be the leading scorer but he is crucial down the stretch. I was glad to see Jerry had a change of heart for the Boston game because I was getting ready to write my own manifesto on the matter. We will have to monitor the situation closely. Thanks for all the comments.
WOW if you ever attended a playoff game last season you would know why the ESA is the most intimidating arena. Maybe they should interview the refs to see what they think.
Alan…….LOL So sorry about my post length(: I just start pounding on my keyboard, and don’t realize how I’m carrying on sometimes. Thank you for the follow-up, and your comments as well. I too was relieved Korver had his minutes back last night (Celtics….. wooooohooooo-WIN!!). While not a big scoring night, I was glad he was actually playing. I still think that just a bit of effort could be made to get him some good looks, by both Coach Sloan, as well as teammates. Really, he should be taking 8 or 10 shots a night (more if he’s ‘on’). Sometimes I really do think that *certain* players just don’t pass to him…… and that teammates could do a better job of finding him when he manages to get open. He’s doing a pretty decent job of getting the ball to others when he does get his hands on it, and doesn’t have a shot. You are right, December is all we need to look at to know that Kyle’s presence (hitting 3’s or not), is helpful. But, in case anyone missed it, I believe it was near the end of Feb…… those ugly few games (t-wolves, clippers….. ring any bells??) were also games in which this nasty….. lapse in judgement (for lack of a better phrase) also occurred….. cutting Kyle’s minutes, etc. Again, I know some make the argument that he was just being ‘covered too well’, but I think that was just an easy excuse, when a lot of people were wondering what in the world was going on. Anyway, I’ll move on(:
Matt….. it’s funny you mention that, I’ve been to playoff games at ESA, as well as regular season, know how loud it is. I’ve never been to a game anywhere else though (unless the Salt Palace counts……LOL), and I guess I just assumed that there were many other arenas that were probably similar to ours. The same night I saw this poll, my family and I had been talking, wondering how ESA stacked up against some of the other ‘intimidating’ arenas, thinking it would probably be one of the better ones. Later that night I found the link to that poll, and was happy to have some actual ‘data’ to back up our thoughts(:
Last, probably not the place to post this, but I sure wish Memo would stop spending so much time around the 3 point line): Yep, love that he can hit the 3 (sometimes), but love it more when he’s around the basket. Kind of hard for him to get offensive rebounds, second chance points, easy baskets, etc. when he’s standing out by the 3 point line.
Okay, hope this was shorter…… sort of?
Ugh, I did it again…. the posts look so much longer AFTER they show up……LOL
yep good lookin gus
When I first ask if anyone else noticed how Korver was open so much I thought for awhile that maybe no one else did. Then I saw a blog that said “thank you Dona for bringing it up” I wondered if they meant me or if I had missed thye blog from Dona. Anyway, it doesn’t matter but I am glad others were noticing and I wasn’t crazy. When I mentioned it to my husband he didn’t agree until he watched the next game abd then said that he understood what I was talking about. Maybe he had goofed up in practice and was paying for it on the bench. Anyway it was good to see him longer last night. If they will just give him those quick grab and release he is fine but he is not the one to stop and have to set up. His shot just isn’t that way. Loved the mental and physical attitude from everyone last night. They did better than I expected. Anxious for tonight.
oh dear i love going to games at ESA, the atmosphere is amazing, if players think it is bad regular season, its nothing compared to the playoffs. i went to a rockets/jazz playoffs game at ESA and you could literally not hear yourself scream. Also, when anybody wearing a houston jersey walked passed, they got booed like no other. I loved it!
thats awesome stuff to hear, i knew utah fans were loud and crazy, but to be voted number one!? that makes me proud, i was at the nuggets game about a month back, and we were up by like twenty or thirty points, and even still, the fans were going insane. all those idiots wearing allen iverson jerseys got put in their place, get out of here! but still…the noise still does not compare with the stockton to malone days, although when deron throws up an alley-oop(however you spell) to ronnie brewer, thats pretty ffreakin crazy! korver needs to step it up!
haha….hmmmm….why is it always the women talking about korver?
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