5 reasons Kevin Durant signs with Golden State Warriors
By John Buhler
5. Ultimate home court advantage at Oracle Arena
Durant has had the privilege over the last eight years to play in a great home environment at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Given that professional sports are new to Oklahoma, the Chesapeake Energy Arena crowd offers somewhat of a collegiate-like frenzy that makes it a difficult place for opponents to play.
Though leaving one of the better home court advantages in the NBA in Loud City would be tough for Durant, by joining the Warriors he’d be playing in arguably the toughest road environment in the NBA in Oracle Arena.
Oracle Arena is in its last few years of operation and even with its lack of in-game optics, Roaracle can get so loud when the Warriors start sinking transition threes. The old concrete building had seen a ton of losing between the Run TMC years and the exciting Splash Brothers era.
However when good things are happening on the court at Oracle, the entire building reverberates, making for an ultimate home court advantage.
Having a great home court advantage can’t be overlooked as a winning a few games at home a team frankly shouldn’t can allow a club to get in better playoff positioning for an NBA Championship run. To have Oracle working for Durant as opposed to against him might have its upside in nabbing him in this summer’s free agency period.
Next: 4. Tech opportunities in Silicon Valley.