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When the Los Angeles Lakers faced the Denver Nuggets in the first two activities of their first-round line, they were continually reminded of the risk they faced due to being on the road. ” Mile High City” was written across the Nuggets ‘ Game 1 uniforms, and their Game 2 clothing boasted “5280”—the amount of feet above water level—in great style.
” Oh my God, that staff needs to be moved”, one NBA person told The Athletic in an private league- large study. ” The level is ridiculous. I do n’t like it at all. Every moment I play it, I’m dog- fatigued”.
There’s less air at higher levels, affecting endurance for those not accustomed, and the Lakers felt it in this line, especially in the minute halves. Los Angeles was unable to win any of its three road games until time.

Their problems in Ball Arena is not unusual. In the 2023 finals, the Nuggets won their second title in company record by winning 10-1 at home.
In reality, Denver’s online standing, or place variable per 100 possessions, has been 8.6 points better at home than on the street since the 1999- 00 season. The common NBA team only received a increase of only 6.0 points during that time period, making it the NBA’s strongest home-court advantage of that time. The Nuggets have the fourth-best net standing at home (5. 3 out of 5 ) since 2000, despite having the 16th-best net standing on the road (-3. 3 ).
A team with a net ranking improve in relation to contest of approximately 1.3 points over the course of a year will see a group that averages 2.6 points per game better than league average in its home games. Each level of online ranking typically results in about two more regular season victories. Yet over 82 games, that’s a major knock: The top three Eastern Conference teams in 2023- 24 were separated by only one succeed in the standings.
Altitude may be the driving force behind the Nuggets ‘ unusually large home-court edge, according to a number of data points. The Utah Jazz, whose arena is located at roughly 4,300 feet above sea level, making it the only other team that plays at an elevation of more than 1,200 feet, has the second-best advantage by a sizable margin.
Other evidence points to Denver’s dominance in other sports. More than twice as many other MLB teams ‘ home/away disparity this century is the difference between the Colorado Rockies ‘ run differential in the Centennial State and elsewhere. The Colorado Avalanche rank sixth among NHL franchises based on their goal differential over that same time period. The Denver Broncos ‘ performance improvement at home is tied for the second-largest after analysing NFL teams since 1970 to get a larger sample size.
Travel could play a factor, too. Only three NBA teams in the Mountain Time Zone are included in Denver. On the flip side, the league’s bottom four teams in home- court advantage—New York, Brooklyn, Boston and Philadelphia—all play in the densely packed Northeast region.
Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Nuggets and Avalanche, has only recently made the most of the unique advantage that his teams have, winning the 2022 Stanley Cup and the 2023 NBA Finals, despite having neither of his teams previously won a championship.
Attendance has increased as a result, which could increase those teams ‘ home-court advantage even more. The Avalanche and Nuggets both played in front of sold-out arenas all season. In 2014- 15, the Avalanche ranked 23rd in the NHL and the Nuggets were the NBA’s least- attended team.
One irony: The Nuggets ‘ and Avalanche’s rise to the top of their respective leagues in both performance and home attendance has come during a time when many Denver fans ca n’t watch their team’s home games from, well, home. For the past five years, viewers have been left without DirecTV, Spectrum TV, or Fubo in a local sports blackout due to disputes between Altitude Sports ( which is owned by Kroenke ) and Comcast and Dish Network.
With regular, long playoff appearances during the Nikola Jokic era, Nuggets fans at least have the opportunity to watch their team on national television throughout the spring.
Interestingly, however, the Jokic teams have not adapted their playing style to their environment the way that past Nuggets squads have. Denver has had a patient offensive system defined by deliberate player and ball movement in the half-court in each of the past six seasons, which has placed it in the bottom half of the NBA in pace.
Compare that to the 1980 Nuggets, who ran the NBA’s fastest-paced team for nine straight seasons under head coach Doug Moe. From 2004 to 2015, Denver’s pace consistently placed in the top six in the league until Jokic and head coach Michael Malone took over.
Players in the league have sincere claims that the altitude is still a significant factor.
” They’re the defending champions, so they’re going to be tough regardless of the altitude”, Oklahoma City guard Shai Gilgeous- Alexander said,” but the altitude does n’t help for sure”.
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