Game Day: Spurs (35-23) @ Suns (31-28), Sat 2/28/15

[iLLmatic]

He's too worried about the fans..meanwhile the team is getting blown out by 27 points. Win and the fans will come.

[SDC]

who says only the suns employ a 3 midget/pg lineup? #success

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400579166

[INFORMER]

Yes, he's not wrong, but remember the support the team had in 92-93 and in the Nash era? Having a team worth rooting for would solve many problems.

+1

[INFORMER]

who says only the suns employ a 3 midget/pg lineup? #success

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400579166

That starting lineup is gross.

[The Bobster]

Yes, he's not wrong, but remember the support the team had in 92-93 and in the Nash era? Having a team worth rooting for would solve many problems.

Corporate sales, transplanted fans wanting to see their home teams, fair weather fans, crappy recent teams..... there are a lot of contributing factors to the lack of support.

Winning solves everything though. Why don't you get on that Markieff?

[OE32]

The fans have been a problem for years. I've gone to games less in recent years because I visit Phoenix only annually or so, but it seems like it only gets worse and worse. If I cheer wildly, I'm the only one. Everyone else just sits there, eating, drinking, like its a pleasant night out rather than a sporting event. I don't know what happened.

As for the product - ignoring the team, because we're still in the top half of the league in terms of record - it all seems quite plastic. The music, the videos, the skits and presentation - like they're trying to mask the apathy of the crowd. Which they are. Don't know how you solve that. The Suns just aren't cool, for whatever reason.

[The Bobster]

Speaking as an old person, the games at the Coliseum were much more exciting to go to. It was all about basketball, the fans were just experiencing success for the first time and the venue felt more intimate.

The game now is much more of a product than a game. The blaring music, the videos, the choreography, the blatant commercialism in every sense. Sure, they were about money when they played in the Coliseum, but it was mostly about tickets, concessions and parking. Now they want to make every game an event, so they draw a lot of people who are looking for a night out rather than fans looking to enjoy a Suns game.

You can generate excitement when the casual fans feel like they're involved in a winner (like the situation in Miami the past few years) but unless you're a larger market like Golden State, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago or New York you have to fight for that loyalty - it's very fickle.

[OE32]

Speaking as an old person, the games at the Coliseum were much more exciting to go to. It was all about basketball, the fans were just experiencing success for the first time and the venue felt more intimate.

The game now is much more of a product than a game. The blaring music, the videos, the choreography, the blatant commercialism in every sense. Sure, they were about money when they played in the Coliseum, but it was mostly about tickets, concessions and parking. Now they want to make every game an event, so they draw a lot of people who are looking for a night out rather than fans looking to enjoy a Suns game.

You can generate excitement when the casual fans feel like they're involved in a winner (like the situation in Miami the past few years) but unless you're a larger market like Golden State, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago or New York you have to fight for that loyalty - it's very fickle.

My first (and only) game at Madison Square Garden was very different in terms of intimacy. The rickety seating allow you to make noise, everything echoes, everyone is close because it's so compact. It was really about the sport. AWA is a bit too open and concrete and impersonal - that's just part of it, but it is part of it.

Every time I go to a game, I just get the feeling that people moved their couches and are now potatoes in public. The fans are no fun. I'm with the players on this one.

[OE32]

IMO, the shitty fan base is the single scariest element for the future of the franchise. Not the players, the coach, the owner, the GM. The fans. They're awful.

"Seattle Suns" has a nice, ironic ring to it

[The Bobster]

As long as they sell tickets, merchandise and make their tv money they don't give a shit how excited the fans in the arena are.

And there won't be a "Seattle Anythings" until they get their act together and get a plan in motion to get a new arena built. They would still have the Sonics if they had dome that before they left.

[Xylus]

The fans have been a problem for years. I've gone to games less in recent years because I visit Phoenix only annually or so, but it seems like it only gets worse and worse. If I cheer wildly, I'm the only one. Everyone else just sits there, eating, drinking, like its a pleasant night out rather than a sporting event. I don't know what happened.

As for the product - ignoring the team, because we're still in the top half of the league in terms of record - it all seems quite plastic. The music, the videos, the skits and presentation - like they're trying to mask the apathy of the crowd. Which they are. Don't know how you solve that. The Suns just aren't cool, for whatever reason.

Agreed, 100%.

I've been to 4 games this season, and in each one I've been the loudest one in my section, and I'm not even that loud. It's hard to get too rowdy when everyone around you is sitting and golf-clapping. It takes a truly spectacular play or scoring run to get the crowd up off its feet these days. It only usually gets loud in tight 4th quarter games, and even then, a quarter of the crowd has already started filing out so they're at work on time the next morning.

The best way to solve the problem of having too many opposing fans is to drown them out with home fans, but hell if I know how to draw those kinds of people to the games. I don't think there are that many die-hard Suns fans anymore.

It would certainly help if we had a superstar on our squad to draw interest.

The timing of Markieff's comments were unfortunate, but he's right. I can't wait to hear Gambo tomorrow criticizing Kieff.

[djy2j]

That's strange. If you play Markieff's comments backwards it says, "Trade-me-to-Phil-a-del-phi-a."

[Xylus]

How many fans need to be there for the team to shoot over 30%, Markieff?

How are these two things in any way related?

[djy2j]

How many fans need to be there for the team to shoot over 30%, Markieff?

How are these two things in any way related?

Point being how can you bitch about the fans when the team played like that and shot 29%? If I were him id want to keep that game a secret. Hes got 52 million reasons in his (and brother's) account to STFU.

[Xylus]

How many fans need to be there for the team to shoot over 30%, Markieff?

How are these two things in any way related?

Point being how can you bitch about the fans when the team played like that and shot 29%? If I were him id want to keep that game a secret. Hes got 52 million reasons in his (and brother's) account to STFU.

Players have every right to criticize the fans if they aren't getting the support they need. Especially since we're a plus-.500 team.

[OE32]

How many fans need to be there for the team to shoot over 30%, Markieff?

How are these two things in any way related?

Point being how can you bitch about the fans when the team played like that and shot 29%? If I were him id want to keep that game a secret. Hes got 52 million reasons in his (and brother's) account to STFU.

Players have every right to criticize the fans if they aren't getting the support they need. Especially since we're a plus-.500 team.

I agree. And don't think other players don't notice how eerily quiet our fans are. Who dreams of playing in front of that kind of crowd?

[Superbone]

Did you guys hear the girl that screamed every time SA did something good? I mean literally from beginning to end you could hear her clearly on the NBATV broadcast.

[1tinsoldier]

Markieff's complaint is valid, though he didn't express it intelligently.

i listened to the game on radio a couple of minutes into it and i wasn't sure if they were home or away for at least 10 minutes. there was too many cheers for spurs baskets and not enough for the suns. it really pissed me off. i can only imagine what the players were thinking.

no one would deny home court advantage is real and it takes every bit of focus and motivation to edge out opponents who are among the best athletes in the world

vocal LA laker fans in PHX has been a long tradition.
but, despite last year's championship, the spurs are not a very exciting team, not having an inspiring year, in a market smaller than ours. it's just insulting given the rivaly and history between us.

so, is it the fans fault the suns lost to the spurs -- no
but it is no coincidence that a really shitty fan performance from the get go
happened on the same night the suns had the lowest scoring first half in their history

yes, some might wonder what came first?
the chicken (suns) or the egg (fans)
in this case, i believe it was the egg

or, to put it another way,
the fans sucked first

[djy2j]

Just think last night's game was the wrong one to call fans out on. They were down 8-0 to start the game and it only got worse. Sure the fans have been known to be lame but the team has been putting out a pretty lame product as of late IMO.

[ShelC]

I think it's poor form to criticize the fans after that kind of showing. It'd be one thing if the team had won by 20 or was winning 50 games every year (the Malaise Era) and the fans weren't cheering. I don't doubt the fans sucked, but to speak out after a loss like that just seems petty.