Already Playing for Home Court Advantage

As I stroll down memory lane reading a series of books on the vaunted GREEN, I am reminded why the Celtics had so many 60-win seasons in the 1980s.

First, they were good.

Second, they had to.

To have a shot at home court throughout the playoffs, the 1980s Celtics teams had to shoot for 60 or more wins because the Lakers were a threat to win just as many, and even teams like the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks had 60 win seasons.

It might seem a bit early to get caught up in who has the best record in the NBA, but before you poo-poo the idea too much, you might want to contrast the ease in which the Celtics win home games with the margin of victory in road games.

The Celtics are winning their home games by an average of 19.7 points, while their margin of victory on the road is less than 7.

Easy home games translate into fresher legs come playoff time. Teams forced to grind out every win in closely contested games will run out of gas more quickly, especially against foes who make short work of their opponents before playing the Celtics.

So if you are looking for something to worry about this early in the season, worry about home court advantage in the playoffs.

We have only a two-game, loss-column edge over Orlando in the East and one-game, loss-column lead over San Antonio and Phoenix in the West.