The Charlotte Hornets will start their year with a pre-season game against the Boston Celtics. It appears that the Celtics may have a slight advantage over Charlotte.
On October 7, the Charlotte Hornets will open their 2017-18 season with a pre-season game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. The Celtics will be a formidable foe to Charlotte, having finished last season as the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, and also reaching the Conference Finals before getting knocked out by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Looking at how the two teams finished last season, and the player-to-player matchup, I’m going to try to determine who will win the first matchup. And if the Hornets want to go deep into the postseason, most likely all roads will lead through Boston.
Home Court
One overwhelming advantage that the Celtics have is their home court. Growing up in Massachusetts, and having attended Game 5 of the Washington Wizards playoffs against Boston, the Celtics have a strong and faithful fan base. Unlike other arenas, where fans cheer for both the home and opposing teams, at the Garden it’s only a sea of green.
The atmosphere inside the Garden is electric, and the Celtics feed off of their fans’ energy. But if the Hornets can block out the noise, and play basketball as if they’re playing just against five players, and not an entire arena, then Charlotte can effectively take the crowd out of the game.
The Hornet’s finished last season on the road with a 14-27 record, whereas the Celtics have a strong road presence, and finished 23-18.
Home Court Advantage: Celtics