Bickley Blast: Are the Phoenix Suns losing their home-court advantage? And if so, who’s to blame?

Bickley Blast: Are the Phoenix Suns losing their home-court advantage? And if so, who’s to blame?

And Mara boings Arizona Sports the local sports leader bigley blast at Peak popularity during the Monty Williams era Suns fans began to infiltrate opposing Arenas now it’s usually an army of One a guy yelling at Luca to get on a treadmill in Dallas or that young kid

Going viral in Denver or Tike Lee as Vinnie called him and that brings us to Saturday at footprint Center where there was way too much green in the building and not AJ Green not Gerald Green we’re talking Kelly Green the color of the Celtics and even worse the let’s go

Celtics chance that bothered me irrationally because we’ve all grown to expect this from our football team a franchise that has lost its home field advantage in Glendale but not the Suns a team whose home crowd was among the top stories in basketball during the 2021 postseason now granted all the usual

Aliis apply lots of people move here from the east coast in the Midwest and when a marquee franchise like the Red Sox or the Celtics show up in the valley an invasion of infidels is inevitable but on some level we also know this is a Civic thermometer a heat check of how

Much a local team appeals to the masses and the people who may or may not be selling the tickets they purchased a long time ago were the shine and the desire to be in the arena powering your team to victory has worn off just a little bit and so Saturday night was

More than an expected loss it confirm my hope over the stretch run of the NBA season that the Suns can somehow find the lightning and the Thunder that directly speaks to Valley fans compelling them back to footprint Center at all costs including return on investment all right today’s Bickle

Blast brought to you by my great friends at Chapman BMW who make luxury re attainable find them online at trapman Bmw.com here we go Saturday and hi me we got tickets to see the SS and Phoenix it was wicked lit it was like we were at a drop kick Murphy show well done Vinnie it smelled like shiaa in the arena smelled like lobster rolls Jason Tatum with Duncan I was drinking

Duncan I think Affleck and Damon were even there where was Tom Brady yeah that was a little too much for my taste yeah right for everybody’s taste and again it’s this is this is not a subject obviously that is uncommon to the blast tends to come up with the

Seahawks come to town tends to come up in the Broncos or the Steelers uh you don’t want to see it at footprint Center a a place that has been such a great great Vibe for many many years yeah it’s it’s weird I was think thinking a lot

About this you know and being in the building on Saturday it was overwhelming it was like it was like Laker Laker fan takeover times too and I get pretty sick to my stomach when it happens with the Lakers mhm the Celtics come to town once a

Year isn’t that more a reason for Suns fans to hold on to those tickets to see the Boston Celtics yes and normally my stance on related subjects like this Bick is I’m not telling anybody to do neither one of us are I’m not telling them what to do with their money I’m

Glad you said that because let’s make this clear because people do have listening issues I think we see that on the daily right yes okay let’s make this very very CLE clear Vinnie and I are very much in alignment on this you do whatever you want with your tickets

That’s up to you you need the money sell them you want the money sell them you bought them they’re yours do with them what you will my point is and I think Vinnie’s point is we’re just lamenting the fact that this team is not burrowed in your your heart your Collective heart

Our Collective Hearts to the point where you don’t even think about it cuz I guarantee you 2021 those tickets we talk to young people who were making decisions I might not be able to pay rent if I buy these tickets for a th000 bucks want to pay or do I it’ll change

If they make a run I yes but I think this is different from conversations we’ve had in the past and I look if if the Cardinals are three and 10 and they got a home game against the Seahawks and there’s nothing but that annoying shade of neon green at State Farm Stadium it’s

Somewhat understandable uhhuh yes it’s it would be understandable if you know the the amount of green and Boston fans in the building was the same if the suns were in 13th Place in the Western Conference they’re not they’re not what you said is a factor the Suns have yet

To I like burrow as a word but they’ve yet to really connect with this city and and fan base because let’s face it we’re four years in we’re spoiled now yeah exactly yes our standards are very high that’s Suns fans were hungry they’re not hungry anymore no they’re spoiled

They’re spoiled yes that there’s definitely an element of that uh the championship or bust uh refrain I think early on um there have been a lot of of defeats there’s been some bad basketball there’s been some stretches where you wonder if this team is is is it or if

It’s not it there’s a stretch where the team was under 500 all this stuff matters it all matters in your belief of what is this team and where is this team going so if it but but I do know that that buzz the organic stuff you didn’t have to worry about Diamondbacks fans

Selling their tickets during last year’s playoffs did you one of the amazing things was when the Dodgers were here in the postseason for that one game well during the playoffs though but okay but but I think that’s part of what’s happened to the Suns fan is that they’re

They’re not as excited about the regular season after the last few that’s well that’s let’s face it too A lot of people jumped on this thing as as an investment opportunity because they know the suns are equipped to be in the playoffs every year they’ll keep those tickets they’ll probably sell everything else

Um and I’m I’m going out on a limb here when I say this again let me preface I don’t like telling people what to do with their money but give it to me but but if you are among those people and you used a phrase Bick if you need

The money well if you need the money maybe don’t buy season tickets in the first place they are expensive they very much become a luxury item yes they do and yes they do the the price tag alone has excluded a lot of people who would love to be there

Yeah yeah it’s true if things are that tight yeah right either way I I I I don’t put this on Valley fans I put this on the basketball team to be that team that speaks to people where this doesn’t even become the conversation that’s why I put

It on so it’s not on the fans I’m not as comfortable not putting it at least partially on the fans because like you said when the playoffs roll around it’s going to be a lot of purple and orange and people claiming oh I’ve been here every game no you haven’t you stinking

Liar that’s funny thanks for watching Bley and marada click to see the latest ble blast and hit the button in the middle to subscribe to Arizona Sports

After Boston Celtics fans overtook Footprint Center in Saturday’s game against the Suns, Dan Bickley questions if Phoenix is losing it’s home-court advantage, and if so, who is to blame?

Video: Felisa Cárdenas and Jeremy Schnell/Arizona Sports
Photos: Christian Petersen, Ron Jenkins, Stacy Revere, Lachlan Cunningham, Chris Coduto/Getty Images

Subscribe to the Arizona Sports daily newsletter: https://bit.ly/3QWcj1x
Read articles from Arizona Sports: https://arizonasports.com/
Download the Arizona Sports app: https://arizonasports.com/the-arizona-sports-98-7-fm-app/
Sign up for texts from Arizona Sports: https://arizonasports.com/text-alerts/
Listen live to Arizona Sports: https://arizonasports.com/listen-live/
Follow the team: https://bit.ly/3R0PIAJ

ARIZONA SPORTS SOCIAL MEDIA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArizonaSports/
X: https://x.com/azsports
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@arizonasports987
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arizsports/

ARIZONA SPORTS PODCASTS: https://arizonasports.com/category/podcasts/