After attendance bottomed out three years ago, crowds are returning to Vivint Smart Home Arena and the Utah Jazz are rebuilding their home court advantage.
If you go back to the glory days of the Utah Jazz, the franchise had clear constants keeping them in league with the NBA’s elite. John Stockton and Karl Malone leading the charge is the most obvious example here. You could also point to Jerry Sloan on the bench, the high pick-and-roll, UCLA cuts or alleged cheap shots and/or illegal picks.
Another constant, and one of the key facets of the team’s identity back then (and throughout most of its history), is the home court advantage at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Whether it’s due to the unique energy brought by fans in Salt Lake City, the way the seats are stacked, the altitude or the simple fact that the Jazz were really, really good for a long time, Vivint Arena has always been one of the more difficult places for other teams to play.
Legendary Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson once opined that the crowd in Utah “intimidates referees that go on there.” Before his last game at the arena, Kobe Bryant praised Jazz fans, saying, “They were really, really tough on me, man. More so than the other crowds,”
In recent years, the Viv has been a far less intimidating place for opponents. In 2014, average attendance hit a 23-year low, averaging just under 18,200 fans per game. That’s paid attendance; in actuality, many less were in the building at times and empty green seats were visible throughout the arena.
The results on the floor have registered an even bigger drop-off. After finishing with a franchise-best 38-3 home record in 1997, routinely winning 30-plus home games through the 90s and finishing 30-11 as recently as 2013, the Jazz haven’t won more than 24 home games over the least three seasons.
Even this year, the Jazz are a ho-hum 7-4 at the Viv. But the tide is beginning to turn.
The Jazz are nearly three points better per 100 possessions at Vivint Arena, posting a net rating of 9.2. That’s tied for the third-best home mark in the league. They also rank eighth in the league in attendance, just behind the Golden State Warriors. On average, 19,478 fans are attending home games.
There are still some green seats, but fans are undoubtedly filing back into the arena. So what’s been the magic cure for the team’s dwindling home court advantage?
Winning, naturally.
Altitude, fans’ proximity to the court and the Jazz Bear blowing smoke at the opponent’s bench will only get you so far. Talent and wins are what gets things over the finish line. And despite being banged up on an epic scale — who knows who will take the floor on Thursday night against the Warriors — the Jazz are on the rise.
When you’re 14-9 and rolling in the wild Western Conference, people are bound to take note. 19,478 is definitely evidence that fans have done so.
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Is the arena rocking like it did in the days of Stockton-to-Malone? Perhaps not, but it’s getting closer.
With injuries continuing to beat down on the club, it’s hard to see whether the Jazz will hit their home floor potential. But the Jazz are building something special in Salt Lake City, and if I can go Field of Dreams on you, “If you build it, they will come.”