Home and Away

I doubt psychologists can really explain it fully either, but some teams just seem to be much more relaxed at home than on the road. Having a crowd cheer you on—even when it’s not a huge crowd—understandably gives some added energy as well.

Every year you find teams that are the opposite, so it’s not an infallible rule either. My guess would be that the more star players and/or veterans you have, the more comfortable you get on the road relative to home since those guys are more used to the travel, other cities, other arenas, and the grind itself.

I’ve always been fascinated about how teams are so, so much better at home than on the road. I mean, these are professionals, grown-ups, the best in the world, seemingly able to block out all pressures and outside factors.

But teams generally play much better at home, and it’s not even close. This year there are some exceptions (Boston and Philly), but the other 28 teams have better records at home than away. And a lot of them are striking, for instance:

Denver: 22-4 home, 12-13 road
Sacramento: 13-12 home, 3-22 road
Atlanta: 21-5 home, 11-12 road
Toronto: 19-6 home, 9-17 road
Utah: 22-6 home, 9-12 road

I’d say this phenomenon is worthy of a serious study. I sort of wonder whether it has more to do with teams playing better at home, or worse on the road, if you follow.