The Atlanta Hawks (19-44) squared off with the Phoenix Suns (19-45) on Sunday afternoon at Philips Arena in a matchup of two teams vying for the best odds in this year’s NBA Draft Lottery. Both teams picked up wins this week, with Phoenix beating the Grizzlies — giving Memphis the NBA’s worst record — and Atlanta scoring a surprising home win over the Pacers, but both remain a half game back, very much in the race for 25 percent of the ping pong balls.
The crowd at Philips Arena on Sunday afternoon was better than one would have expected for a matchup between teams that have won a combined 30 percent of their games. The timing also certainly helped. A 3:30 p.m. tip-off on a Sunday is the sweet spot to catch folks in Atlanta — plenty of time to get to church, Sunday dinner, go to the game and get back for supper — and by the end of the first quarter the arena was at least three quarters full.
However, despite it being a fairly full arena (again, not a sellout by any stretch) the atmosphere was a bit strange. There was a palpable tension in the air, with the occasional three-pointer garnering big applause and plenty of groans for the negative plays. The two teams playing extraordinarily sloppy basketball contributed to that, as eight combined turnovers in the first 3:30 of the game quickly set the bar for the quality of basketball that would be on display, but so did the stakes of the game.
Going to an NBA game requires a pretty solid commitment of time and money, and as a fan, your primary purpose to root for your team to win. For a tanking team, though, understanding the long-term goal makes this something of a moral dilemma.
Prior to the game, as fans were trickling in, I wandered the arena in search of answers to a simple question: Who are you rooting for to win?
In general, the responses were split. There were those insistent on rooting for their team, while others understood the stakes and were looking big picture and others still who were liberated by the idea of a win being fun now and a loss being good for the future.
“I think I’d rather them lose and have a better chance of picking Deandre Ayton,” one fan in a Suns shirt told me. As for the ideal outcome of the game, it was simple. “Devin Booker drops 40, Josh Jackson actually shoots well from three and then we lose on a buzzer-beater.”
“The Suns, of course,” another said, wearing a Devin Booker jersey and a Suns beanie.
“I have very mixed feelings,” another fan in a Booker jersey said. “I’m here, so I want my team to win. So I think I have to say I want the Suns to win, but I won’t be sad if they lose.”
“It’s 1 and 1a,” his friend in a Kevin Johnson jersey said. “If they win, great. If they lose we win long term, so we get to win either way.”
“Right now it don’t really matter, cause ain’t nobody going anywhere anyways, but I’m a fan. Always have been since ’76 so…” one fan said while trailing off and shrugging. He was in some Suns gear very clearly from the 90s who I really wish I’d been able to talk to more because he was quite clearly from Georgia based on his accent but also a diehard Suns fan, but with beers in hand I knew better than to keep him much longer.
From the Atlanta side, the vibe in the arena was, understandably, different from that of fans online. Being a former writer for the Hawks I still have a fair number of Hawks fan followers, so I asked who they wanted to win prior to the game, and the results skewed heavily in favor of a Suns win and picking up ping-pong balls.
Hawks fans, I have a genuine question for you, who are you rooting for today at Philips?
— Robby Kalland (@RKalland) March 4, 2018
In the arena, where people were much more engaged and invested in this game, it was more split. Sunday afternoons bring a lot of families to the games, and for some reason I feel like talking about tanking around kids is like talking about Santa Claus. It’s a parent’s duty to introduce them to the harsh reality.
Of those I talked to, the general sense was that they wanted the Hawks to win this game since they were there in attendance, although there were those happy to watch the ping-pong balls pile up. The best were the friends, one Hawks fan and one Suns fan seated next to each other, who had very different views on who to root for.
“I’m still rooting for the Hawks,” said the Hawks fan in a Dominique Wilkins jersey.
“Oh man, I mean, if the Suns lose tonight then we have the worst spot in the West. If we win tonight, we’re pretty much shooting ourselves in the foot,” said his friend in a Suns hat. “I want to see overtime, but I want to see the Suns lose to be honest with you.”
“I think I’m always cheering for the Hawks no matter who they’re playing or what it’s like because you hate to see teams tank,” one said in a 2 Chainz shirsey. ” But at the end of the day maybe win this one and then lose a few down the road.”
“Suns,” two fans in late 2000s era custom jerseys said. “I didn’t come to watch us win. I just come for the experience, if that tells you anything.”
Once the game started, the majority of the crowd still seemed to be in fan mode, cheering good plays by the home team. However, there were plenty hoping to see some positives from young stars, while still hoping to see another increase in the loss column.
