Pelicans coach: Warriors' arena noise too loud
SAN FRANCISCO — After their Game 1 loss, New Orleans Pelicans coach Monty Williams suggested that the crowd noise at Oracle Arena, home of the Golden State Warriors, may not be within the league rules.
Speaking before the Pelicans’ morning shootaround ahead of Monday’s Game 2, Williams complimented the Warriors’ home crowd but suggested that the volume has gotten excessive.
“I’m not so sure the decibel level is legal, and I’m serious,” Williams said. “They’ve done studies on that. For the competition committee, there’s got to be something to that. It does get a little out of hand. Their fans, I’ve talked about it for years, they have some of the best fans in the league.”
Williams did not directly claim any foul play on the Warriors’ part.
The eighth-seeded Pelicans lost Game 1 on Saturday 106-99 after falling behind by 15 points after the first quarter. Following the defeat, Williams and Pelicans players said the crowd noise and nerves had an effect on their play.
Before practice on Sunday, Pelicans star Anthony Davis said his first career playoff experience was “a little hectic.”
“It’s definitely a different level, a different atmosphere,” Davis said of the Oracle Arena. “It’s so loud I can’t hear my teammates or my coaches.”
Warriors guard Klay Thompson and forward Andre Iguodala said at shootaround Monday that they have heard the arena louder than it was Saturday afternoon. They said it is typically louder for night games.
Williams is in his fifth season as coach for New Orleans following a nine-year career in the NBA.
“The music before the game, they’re playing old-school music and it’s right above your locker room and you’re like, ‘These people are crazy, man. This is pretty cool,'” Williams said. “I’m sure it has an effect, but after a few minutes, it’s just basketball.”
The Warriors were an NBA-best 39-2 on their home floor in the regular season and have won 19 straight games there. Opened in 1966 with concrete walls that amplify sound, Oracle Arena is commonly known as one of the loudest home venues in sports.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.
