Last night watching the Clev game I had to mute the sound because of the constant barrage of stupid sound FX, they were always playing some stupid sound from drums beating to the charge song and the defense chant on defense. It was like watching a basketball game in an arcade room and I wish they would atleaset turn the crap down so the TV audience could hear Bill and Calvin call the game.
the arena is new and hasn't been broken in yet- there is no history. they designed the arena with all the bells and whistles they thought consumer america wanted. however, there is nothing you can do to turn the toyota center into madison square garden. that place reaks of sweat and blood.
I don't think the crowd or Houston knows we have a basketball team. They think the team left and went to Tennessee after we won the back-to-back championships (wait, that was the Oilers...oops).
Every NBA game is full of canned sound effects....what's your point again? also, does anybody notice the difference between ESPN and Channel 51? I know that ESPN is a national cable channel and everything, but 51 looks like Public Access by comparison. Will the new TV deal next season improve the picture quality?
My point was that it was annoying enough to make me mute the TV, there was a constant sound effect playing it sounded like an arcade or standing in Vegas in the middle of slot machine alley rather than an NBA game. I watch other NBA games and it is nowhere near as noticeable in other arenas. The game itself should be exciting and I'll know when to cheer I don't need some canned FX playing. I don't like it maybe you do, maybe everyone does but I don't.
Again, I was at the game last night, unlike some who are criticizing the crowd in this thread, and the crowd was into it. As far as the sounds, I agree. However, this is really no different than the vast majority of NBA arenas.
Yeah, it was like night and day. I ended up moving one of my TVs to the living room so I could watch the game on ESPN with one but mute it. The other I used so I could hear Bill and Calvin.
I always read certain Houston games are sold out, but when I watch the games on TV, the same seats seem to be always empty. When you watch the game on TV, there are rows upon rows of empty seats behind the team benches. Are these people watching the game from the Lexxus Lounge?? Or were these seats sold to corporations, so sometimes the people show up or sometimes they don't ?? Its just embarassing because when they show games from Denver, L.A., Dallas, San Antonio, Sacramento, Memphis, and Minnesota, their seats are packed until the very end...win or lose. Even when the Houston games are still close people are already leaving, I don't get it.... Unfortunately, I live in Florida now, or you bet I'll go to every game!
Gator --you need to be watching those LA games a bit closer...man, there is no fan more casual fan in the world than LA fan. yes..the suites and club levels in all of these stadiums give the effect that less people are there. sellouts are judged by tickets sold...if you don't show up, they still sold the ticket.
Another note (learned from Tim a few weeks ago) is that a sell-out does not mean every seat is sold, but that there are only single seats left -- no pairs.
Nothing in the world, outside of Yoko Ono's "singing" sounds as bad as canned applause. Tell me, please, that the Rockets don't do that.
What are you talking about? I think they are doing a great job when it comes to making noise at the arena. We have to make some effort to bring energy to the games. The blue hairs are all falling asleep. Tim if you are reading this, the Rockets get an A+ from me for the effort!
Glad to hear it. Am amazed that any franchises do it though. Ought to be a law. Just astoundingly bad taste. Tim; an idea for halftime shows; rather than rent entertainment, have reoving 3 on 3 games from local highschool players, what have you. Build it into it's own league, with standings, etc. each representing different sections of Houston, so as to intill localized rivalries. Granted they would be short games, but so what? People who come to see basketball will enjoy them, would draw family/friends of participants, etc. Another potential problem would be clearing for the game, but that could be resolved by making the games halfcourt, and switching at halftime, while people in opposite ends watch on the big screen. Get them sponsoers for their T-Shirts, and away you go. Call it the Halftime Halfcourt H-Town Challenge League or soemthing equally obnoxious. Just an idea to engender a grassroots feel in the local community; and some playground ball at halftime can be entertaining as hell.
summersonggiver, I appreciate what you're saying. I may sound like an oldster (I'm 35), but all the goofy noises keep me away from live NBA games in general. It started to get really bad in the mid to late 1990's when I was in Oregon. The Blazers have a great tradition, but it became non-stop soundtracks and noises that really distracted from the game for someone like myself. I like the sound of sneakers! Anyway, I don't fault the Rockets folks (e.g. Tim) at all. It's true that all the arenas are doing this, and it's just a sign of cultural shifts, if you ask me. Everything needs to be loud and bright; any room for thought, any silence, is commercial suicide, I suppose. As a kid, I even remember watching some great basketball games on TV (Walton vs. Dr. J or Moses Malone on the Rockets) with long stretches of just the sounds of the game. The broadcasts didn't need someone constantly talking then. But you couldn't get away with that now.
Exactly B-Bob. I remember going to games in the Summit in the 70's and 80's when there was none of this noise. They announced the starting lineups and the name of the player after every basket and that was all the noise you got from the Pa system. The rest of the noise was from the crowd. You could here everything. Sneakers squeeking, the "thud" of the ball hitting the wood, the players yelling out plays, coaches yelling out instructions, and I'm talking about hearing all this from the upper deck!!! It made you feel you were a part of the game. Maybe the noise takes away from this? It does for me anyway.
