The NBA is doing everything it can to promote some form of home court advantage during what has been an unprecedented playoffs format thus far. One thing the league is zeroing in on right now is the background music during games, which is why Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard will no longer be able to dance to “Blow the Whistle” during “road” games.
Lillard, an Oakland native, busted out the moves to what he calls the “East Oakland anthem” in their Game 1 matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, which is not a common occurrence for players on the road.
According to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, in-game DJ's have been mandated to be extra conscious about the music they play throughout games, so as not to provide the “away” players any added motivation.
Moving forward, sources said, emphasis will be placed on going through playlists to make sure certain tracks aren’t iconic to the “visiting” team or to opposing star players who are supposed to be on the “road.”
While this may seem like a minute and insignificant detail for some, even Damian Lillard himself acknowledged that this is something that impacts his game.
“It was right that I acknowledged the East Oakland anthem and go dumb for a second,” the Blazers All-Star guard said when asked about his decision to vibe to “Blow the Whistle” during their Game 1 win over LA.
The fact that the playoffs are being held in neutral grounds pretty much eliminated the home court advantage. Nontheless, credit needs to be given to the league for making an effort to somewhat look out for the “home” teams.
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