We know what you’re thinking, will the teams as home vs. away even matter in the NBA bubble?

It’s a valid question since they’re all going to play in Orlando. However, even the Magic aren’t exactly at home either since the bubble is a couple of miles away from home too. The short answer to the question of home-court advantage is yes, at least up to a certain extent. What drove NBA teams through those first 60-plus games from October into March — securing home court for as many playoff series’ as possible — has not entirely vanished. Luckily. we won’t just hear the squeaks of sneakers and the players shouting at each other just like in a game of pickup.

While there certainly won’t be fans cheering for the home team live as the NBA bubble forbids it, there is still at least some sort of support. In the latest scrimmage, the Miami Heat actually used recorded fans chanting to boost the feel of a home-court advantage against the Sacramento Kings.

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As peculiar as it may sound, this is the closest to a live audience environment as it gets. Players will have to get used to hearing screams and cheers from a set of speakers, rather than from the top of people’s lungs. Good enough.

If you’re unaware of what the setting in the NBA bubble looks like, players on the bench are properly socially distanced behind a barrier and a set of chairs are brought to the court during timeouts for the five players in the game. In the Heat vs. Kings scrimmage, the signage replicated the Heat colors and branding along with a taped video of the American Airlines Arena crowd which was shown on video boards behind the baseline. For the finishing touches, there were also taped Mike Baiamonte announcements, including American Airlines Arena’s “Dos Minutes” at the end of each period.

So far, these are the steps that the NBA has taken to create the next best thing to a feel of the home-court advantage. Notably, it’s also worth mentioning that the Heat beat the Kings 104-98 in the scrimmage as well. Coincidence?

Heat guard Goran Dragic further commented on the setting with an awkward tone, “It makes it feel a little bit like home, but it’s way different.” Meanwhile, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra expressed his gratitude, “I walked out on the court when we got here from the bus and it really is amazing, this setup and how far we’ve come just in several weeks. Two and a half months ago, I don’t think people really thought that this was a reality and here we are now.” Both views accurately depict the situation in the bubble; it doesn’t feel natural, but it works nonetheless and we should be thankful that the NBA is even resuming to begin with.

Moreover, it was reported that home and away teams will get a different amount of warm-up times before games too. This is presumably going to simulate how home teams can utilize their own arenas as much as they please since they are at an advantage due to the location. Accordingly, away teams are at a slight disadvantage due to logistical concerns wherein they can only warm-up for an average of two hours. The NBA bubble will try to capture the same effect wherein home teams will be rewarded with longer a warm up compared to the away team. Smart.

Nevertheless, the NBA has also expressed that they will feature even more additional presentation elements as they look to improve the overall experience of the games.

For instance, “Fans” will arrive when family and friends are admitted into the bubble after the first round, by which time eight teams will remain. This is only one of many features as the NBA continues to find ways on how to make the most out of the remaining games to be played. Look to hear more peculiar and unconventional methods in the days to come with efforts geared toward replicating what everyone has been accustomed to over the years.