How will neutral court playoffs impact Thunder

Every week, the possibility of the NBA season returning seems to increases.

At the moment, it appears the NBA Playoffs will be played in a single location. California, Texas, and Florida are the three states that have cleared the return of professional sports. However, these sporting events would have no fans in attendance.

For the Thunder, a series on a neutral court could either benefit or hinder them. Oklahoma City is the fifth seed in the western conference, just a game back of the Utah Jazz for the fourth seed.

The playoffs being played in a single location means the Thunder do not have to worry about starting the first round on the road. This will also mean the Thunder does not benefit from a home-court advantage in the first round.

Oklahoma City is known for having one of the best home-court advantages in the NBA. In addition to this, the Thunder rely on young players playing big minutes. Young players would benefit from the comfort of their home court.

Since their Thunder’s first playoff appearance in 2009, the Thunder has a better winning percentage at home than in road games.

Oklahoma City has won 36 of 54 home playoff games, giving OKC a winning rate of 66.67%. Meanwhile, in away games, the Thunder are 18-53, giving them a win percentage of 33.96%.

Home versus Away

Overall this season, the Thunder have been consistent home or away. The Thunder have a 20-13 record at home, and a 20-11 record on the road. After losing their first six road games to start the season, the Thunder are 19-5 since then. In terms of scoring, there is a subtle drop off in the Thunder’s scoring on the road. The Thunder go from averaging 111 points per game at home, to 108 points per game on the road.

Oklahoma City’s scoring efficiency also falls on the road, the drop-off in the percentage in the three categories is noticeable. The Thunder’s percentage from the field, from three, and the free-throw line drops two percent on the road.

To the surprise of many, the Thunder will be in the Playoffs. The question is, without playoff games in “Loud City” at home, how deep of the playoff run can the Thunder make?