Wembanyama's Jackals can be the Spurs' catalyst for a more hostile home-court

The Spurs won 62 games last season. They went 32-8 at home. They won a Game 7 on the road in Oklahoma City and played for a championship. Then the 25th Annual GM Survey asked 30 executives which team has the best home-court advantage in the league, and San Antonio showed up in the "also-received-votes" line.

Denver and Oklahoma City tied at 37%. New York took 20%. Cleveland got a mention. The Front Bank Center, home of the Western Conference champions, got whatever was left. That's not going to cut it going forward, but right now, I can't argue with them.

The Finals proved the GMs right about the Spurs' home crowd

It was the biggest series this franchise had played in since 2014, and San Antonio lost all three of their home games. Game 1 went to New York 105-95, after an 11-0 Knicks run to close it. Game 2 went 105-104. Then Game 5, with a title on the line and the Silver and Black needing a stop to extend the series, Jalen Brunson drops 45, the Spurs can't get a rebound, and NY wins on our floor.

Julian Champagnie said before the series that the Spurs weren't worried about how many New York fans would make the trip. Reality ended up being much harsher than anyone realized. By Game 2, "Knicks in 4" chants were audible in Frost Bank Center. By Game 5, there were so many blue jerseys in the lower bowl that it felt like a neutral site at best.

Quite frankly, it was embarrassing. The circumstances were partially a product of overpriced tickets, but that doesn't change the optics or lessen the impact of not having a strong home-court advantage in the NBA Finals.

A 32-8 home record helped the Spurs get the two-seed, but it doesn't automatically make the building a place opponents dread walking into. That can change, though.

Wemby started fixing this a year ago

Victor Wembanyama created the Jackals to add more intensity to the arena. A European soccer-style supporter section, named by fan vote after the scrappy cousin of the Coyote, seated in sections 114 and 115, otherwise referred to as The Lair. Flags, drums, capos running chants, the whole thing imported from the stands of clubs Vic grew up watching.

It isn't a promotion. Membership runs $999 with a parking pass, and you have to attend at least 75% of the home games to keep your seat. That attendance clause is the detail that tells you what this actually is. The Spurs didn't sell a novelty ticket package. They asked people to sign up for an obligation. Hard commit to something bigger than themselves.

Now it's growing. The section carried about 75 members last season. Auditions in September were for 100 more, which puts The Lair somewhere around 175 seats strong this year, more than double where it started.

The best part is Wemby's continued participation. ESPN's Tim MacMahon said on The Hoop Collective that the Alien is involved with the group on a regular basis. A 22-year-old carrying MVP expectations and a title window is spending his off-hours on crowd noise. The kid is overly locked in.

While he does everything he can to give the Spurs an edge, the fans can do their part to control what they can. October 20 is coming. Earn a new reputation by showing up rowdy and hostile every game, starting on opening night. Make it loud.

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