By the time the NBA Finals come around there are only two fanbases that can still cheer for their team. The rest of the league is forced to either step back and watch as a bystander, or pick a side. Some years that’s not that difficult of a choice. Almost every fan has a strong feeling one way or the other about the Warriors or Knicks. But there are far fewer blood feuds surrounding the Oklahoma City Thunder.
While the market size is something that is overblown by NBA network insiders – and those pretending to be insiders – it does play a role in how support is lined up. Like an NCAA tiebreaker, fans might need to go deep to find a reason for picking one team over another in this year’s Finals.
Will Bulls fans cheer for the Lakers because of a long-simmering Reggie Miller annoyance? Or will they cheer for the team in the neighboring state in a sort of Great Lakes solidarity?
Will Lakers fans cheer for the Pacers after getting bullied by OKC through the regular season? Or will they want Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win it all and get a taste of the good life so he can be enticed to sign with LA for his next contract?
In this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey, we are asking fans who they will be cheering for in the Finals, and who they support through the regular season. Also, which team has more aura?
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