Virtual baby cheers Rockets to third straight ‘home’ playoff win

The Rockets are 3-0 as the “home” team in the 2020 NBA playoffs, with a baby serving as their most popular virtual fan in Game 5.

In theory, there shouldn’t be a “home-court advantage” in the 2020 NBA playoffs. After all, due to COVID-19, all games are now being held without fans at the Disney World “bubble” in Florida.

Yet somehow, through five games, the “home” team is a perfect 5-0 in the first-round series between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder. That includes Saturday’s Game 5, in which the Rockets won by 114-80 — the biggest margin of any playoff win in franchise history.

Besides having piped-in public address sounds from the host team’s usual arena, another advantage of being the home team at the bubble is having a few more sections of virtual fans. In Game 5, one Houston section included the continued blank stare of this adorable infant:

Monday’s Game 6 will be a home game for the Thunder, so it remains to be seen if the Rockets will have enough virtual seating to (again) squeeze in the newest sensation on #RocketsTwitter.

The Rockets, however, would be the home team in Game 7. If necessary, that could give the infant one more chance to steal the show.

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