All sports teams are not created equal. Besides the obvious difference in wins and losses, there are more nuanced ways to define a team. The attitude of the coach, the team's style of play, and of course the personalities of the players all determine how fans will view a particular squad.
The NBA is no different. With so much access to teams and players through social media, with so much unfiltered conversation on Twitter and on shows like ESPN's First Take, it's easy to see how some teams can become the darlings of the league while others transform into the opposite.
This is why we created the NBA Likability Matrix.
With this graph you can clearly see that wins and losses don't necessarily determine which clubs are fan-favorites. The Rockets are great yet many NBA fans hate their guts. The Timberwolves are awful yet people seem to love their youthfulness and high-flying style. My Sixers, well...they're awful AND hated. Sure I like them, but it's pretty obvious most basketball purists think GM Sam Hinkie is the roundball Antichrist.
Check out the NBA Likability Matrix above to see how likable your team is these days. Then, after you're gotten angry enough, feel free to let us know how wrong we are in the comment section below.
Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to sportstips@complex.com.
