Summer League has given NBA fans something to ease the hoops withdrawals, but another summertime tournament is where the real drama and excitement is at — the World Cup.
On Sunday night, hosts Mexico were eliminated by England in what was a captivating contest at the famous Estadio Azteca. If you saw the post-match reactions, you may have been asking what exactly is the significance of the result.
Well, if basketball is more your thing, you can still get your head around it thanks to an analogy from Bill Simmons involving the Indiana Pacers.
Bill Simmons compares England vs Mexico atmosphere to more intense Pacers experience
England are considered a stronger national team than Mexico, but all week, the build-up continued to emphasise the kind of home advantage playing in the Azteca brings.
In their 60-year stint playing at the iconic stadium, Mexico lost just twice — last in 2013 against Honduras.
England were able to come away 3-2 victors after a hard-fought 90 minutes, almost half of which were played with one man less, after Jarell Quansah was shown a red card.
The game itself was a fiercely entertaining watch, and one where you could see who had the home advantage. The Azteca is one of the most intense atmospheres in sports, and that’s where Simmons bases his comparison.
He said on The Bill Simmons Podcast: I was trying to think, if basketball worked this way, this would basically be the Indiana Pacers stadium if we made it even closer to the court. And then, Indiana had, I don’t know, a thousand times as many people, and all they cared about was basketball.
“And then this wait, the play-offs are every four years. I didn’t even know how to do the formula in my head but that’s the only thing I could think of.
“Because Canseco Fieldhouse is the only basketball arena that reminded me of this stadium.”
Now named the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indiana’s home floor is by far the most suffocating atmosphere in the NBA. It’s likely a huge reason for them making the 2025 Finals.
In that series, they played the Oklahoma City Thunder in a Game 6 at the venue, but even that did not pack the same heat as this World Cup round of 16 tie.
Denver/Mexico comparison can work too
There is another comparison that somewhat works, and it comes at the arena of the 2023 champions, the Denver Nuggets.
The Ball Arena sits 5,276 feet above sea level, and visiting teams often struggle with that fact. The Azteca Stadium is at a startling 7,349-foot altitude.
So another analogy might be the OKC going into the Nuggets’ arena in a win-or-go-home game, having a key starter (or two) ejected, and holding on for dear life in an environment their bodies aren’t quite familiar with.
England players themselves acknowledged the altitude struggles both before and after the win. Reaching a World Cup quarter-final is an impressive feat in its own right, but especially when it meant coping with the intensity of such a venue.
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