ORLANDO, Fla. — Professional athletes are veterans in tuning out noise from a crowd. Over their careers, NBA players especially become adept at being able to focus on a game despite the roaring din that can take over an arena.
There are moments of course when the cheers from rabid fans and the sound of 20,000 adoring cheers can motivate players, and they play into it. But by and large they are focused on what goes on between the lines.
The 94-foot by 50-foot rectangle that makes up an NBA court is a sanctuary where players are able to blur everything else around them.