SB Nation's own Jon Bois took a look at how much home-field/court/ice (but not pitch!) advantage helps pro sports teams across the nation and started the whole thing off with the Seattle Seahawks as his example.
While it's definitely an understatement to say that "the Seahawks weren't the same team without their 12th man", the more important news in this story is that Seattle can proudly claim the fourth best home advantage in the nation behind (San Francisco, Charlotte, and Minnesota).
Home Advantage In Sports: A Scientific Study Of How Much It Affects Winning - SBNation.com
Many of the most far-flung cities -- Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Phoenix -- score very well. A friend of mine suggested that teams with further distances to travel will naturally play better at home, and the numbers seem to bear this out.
And that's without the Seattle Storm who went undefeated at home this season and have the best home record in the WNBA since 2003. So based on this past year's result, Seattle should be at the forefront of the advocacy to play all their games at home.
But most important is Bois' obvious conclusion.
In closing: had I prepared this data sooner, the Sonics might have stayed in Seattle, and LeBron may have opted to play for the Bobcats. WHOOPS!
Obviously.
This scientific study should be filed as supporting evidence for whatever proceedings occur during potential NBA relocation talks.