There’s an art to being an annoying NBA fan. Most stick to the classics – coordinated screams, thunder sticks, maybe the occasional giant head blocking someone’s view. But during Game 5 in Oklahoma City, someone decided to rewrite the playbook entirely. Because when you’ve tried everything else, why not test whether infants count as illegal defense?

Pat McAfee, never one to stay quiet about basketball’s absurdities, immediately called for Adam Silver to ban baby-waving tactics. And he’s not wrong to question it. The NBA has rules against lasers, strobe effects, and even excessive signage – all deemed too disruptive. Yet somehow, using actual human children as psychological weapons falls through the cracks. There’s something darkly hilarious about a league that fines players for untucked jerseys but hasn’t yet ruled on whether toddlers qualify as contraband.

What makes this particularly thorny is that Oklahoma City’s crowd didn’t even need the baby gimmick to dominate. Their traditional home-court chaos – the deafening noise, perfectly timed standing ovations, that electric energy when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went on a run – was already working just fine. The Pacers committed seven first-quarter turnovers not because of any infant-related mind games (though I wouldn’t complain about being the kid who could contest shots through some Jedi force), but because NBA crowds at their loudest are legitimately disruptive in ways the league actively encourages.

That’s the real irony here. The NBA wants passionate fans, just not too creative ones. Thunder sticks? Approved. Coordinated chants? Encouraged. But the moment someone discovers a new way to get in opponents’ heads – whether with mirrors, puppets, or in this case, borrowed babies – the league has to decide where the line is. Because if we don’t draw one now, next year’s playoffs might feature full-blown puppet shows behind the backboard.

Maybe this is the natural evolution of fandom in the social media age. The baby moment went viral because it was bizarre, not because it was effective. Oklahoma City proved the old ways still work best – their crowd didn’t need props to rattle Indiana. But the incident raises a fair question: in a league that micromanages so much, should “no using children as psychological weapons” really be a rule we need to write down? Silver’s office might want to get ahead of this one before someone tries bringing a golden retriever to Game 6 – or worse, figures out how to harness actual toddler telekinesis to alter shots mid-air.

The NBA’s Eternal Arms Race Between Players and Overly Creative Fans

Let’s be honest – NBA fans have turned distraction into an art form. They’ll try anything that isn’t literally against the rules, and sometimes things that are. The latest? Using babies as psychological distractions during free throws. Because nothing says “home court advantage” like turning an infant into a prop.

This isn’t some new phenomenon, though. Fans have been getting creative with their disruptions for decades. Remember when the Utah crowd thought it would be cool to shine a laser pointer in James Harden‘s eyes during a 2016 game? The Beard wasn’t having it, rightfully calling it out as dangerous. The NBA quickly banned that nonsense.

Then there was New Orleans’ classy move of waving a life-sized Eva Longoria cutout to distract her then-husband Tony Parker. Or UNLV’s ridiculous “Khem Kong” monstrosity – a $1,500 3D-printed abomination that took two months to create just to mess with shooters. And who could forget Duke’s Speedo Guy, proving you don’t need expensive props when you’ve got confidence and a tight swimsuit?

Here’s the thing about the baby tactic – it’s kind of genius in its simplicity. Lasers are obviously dangerous. Giant heads are clearly disruptive. But a cute kid? That’s just a family enjoying the game… until you realize they’re strategically positioned to break a shooter’s concentration. It’s the perfect loophole – wholesome enough to seem innocent, but potentially effective enough to matter.

The NBA will probably ban this eventually, just like they did with lasers and strobe lights. But let’s be real – fans will always find new ways to toe the line. Maybe next season we’ll see service dogs “coincidentally” sitting behind the basket. Or maybe someone will bring a hypnotist. The arms race between rule-makers and creative fans never ends, and honestly? That’s part of what makes the game fun to watch.

At the end of the day, these stunts rarely actually decide games. Real home court advantage comes from deafening crowd noise and actual basketball plays, not gimmicks – a lesson Pat McAfee learned the hard way when his WWE-style halftime hype backfired during Game 4 against OKC. But you’ve got to admire the creativity – even if the league eventually has to step in and say, “okay, that’s enough now.” Until then, enjoy the show, and maybe keep an eye out for what ridiculous distraction comes next.