I’m saying it’s not an essential part of the sport. The game of basketball remains exactly the same with or without fans in the arena. All the fans do, is offer a small mind game to overcome if you are away usually; and home team can ride the energy of the fans however they choose. It’s a minor distraction at best. You even said it yourself, “Without fans, they're not feeling that extra bit of pressure”, that’s all it is: an “extra BIT of pressure”
You call them “exhibition games” but you couldn’t be more mistaken. Do preseason games count towards anything? Do you go home if you lose 4 preseason games? Do players exert themselves this much and commit to cutting this hard, attacking this relentlessly, defending this intensely in exhibition/preseason games? They don’t. Sometimes you don’t even see NBA stars in exhibition/preseason scrimmages. These are playoff games and the level of play is in plain sight. Calling them exhibition games is honestly a slap in the face to those who are playing in the bubble right now. I’d love to see you try to articulate that position in front of the teams playing right now lol. You wouldn’t get a word in. As soon as you they were to hear your laughable position, you’d be standing there in silence getting berated by several players, fiercely telling you’re wrong and why. Trying to say they’re not putting their bodies through the same rigors? You don’t know what playoff game is homey. This is playoff basketball going on right now
You want say that it’s not, because they haven’t met a certain amount of regular season games due to a global pandemic? Huh? The seeds were largely decided when the season ended prematurely and the teams that did have a shot to possibly make the seedings and earn a playoff spot were given a chance to, in the bubble. The NBA teams that were competitive missed only 10 GAMES this season. 72 regular season games were played by those teams that actually competed and were battling for a chance to take the 2019-2020 NBA Championship. So there goes that argument of yours...
You’re arguing in favor for flying/traveling, saying that because NBA players don’t have to deal with prolonged sitting/stiffness, possible jet-lag, delays, etc. the game somehow means less? With travel being taken out of the equation, teams may now focus their minds and bodies MORE towards RECOVERY, WINNING. Making games MORE competitive. Add to the fact that players had 4 and a half months to heal/recover, practice on their individual game and body, this year’s playoffs is even better
Probably best to refrain from wasting time and simply accept your L, this is playoff basketball, period. The fans mean something, but they’re a small part of the game itself when played at NBA level. They’re largely ignored by most players the entirely of the game. One mind game, dealing with true fan noise and the nerves that come with that, is now missing. Big deal