Daily News from New York, New York • 1171

SEND IN THE CLONES By BILLGALLO ij! I COT SUCH HUfiXW" ICAA'T AfTv3? spiwpLVLEfis? gimme a eveN fCkLs i IS CSPl vAMHA WHERE ARE abdul Zw a Kksfis IkMmg gd gdo phony cheers By MICHAEL JAMES It's batter than sound of silence, say players Several Nets players, who admitted being uplifted by the crowd support during the Chicago win and even Tuesday's loss to Houston, were shocked to find it was fraudulent "(Against Houston) I know it was the loudest I've ever heard it during introductions," said guard Kevin Edwards, who has played parts of four seasons in New Jersey. "I guess it's like a game show where they have those applause signs." "When you know your crowd is behind you, it makes you play harder," said guard Kendall Gill, before he learned of the ruse. Did he think the fake noise gave the Nets an unfair advantage? "No," Gill said with a laugh. "We're at home." But coach John Calipari said the fake noise eventually will be phased out "One day you'll say it was only three years ago that they were pumping in fake crowd noise," he said. "You'll say, 'How far has this organization And you also can say, "At least the boos are real." James Daily News Sports Writer The next time you hear fans at the Meadowlands going crazy over the Nets, ask yourself this: "Is it live or is it Memorex?" A Daily News investigation has found the Nets have long been piping in artificial crowd noise through loudspeakers to pump up the fans, energize Nets players and intimidate the opposition.

Yesterday, John Calipari, Nets head coach and executive vice president of basketball operations, admitted to the sham, which had been in place before he took over last summer. "Some of this stuff is embarrassing, said Calipari, who noticed the unnatural sounds emanating from a half-empty arena shortly after his first few home games. "I noticed it and I just shook my head. I said, 'Do we need to do How about standing and cheering on our people and all that stuff? But we'll get there, though. It's going to take all of us creating that (real) kind of environment, and we just haven't done that yet" Asked if the fake noise gave his Nets an unfair advantage, Calipari said, "Yeah, it does, but I'm not worried about it" The Nets even used it to pump up the volume during last week's incredible 99-98 upset over the Bulls hiking up the decibel level so high it drowned out the boos of the decidedly pro-Chicago crowd who tried to rattle the Nets' Xavier McDaniel at the free-throw line in the final 2.3 seconds.

Afterward, McDaniel, who hit the clinching free throws, even criticized Bulls fans for coming to the Meadowlands and rooting for a Nets' loss. "They came to see the Bulls and see Michael Jordan win," said McDaniel, who added the Nets "play for those fans who come here on a Tuesday night in the middle of the season when we're playing the Clippers." When told of the fake crowd noise, McDaniel said, "Really, I didn't notice that Is that true?" It couldn't be determined how long the Nets have been using the procedure, but one team insider said, "It's been going on for a long time and everybody (other NBA teams) does it" But a spokeswoman for NBA commissioner David ever using such a ploy. "We have never done that at a Knicks game," said team spokeman Chris Weiller. Pacers spokesman David Benner said his arena's crowd noise is the real deaL "I can honestly say we don't do that," Benner said. "Here, during the playoffs against the Knicks the last two years, was the loudest I've ever heard." Benner offered proof, saying the team replaced its sound system this year and the noise is as deafening as it was when the sound from the old system was blocked by the scoreboard.

But several league sources told The News yesterday it was rumored microphones were hung from the rafters in old Chicago Stadium to "recycle the crowd noise." Bulls' officials, who since have moved next door to the United Center, couldn't be reached for comment And a spokesman for the Magic, where several sources questioned the validity of crowd noise at the Orlando Arena, said: "I don't think we've needed to do that We've sold out more than 250 straight games." UNM CATAO DAILY NEWS RED-FACED: Nets coach John Calipari finds the idea of piping in phony crowd noise an embarrassment Stern said she had no knowledge of the practice. Over the years, crowd noise has become known as "The Sixth Man" for the way it rattles a visiting team and gives the home team a true home-court advantage. Some arenas known for their unsettling volume include Indiana's Market Square Arena, the old Boston Garden and the granddaddy of them all the old Chicago Stadium. Spokespersons for the Knicks, Indiana, Orlando and even the expansion Toronto Raptors denied.