You have made my point. These are not small market teams they just act like they are and to a certain extent the fans...this transplant fans...react to that.
I don't want to belabor it, but to say that
we are not small market
teams but they just act like we are is semantics.
What they do is what it is all about! And what the fans and refs
perceive. Perception is reality!
What people think may or may not be true, but that they think
it is true, is a fact and must be dealt with.
For example, the Suns have been considered a soft team for
over a half century, which is why they don't get the calls from
refs. who definitely play a role in the outcome of games.
So I agree with your assessment that our teams act like small
market teams.