[quote]scj119 wrote:
Remember it’s 2-3-2 format for the finals so if DAL wins tonight they’ll go for a win in 5 if they hold home court.[/quote]
Would you believe it if I told you the road team has actually swept those middle three games more often than the home team has?
[/quote]
Yes, because the road team is typically the worse team.[/quote]
Perhaps I was unclear. I’m saying the team that has homecourt (ie. the road team for those middle 3) has swept those games more often than the actual home team for those three middle games.
In other words, it’s VERY DIFFICULT to “hold serve” for those middle 3 games. To my knowledge, only DET (2004) and MIA (2006, and thanks to the refs) have actually done it.
[quote]scj119 wrote:
Remember it’s 2-3-2 format for the finals so if DAL wins tonight they’ll go for a win in 5 if they hold home court.[/quote]
Would you believe it if I told you the road team has actually swept those middle three games more often than the home team has?
[/quote]
Yes, because the road team is typically the worse team.[/quote].
Perhaps I was unclear. I’m saying the team that has homecourt (ie. the road team for those middle 3) has swept those games more often than the actual home team for those three middle games.
In other words, it’s VERY DIFFICULT to “hold serve” for those middle 3 games. To my knowledge, only DET (2004) and MIA (2006, and thanks to the refs) have actually done it.
[/quote]
Right, but the stats show the 2-3-2 format has very little effect. The fact is, the team with 3 consecutive home games is usually the worse team (that’s why they don’t have home court advantage), and it’s hard to win 3 games at home against a better team regardless of if they’re broken up by an away game in between.
It seems in your head like it should have a huge effect, but in reality it just makes it more likely that the series goes at least 6 games (due to the “inferior” team getting their 3rd home game in g5 instead of the “superior” one). I use quotes because the road team isn’t ALWAYS inferior - but they have the worse record which generally speaking means they are a worse team.
Edit: I’m agreeing with you, I’m just stipulating that if your reason for the underdog team to rarely hold serve at home has to do with the 2-3-2 format, I disagree with that being the reason. I think the reason is that it is hard to win 3 games at home against a better (or about equal) team, and that’s true regardless of if you go back to their court for game 5 or not.
So far, not much of anything. Dirk is a bit out of sorts, both Ds playing well. It continues to amaze me how DAL can play Barea-Terry-Stojakovic and not get killed on D, even against a team with LBJ-Wade. Their team D is just so good.
But I want to know why DAL didn’t seem to care much about this Game 1?? Why the letup after the 7-0 run to open the 2nd half?? Why didn’t they ever match MIA’s defensive intensity down the stretch??
Can’t believe it but they were actually looking like LAL out there… (ie. complacent as f_ck)
