This NBA season, the focus of back-to-back games are put to the forefront. But does it matter?
January 31st 2012 09:16
Basketball is by far my favorite sport and the NBA is my favorite sports league of all time. But it is one of the most fascinating sports leagues to actually research and learn about. It's a league that has had its share of controversies, scandals, and naysayers since its creation in June of 1946. The 2011-2012 season, like the 1998-1999 season, features many back-to-backs and back-to-back-to-backs. Talk about putting strain on your roster and if you think some of the injuries are not directly related to the lack of a training camp and little rest in between games please think again.
This is simply the situation the players and owners had to deal with since the lockout prevented the season from starting on time. It's no longer time to complain about it, but Stern and his cronies in their New York offices sure were not shy about cramming as many games as possible to make up for the two months of regular season games lost. The fact the regular season ends April 26th and the playoffs start just two nights later should tell most NBA junkies all they need to know. There is a pure rush to squeeze as much out of this season as possible and the Finals are ensured to go no later than June 26th.
But I'm not so sure the common theory teams playing back-to-back or three games in a row this season will affect their ability to win games. It will come into play of course and it will depend if they are on the road or playing three in a row at home. But still, early in the season I think these consecutive games are serving as a good barometer for "contending" teams (sorry Charlotte, New Orleans, and Golden State, and New Jersey) to be used to playing with each other and getting into playing shape by actually playing games. Now the 50 game season in 1998-99 produced 64 sets of back-to-backs and eventually led to some sloppy basketball and tired legs.
But early in the season thus far, I saw a graphic for teams playing three games in a row and all but one of them won their third and final game despite what happened in their previous two games. I can't recall the team that lost or all the teams involved, but it was on NBA TV and it revealed something to me. The theory of teams struggling through back-to-backs has never really been a solid one in the NBA. It is more of a common misconception amongst fans, media, and gamblers alike.
There are a lot of extenuating circumstances, but I think eventually at some point the grind of this season will take its toll on all teams, good and bad, and it really won't matter who is in the midst of three consecutive games or not. For now, I see most teams holding their own as best they can and staving off injuries to key players. But at some point, most of these players are used to getting a few days off between games during the season and that is not going to be the case. Eventually, I expect to see some fatigued teams running around and how it directly affects one team's performance over another's is yet to be seen. But I will be eager to see what the rest of the season's scheduling challenges brings to these teams and players.
I do not know what the stats are, but I'm going to say if you are just talking about winning games and not covering pointspreads, NBA home court advantage probably sees home teams win the most out of any other professional sport at least in this country.
If you don't believe look at some box scores to see a glimpse of the story I've been fascinated with for years. Keep in mind I'm not saying games are fixed or that more Time Donaghy's exist on the NBA referee roster. But there is often a link between home court advantages and home town calls, which can make life very rough for road teams in the NBA.
For example, Monday night the Portland Trailblazers lost in one of the toughest venues in the NBA in Salt Lake City, Utah against the Jazz. They let a 13-0 Utah run in the second half get the best of them and wilted down the stretch. Yes, Portland's home/road splits are terrible as they dominate at home and struggle on the road. Still, they were up double digits and were categorized as being "outworked and outhustled" by head coach Nate McMillan after the game. That may be all well and true, but I noticed a very telling phrase that stuck out to me in the ESPN postgame summary written up online.
Portland was described as "giving up" 38 free throws to Utah, while only shooting 13 of their own inside Energy Solutions Arena. Just a little food for thought. Since Utah made 26 of those 38 free throws and Portland's free throw attempts the entire game were half of the free throws Utah made, don't think these things matter. Foul trouble matters, free throws slow down momentum, and getting to the line builds the confidence of a team playing from behind. That's exactly what happened in Utah tonight, and it happens very often in the NBA on a nightly basis. So I'd say if you are a road team in the Association, don't worry about when your next game is or how your getting there (first class travel accommodations no doubt), but be prepared to shoot insanely well from the field (45-50%) as a team because more often than not the charity stripe is not your friend on the road.
This is simply the situation the players and owners had to deal with since the lockout prevented the season from starting on time. It's no longer time to complain about it, but Stern and his cronies in their New York offices sure were not shy about cramming as many games as possible to make up for the two months of regular season games lost. The fact the regular season ends April 26th and the playoffs start just two nights later should tell most NBA junkies all they need to know. There is a pure rush to squeeze as much out of this season as possible and the Finals are ensured to go no later than June 26th.
But I'm not so sure the common theory teams playing back-to-back or three games in a row this season will affect their ability to win games. It will come into play of course and it will depend if they are on the road or playing three in a row at home. But still, early in the season I think these consecutive games are serving as a good barometer for "contending" teams (sorry Charlotte, New Orleans, and Golden State, and New Jersey) to be used to playing with each other and getting into playing shape by actually playing games. Now the 50 game season in 1998-99 produced 64 sets of back-to-backs and eventually led to some sloppy basketball and tired legs.
But early in the season thus far, I saw a graphic for teams playing three games in a row and all but one of them won their third and final game despite what happened in their previous two games. I can't recall the team that lost or all the teams involved, but it was on NBA TV and it revealed something to me. The theory of teams struggling through back-to-backs has never really been a solid one in the NBA. It is more of a common misconception amongst fans, media, and gamblers alike.
There are a lot of extenuating circumstances, but I think eventually at some point the grind of this season will take its toll on all teams, good and bad, and it really won't matter who is in the midst of three consecutive games or not. For now, I see most teams holding their own as best they can and staving off injuries to key players. But at some point, most of these players are used to getting a few days off between games during the season and that is not going to be the case. Eventually, I expect to see some fatigued teams running around and how it directly affects one team's performance over another's is yet to be seen. But I will be eager to see what the rest of the season's scheduling challenges brings to these teams and players.
I do not know what the stats are, but I'm going to say if you are just talking about winning games and not covering pointspreads, NBA home court advantage probably sees home teams win the most out of any other professional sport at least in this country.
If you don't believe look at some box scores to see a glimpse of the story I've been fascinated with for years. Keep in mind I'm not saying games are fixed or that more Time Donaghy's exist on the NBA referee roster. But there is often a link between home court advantages and home town calls, which can make life very rough for road teams in the NBA.
For example, Monday night the Portland Trailblazers lost in one of the toughest venues in the NBA in Salt Lake City, Utah against the Jazz. They let a 13-0 Utah run in the second half get the best of them and wilted down the stretch. Yes, Portland's home/road splits are terrible as they dominate at home and struggle on the road. Still, they were up double digits and were categorized as being "outworked and outhustled" by head coach Nate McMillan after the game. That may be all well and true, but I noticed a very telling phrase that stuck out to me in the ESPN postgame summary written up online.
Portland was described as "giving up" 38 free throws to Utah, while only shooting 13 of their own inside Energy Solutions Arena. Just a little food for thought. Since Utah made 26 of those 38 free throws and Portland's free throw attempts the entire game were half of the free throws Utah made, don't think these things matter. Foul trouble matters, free throws slow down momentum, and getting to the line builds the confidence of a team playing from behind. That's exactly what happened in Utah tonight, and it happens very often in the NBA on a nightly basis. So I'd say if you are a road team in the Association, don't worry about when your next game is or how your getting there (first class travel accommodations no doubt), but be prepared to shoot insanely well from the field (45-50%) as a team because more often than not the charity stripe is not your friend on the road.
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