"Playoff Experience"
I'm sick of hearing analysts talk about the importance of "playoff experience." Why exactly is it so important to have experience playing games in the playoffs? How does this really make you a better basketball player?Everything I have seen in this playoffs and in my life suggests this "playoff experience" theory is complete hogwash. Did "playoff experience" help the Dallas Mavericks last year? This year? Both years they lost in the first round to a team with virtually no playoff experience. How about the Denver Nuggets - they've made the playoffs five straight years but this experience hasn't once helped them win a series. Tracy McGrady has a lot of playoff experience too, but his teams have never won a series.
Playoff experience didn't help the New England Patriots beat a less experienced New York Giants team in the Super Bowl. It didn't prevent them from blowing a huge lead to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship the year before.
The Sacramento Kings rolled up tons of "playoff experience", but it never got them to the NBA Finals. It didn't stop them from prodigious choking in their biggest playoff games.
Someone please show me the statistical evidence that "playoff experience" means something.
posted by GnightMoon @ 3:57 PM
3 Comments:
Agreed completely. Chris Paul is the shit and Tony Parker has how many playoff series of experince more than him? Hope I didn't jinx the Hornets.
I'm also with you and have two points to add. All of these players in the NBA playoffs have a lifetime of handling pressure situations. Just because it was the High School State Championships doesn't mean there was less pressure on them to win. Granted more people are watching and paying money to see them play, but a high schooler who misses a free throw to send the finals into overtime would possibly feel worse because he has to face his fellow students every day whereas NBA players still get a ridiculously large pay check every two weeks. Secondly, I hate analysts talking about teams "learning how to win". Why were you playing in the first place if it wasn't to win? Nobody stops playing after the third quarter or eighth inning. Something can be said for running out the clock messing up rhythm on offense, but that is simply what you risk when you dribble around doing nothing for 10-15 seconds.
On another note do you have any insights into the WSOP Main Event Final Table changes? This seems totally preposterous.
What amazes me more and more as I grow older is how often people develop maxims about sports and then blindly ignore the many contradicting facts while latching onto the others.
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