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Message: [QUOTE="champs99and04, post: 2724092, member: 488"] It's possible if not likely that someone disproves this theory, but I can't imagine the increased emphasis on the three point line has helped this trend. When both teams are chucking up 30-40 threes in a game, it becomes harder to hit the sweet spot in terms of generating competitive games. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that more possessions equals larger margins. College basketball has been rightfully criticized for slow and ugly play, but those rockfights do tend to lead to a higher percentage of close games. I would imagine if we went back to the Billups era Pistons or even the KG era Celtics, we would find less variance from game to game. Go back to the turn of the century and it's basically a different sport - I watched the end of an old Celtics/Lakers game from 2002 the other day (I'm too lazy to link it, but readily available on youtube) and Kenny Anderson was routinely spotting up from like a foot inside the arch. The other part of the problem is the exposure that is unique to the game of basketball. It's a sport predicated on the fine-tuning of mechanics, the generation of adrenaline, and the almost maniacal need for focus/concentration. The game often requires you to assume a yoga-like state and then turn around seconds later with a gladiator intensity. The body rhythms of basketball are more vulnerable to the influence of the crowd, especially seeing that they aren't as insulated from the fans as they are in other sports and wear hardly any gear. For a while there in the '08 playoffs, home teams were winning at an astonishing rate (Hawks-Celtics took that to an extreme I've never seen) and I'm sure you can go through history and find periods where this was equally true. I don't know if there is anything to the idea that role players are better at home, but I wouldn't doubt it based on what I've seen this postseason. George Hill can wear a cape one game and then the next he'll be a punchline on twitter. One idea I've thrown out there - and most will probably find it stupid - is to strip the higher seed of their home court advantage if the first six games are all won by the home team. Play the seventh game at a neutral site and make the survivor feel like they've earned something. Nobody wants to watch the garbage we saw in that Boston-Milwaukee series - the home team won every game and five of them were blowouts. Philly-Boston was headed the same way if not for a game 3 choke job, and if I had to bet my money, I'd say the same will happen in Cavs-Celtics. It won't ever happen because of logistics, gate money, etc., but it'd be a fun wrinkle that would add intrigue. [/QUOTE]

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