Does the 2 - 3- 2 format hurt or help the Spurs???

[Phenomanul]

Your thoughts....

[Guru of Nothing]

I do not like the 2-3-2 format at all.

Whether it helps or not depends a lot on game 3. If the Spurs win game 3, I like their chances - even more.

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

The Spurs are 6-2 at home and 6-2 on the road in the playoffs.




Difference any it does make not.

[kskonn]

I think it is hard to say because in certain situations it can help or hurt. However I think the spurs have shown during this playoff run that they are not going to be intimidated on the road. They have played very very well on the road and I don't see why the finals will be any different.

Actually I feel the spurs are more focused on the road so I am going to say haveing the first two at home and then three on the road will help them remained focus. So my answer is help.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

I say help. It's really tough to win three games in a row in the finals even if you are at home, so the lower seed kind of gets the shaft. In the Pistons case they have looked a little weak at times even on their home floor during all of their series so I think it would be feasable that the Spurs could win the first two, get one in Detroit and have a chance to close it out at home. Against Miami I guess the same might hold true.

[NoMoneyDown]

I agree with spurs_fane_in_exile and add that both Miami and Detroit have shown to consistently lose both on the road and at home, so home court doesn't seem to matter for them much.

[LilMissSPURfect]

i don't like it! i think it takes away that homecourt edge somewhat.....

[boutons]

Hurts, only if the Spurs split the first "2".

Go up 2-0, grab at least one W in the "-3-", and then come home 3-2, just like in 03, to win the title before the home crowd.

Although the playoff Spurs have been very tough on the road, I would never kick HCA out of bed. HCA and homecourt dominance, is something the Spurs have earned, so they should exploit it to the max.

Heat have been a very mediocre road team vs WC, so Spurs should go 2-0 to do nothing to give the Heat any confidence going back to MIA.

As for the playoff Spurs, I don't think HCA matters too much to the Pistons, either.

[Guru of Nothing]

Not that I want it to extend out to a game 7, but with the ol' 2-2-1-1-1 format, game 7's are much more dramatic when the home team is coming off a game 6 loss on the road.

[MadDog73]

I think the whole point of the 2-3-2 format is that is does not give "home court" such dominance as the 2-2-1-1-1 format.

But even though the Home team has to play 3 in a row on the road, they still have the advantage of the starting and finishing game (assuming there's a game 7) at home, which gives them a distinct edge.

The Spurs play well on the road and at home, so it really won't make much of a difference in this particular case.

[GhostofAlfrederickHughes]

It matters not. Even were the Spurs to split the first two at home, there's no way they lose 3 in a row on the road. If they win the first two at home, they'll probably close it out on the road, 'cause they don't want to come back to S.A. and possibly 'choke' at home :blah

[kskonn]

I honestly thought the biggest reason for the 2-3-2 format was due to the size of the media and what it takes for them to move from venue to venue. I honestly remember hearing that less media would agree to cover under the 2-2-1-1-1 format.

[SWC Bonfire]

The "home court" team is more at a disadvantage initially because the pressure is so high to win the first two at home.

Win your first two, and you only have to steal one game away and you're in great position coming back home. So, potentially it can be a huge advantage.

[Solid D]

It's never proven to hurt them before. They are 2-0 in 2-3-2 series while holding "home court advantage" (8 wins, 3 losses).

Spurs are focused.

[CosmicCowboy]

I think the 2-3-2 definitely hurts the Spurs a little...thats a full week of playing critical games while sleeping in hotels away from everything that is "normal"...no access to the training facility, etc...the media feeding frenzy in the finals can be a real distraction for players and they never have an opportunity to go "home" to get out of it and get some privacy...plus if they play Miami there is the whole Miami/South Beach thing going on...

[shelshor]

hurts
don't like the 2-3-2 format and never have liked it

[mavsfan1000]

If the spurs lose a game at home there is a chance that the spurs might lose 2 out of the 3 road games. This would put alot of pressure on San Antonio to win 2 straight games at home while facing elimination.

[Tek_XX]

Yep as many have said it's all good if we win the first two, then all the pressure is on them to win three straight home games, and i don't see the spurs not winning at least one at their place.

[SouthernFried]

I hate 2-3-2

If everyone wins their homecourt early...we are down 3-2 and every game is a must win from then on out.

Homecourt advantage should never mean the team with it can get down in a series...2-2-1-1-1 is much better.

[MiNuS]

I say we win the 1st 2 then win 1 on the road and then come back to S.A. and
win it all!

The first two are a MUST!

[DDS4]

Doesn't matter. Homecourt advantage is way overrated.

Teams who make the Finals are usually good road teams anyway.

It all comes down to who plays better and who executes.

[MadDog73]

You guys worry too much.

Spurs distracted by the media / South Beach? Not going to happen.

Spurs just beat the best team in the NBA 3 times on the road, and we're worried about winning our road games?

Please. The format doesn't matter. Spurs have more Finals experience than both the Pistons and the Heat (except for Shaq, of course).

That will be the deciding factor: experience and poise. Not who's court we're playing on or hotel we're sleeping at.

[mavsfan1000]

Homecourt advantage is a little overrated but Miami and San Antonio are very good home teams so it could be 3-2 Miami.

[gus]

I don't care for 2.3.2 format if the Spurs win the first 2 at home and the first 2 on the road :smokin

Gus

[Jimcs50]

In a 5 game series, the team w/o "HCA" gets "HCA", because they get 3 games at home to the 2 for the Spurs.

That makes it unfair to the team that has "HCA"

The NBA is the only sport that uses this format, and it is just not fair to the team that deserves a true HCA, where they never have to play more games away than at home.

It is much easier to win as underdog in this format because if they split first 2 on road, which has occured quite often this year, then they can close out the series, without the true HCA team getting a chance to get home again.

Imagine if Miami and Detroit had this format right now. Detroit would be getting game 5 at home tonight, and that would favor Detroit, and they do not deserve to be favored at all in a game 5.

[ladiesman]

Can we play our home games in Phoenix? That seems to be our home away from home....

[mavsfan1000]

Phoenix actually plays better on the road. I have been watching them all year and they are more shaky at home for some reason. San Antonio took advantage of that.

[Jimcs50]

Can we play our home games in Phoenix? That seems to be our home away from home....

Miami and Phoenix are similar. The Spurs will have same success in Miami.

The way the Spurs are playing on the road, it will be very difficult for Miami to beat SA three straight games in Miami.

One thing, Miami has only lost 2 games at home in last 27 games....both to Detroit.

[mavsfan1000]

Miami and Phoenix are similar. The Spurs will have same success in Miami.

The way the Spurs are playing on the road, it will be very difficult for Miami to beat SA three straight games in Miami.

One thing, Miami has only lost 2 games at home in last 27 games....both to Detroit.
That first home loss Shaq didn't play in because of a stomach flu. The second loss was on a long layoff and Shaq still wasn't right.

[SouthernFried]

I still think Shaq isn't right.

[mavsfan1000]

He looked pretty good in game 3. Game 4 he was in foul trouble.

[pooh]

one of the reasons why the 2-3-2 format was because of the frequency of the Lakers/Celtics always meeting up in the finals back in the '80's. Those long flights in between would take their effect on the teams so they made it this way as to help both out.

[Kori Ellis]

2-3-2 sucks.

I don't see how it's really Home Court Advantage if, at any point in the series, you have played more games in the home city of team without HCA. And that's exactly what it is after game five. It's frickin' stupid. I don't care if it's for travel reasons, media reasons, timing reasons, it sucks.

[pooh]

Baseball quickly followed suit with it also after seeing how well it worked for Basketball. If you have teams separated on oppoosite sides of the country, then yeah it works...but if the distance is say cut in half or less...it's not fair, I agree.

[MadDog73]

2-3-2 sucks.

I don't see how it's really Home Court Advantage if, at any point in the series, you have played more games in the home city of team without HCA. And that's exactly what it is after game five. It's frickin' stupid. I don't care if it's for travel reasons, media reasons, timing reasons, it sucks.


Or, it could be they didn't want any team to really have HCA.

After all, this is the Finals between the two best teams from the East and West. Since you can't have it at a neutral location, like the Superbowl, the next best thing is to try and negate any advantage.

As Kori says, the "road" team has the advantage for the first 5 games, BUT the "home" team Starts and Ends (potentially) the series at their home (game 1 and game 7). And since statistically, home court advantage matters more in opening and closing games, I think this balances nicely with the 3 games away.

Either way, it forces the Champion to either win a game on the road, or risk being down in the series. And I say any Champion worth their salt should be able to overcome that challenge.

But, since I'm totally talking out of my ass, does anyone have the stats on "home" teams winning % in the Finals since the 2-3-2 format was introduced?

[pooh]

I think detroit was the first home team to win all of their home games to win a series...before that, the Lakers did the opposite back in 2001, after dropping the first game in LA. They won four in a row.

[bigzak25]

i don't think it matters...home energy vs road focus. both are positives.


the good news: the home team has won the championship in game 5 only once.

the bad news: it was Detroit Pistons, 2004.

[MadDog73]

Uhhh, guys, Detroit was the road team in 2004.

They started in LA, stole one, then proceded to sweep all their middle home games.

Thus the danger of losing one of your Home games in the 2-3-2 format.

[bigzak25]

yeah, maddog...i think we know that...and detroit would be the road team again this year if they make it...which is why it is relevent...but they would be the HOME team for GAME 5.