Quote:
Originally Posted by Poindexter
Cleveland coach Bickerstaff is saying that fans are giving him a hard time for pulling players late in the game. It is actually very interesting because there is a strong tendency for nba games to land close to the line. For instance phoenix was favored by 9.5 last night they are up 10 late in the game and Booker hits a three pointer to go up 13 and then on the next (final) possession Atlanta chooses not to even take a shot. I have seen other games where a team is up double digits with say 45 secs to go, they take a 24 sec violation, the other team does the same, end of game.
To me it seems like they are sort of scripting some of these finishes when the game is already decided. Don’t forget with in game betting, someone has a bet at almost any number. So I am sure somebody out there had Atlanta plus 12. They went from having a 40 to 50 percent chance of covering to a zero percent chance of covering because Atlanta elects not to shoot and ran out the clock. That is the answer? It seems to me if you are going to promote sports betting teams should be shooting and more importantly attempting to score with time on the clock, especially when they are down. I get that the team up 13 will run out the clock. But the team down 13 running out the clock makes no sense to me.
I can’t watch a game without the spread being mentioned, so why are they tiptoeing around the randomness of the finishes?
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The finishes have always been random, why should they change now because of wide spread gambling? I remember an incident I think it was the year the 49ers streak for making the play-offs was broken. That would have been 1991. I was living in SoCal and a 49er fan back then and a couple friends and I were at Agua Caliente betting football. I don't remember the opponent, but the 49ers were ahead late, but not covering.
My friends had the 49ers opponent needing them to cash a parlay. The 49ers were in the red zone, but now just needed to take a couple knees to run out the clock. I told my friends not to worry the 49ers had too much class and will just run out the clock. They scored a TD, to my shock. Maybe they were pissed that they no longer controlled their own destiny.
My 49ers have too much class comment was mocked quite often after that.
