About ten years ago I was watching an NBA pre-game show with Charles Barkley and he said (paraphrasing), "This is a give-away game for the Suns. They're gonna give this game away." The Suns came out totally flat, were dominated from tip-off and lost by like 30 (they were playing at HOME too). That was after they had won game 1 (v. the Mavs I think) with ease.
Why would a team do this? The obvious answer to me is that it ensures an extra home game. That's a lot of revenue for the team. Another thing is, obviously, anyone who knows about it could make a fortune betting. The drawbacks are that it's one more game of wear and tear and another chance for a key injury and a chance that your opposition could gain momentum and beat you in the series (always possible).
Do you think teams ever give away playoff games? If so, why?
Why would a team do this? The obvious answer to me is that it ensures an extra home game. That's a lot of revenue for the team. Another thing is, obviously, anyone who knows about it could make a fortune betting. The drawbacks are that it's one more game of wear and tear and another chance for a key injury and a chance that your opposition could gain momentum and beat you in the series (always possible).
Do you think teams ever give away playoff games? If so, why?