Is There A Disadvantage In Finishing First?

[LogGrad98]

And then in this case it will usually come down to overall talent which the Jazz clearly will have more of given our near wire to wire 1st place league record.

I think a fully healthy Lakers team would have challenged us for first all year.

 

[Isaiah 1:13]

My Knicks (second best team in NBA) finished in fourth place. We have a week off and we know our opponent - the Hawks. We can study thousands of minutes of film on the Hawks, run play after play in practice simulating Hawks D and O, and if we want we have a whole week to pull a Tonya Harding on Trae Young.

But you Jazz finished in first, most likely will play your first playoff game on Sunday, but won't know your opponent until Friday night! Do you find that wrong? Sure the Jazz have books on the play-in teams, but you really do lose out on a week's worth of simulating practicing and film work against those teams.

Disadvantage to finishing in first?

It's not the film preparation that I worry about, but more the lack of actual knock down drag out competition. The teams coming out of these play-in tournaments will be battle tested. I see it all the time where a seeded player in tennis plays his first match against a qualifier that had to win matches to get in. and the qualifier runs hot and beats the seed. The fact that the NBA has gone to a straight best of seven series format makes that a little less of an issue, but still, it could be. That being said, the risk of play-in injury ameliorates that effect somewhat. Also in our case, the team playing in will have less time to prepare at game site altitude due to the game Friday.
I'd say overall, net advantage Jazz!

 

[infection]

It's not the film preparation that I worry about, but more the lack of actual knock down drag out competition. The teams coming out of these play-in tournaments will be battle tested. I see it all the time where a seeded player in tennis plays his first match against a qualifier that had to win matches to get in. and the qualifier runs hot and beats the seed. The fact that the NBA has gone to a straight best of seven series format makes that a little less of an issue, but still, it could be. That being said, the risk of play-in injury ameliorates that effect somewhat. Also in our case, the team playing in will have less time to prepare at game site altitude due to the game Friday.
I'd say overall, net advantage Jazz!

I don't disagree with this, but the team we face is a team that lost their previous game.

 

[LifeOnaPlate]

It is not like the Jazz do not know their opponents. I am sure the Jazz have watched plenty film on the potential teams they might play in the first round. Typically, having the best record is great because you travel less, you have home court advantage and you usually play the worse team. Unfortunately, this year the 8th seed team most likely will not be a typical 8th seed. Jazz also get to watch their potential opponents at full strength in these play-in games. I am excited to find out though who the Jazz play but I see mostly positives for having the first seed.

Good point! We get to see both potential teams in playoff mode first.

 

[gandalfe]

I don't disagree with this, but the team we face is a team that lost their previous game.

No, we either play a team that lost a game, then won a game, or a team that won 2 games in a row.

 

[MeloTheJazzKiller]

Coaching is supposed to be one of our advantages, right? .... more time for our coaches is, therefore, supposed to incur an advantage,

Very true. Extra time favors the top coaches. Bill Belichick has an amazing .761 winning percentage coming off a bye-week. You Jazz are being denied this advantage of extra time to prep for an opponent.

 

[LifeOnaPlate]

No, we either play a team that lost a game, then won a game, or a team that won 2 games in a row.

Correct. Though I had to think really hard and look at a chart.

 

[Gameface]

Very true. Extra time favors the top coaches. Bill Belichick has an amazing .761 winning percentage coming off a bye-week. You Jazz are being denied this advantage of extra time to prep for an opponent.

Not exactly true.

The Jazz will get practice time and can work on their offense regardless of who they play. They can also narrow their focus to two potential teams after Wednesday.

 

[Friend2bees]

We already have all the information we need, which is that our opponent will not be the Twolves, Wizards, or Knicks. That makes finishing first an advantage for the Jazz.

 

[Jingled]

This season it may be a disadvantage. If we end up playing the Lakers in the first round and then the Clippers in the second round.

 

[MeloTheJazzKiller]

.... the team we face is a team that lost their previous game.

That's not true at all.

The eight seed you will face is a team that has won its previous game. In fact it actually could be a team that won two in a row.

 

[Gameface]

That's not true at all.

The eight seed you will face is a team that has won its previous game. In fact it actually could be a team that won two in a row.

Let's go San Antonio, amiright?