Report: NBA trying to diminish Nuggets’ home-court advantage
The Nuggets have a famed home-court advantage.
Unlike many sports theories, this one is mathematically supported. Reality matches the perception.
But why do the Nuggets fare so much better in Denver than expected?
The most common explanation is the altitude. Opponents aren’t used to playing in the thin air, and they become fatigued more quickly than the Nuggets.
There’s another factor – or at least was.
Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post:
On the NBA map, Denver is in as unusual a place as there is. It’s smack in the middle — at least a two-hour flight to all but a few cities. And only the Utah Jazz shares the same time zone.
So here’s the problem as other teams see it: Denver has too much of an advantage in back-to-back games when the Nuggets are the second leg and said team is coming to play them from anywhere on the West Coast.
This issue was brought up among the many things on coaches’ minds during their summer meetings.
The NBA already has taken action to reduce that advantage through altered scheduling such as making Denver the first stop coming from the east or putting a day off between the games for teams coming from the west.
“It’s been a point of contention to where they’ve cut it down,” Malone said.
If the NBA is trying to reduce the wear on opponents before visiting Denver, the league could do a better job.
The Nuggets host 11 opponents who are on a back-to-back this season – tied for sixth-fewest in the NBA. The Raptors (6) and Hawks, Bucks and Pelicans (16 each) fall on the extreme ends of the spectrum.
That’s a decent drop from last season for Denver (15, tied for 18th fewest), but not so much from the season prior (12, tied for 9th fewest).
Remember, back-to-backs are down across the board.
What’s more, nine of those 11 opponents on back-to-backs in Denver this season are coming from the west the day prior:
Jazz (in Utah day before)
Cavaliers (Phoenix)
Hornets (Los Angeles)
Lakers (Los Angeles)
Suns (Phoenix)
Wizards (Utah)
Mavericks (Sacramento)
Kings (Sacramento)
Spurs (Golden State)
With supposedly a bigger concern about traveling west to Denver, I’m skeptical how much was really done by the NBA schedule-makers.
To be fair, Denver’s location presents scheduling difficulties. It’s possible the NBA has made a concerted effort to diminish the Nuggets’ home-court advantage. Without knowing which outcomes were possible if the league weren’t concerned by this, it’s impossible to say how effective the scheduling was.
Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 35812 Location: Santa Clarita, CA (Hell) ->>>>>Ithaca, NY -≥≥≥≥≥Berkeley, CA
Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 6:05 pm Post subject:
IMO, it should be illegal to have an arena at that altitude. They should simply move the arena to a lower altitude so as to make things fair. _________________ Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:
Joined: 18 Apr 2004 Posts: 6339 Location: Virginia
Posted: Mon Nov 16, 2015 9:07 pm Post subject:
lakersken80 wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
activeverb wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
IMO, it should be illegal to have an arena at that altitude. They should simply move the arena to a lower altitude so as to make things fair.
"Simply"? You'd have to move a 40-year-old franchise to another city. That's not simple, and it's not going to happen.
No, leave the team in Denver, just move the arena to a lower altitude.
How? The entire Denver metropolitan area is 1 mile above sea level.
uhhh im guessing he either means dig a very big hole in the ground or move them to another city and call them the Denver Nuggets still??? I have no idea lol.
Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 35812 Location: Santa Clarita, CA (Hell) ->>>>>Ithaca, NY -≥≥≥≥≥Berkeley, CA
Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 7:21 am Post subject:
kobeandgary wrote:
lakersken80 wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
activeverb wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
IMO, it should be illegal to have an arena at that altitude. They should simply move the arena to a lower altitude so as to make things fair.
"Simply"? You'd have to move a 40-year-old franchise to another city. That's not simple, and it's not going to happen.
No, leave the team in Denver, just move the arena to a lower altitude.
How? The entire Denver metropolitan area is 1 mile above sea level.
uhhh im guessing he either means dig a very big hole in the ground or move them to another city and call them the Denver Nuggets still??? I have no idea lol.
No, I mean the NBA should bulldoze the entire city of Denver so it is at sea level-- that will create more equitable playing conditions. _________________ Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:
IMO, it should be illegal to have an arena at that altitude. They should simply move the arena to a lower altitude so as to make things fair.
or... other teams should build their arenas 1 mile above ground too. fair! _________________ "Now, if life is coffee, then the jobs, money & position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold & contain life, but the quality of life doesn't change. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."
Joined: 15 Sep 2012 Posts: 29283 Location: La La Land
Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 8:05 am Post subject:
CandyCanes wrote:
kobeandgary wrote:
lakersken80 wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
activeverb wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
IMO, it should be illegal to have an arena at that altitude. They should simply move the arena to a lower altitude so as to make things fair.
"Simply"? You'd have to move a 40-year-old franchise to another city. That's not simple, and it's not going to happen.
No, leave the team in Denver, just move the arena to a lower altitude.
How? The entire Denver metropolitan area is 1 mile above sea level.
uhhh im guessing he either means dig a very big hole in the ground or move them to another city and call them the Denver Nuggets still??? I have no idea lol.
No, I mean the NBA should bulldoze the entire city of Denver so it is at sea level-- that will create more equitable playing conditions.
_________________ "Every hurt is a lesson, and every lesson makes you better”
Joined: 16 Oct 2003 Posts: 2050 Location: Costa Rica
Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 4:47 pm Post subject:
CandyCanes wrote:
kobeandgary wrote:
lakersken80 wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
activeverb wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
IMO, it should be illegal to have an arena at that altitude. They should simply move the arena to a lower altitude so as to make things fair.
"Simply"? You'd have to move a 40-year-old franchise to another city. That's not simple, and it's not going to happen.
No, leave the team in Denver, just move the arena to a lower altitude.
How? The entire Denver metropolitan area is 1 mile above sea level.
uhhh im guessing he either means dig a very big hole in the ground or move them to another city and call them the Denver Nuggets still??? I have no idea lol.
No, I mean the NBA should bulldoze the entire city of Denver so it is at sea level-- that will create more equitable playing conditions.
IMO, it should be illegal to have an arena at that altitude. They should simply move the arena to a lower altitude so as to make things fair.
"Simply"? You'd have to move a 40-year-old franchise to another city. That's not simple, and it's not going to happen.
No, leave the team in Denver, just move the arena to a lower altitude.
How? The entire Denver metropolitan area is 1 mile above sea level.
uhhh im guessing he either means dig a very big hole in the ground or move them to another city and call them the Denver Nuggets still??? I have no idea lol.
No, I mean the NBA should bulldoze the entire city of Denver so it is at sea level-- that will create more equitable playing conditions.
Why do I think your day job is a policy advisor for Donald Trump
That's a good point I just never put that much thought of it making a difference indoors and if it does why now its not as if suddenly Denver became a mile high above altitude
Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 35812 Location: Santa Clarita, CA (Hell) ->>>>>Ithaca, NY -≥≥≥≥≥Berkeley, CA
Posted: Tue Nov 17, 2015 8:12 pm Post subject:
activeverb wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
kobeandgary wrote:
lakersken80 wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
activeverb wrote:
CandyCanes wrote:
IMO, it should be illegal to have an arena at that altitude. They should simply move the arena to a lower altitude so as to make things fair.
"Simply"? You'd have to move a 40-year-old franchise to another city. That's not simple, and it's not going to happen.
No, leave the team in Denver, just move the arena to a lower altitude.
How? The entire Denver metropolitan area is 1 mile above sea level.
uhhh im guessing he either means dig a very big hole in the ground or move them to another city and call them the Denver Nuggets still??? I have no idea lol.
No, I mean the NBA should bulldoze the entire city of Denver so it is at sea level-- that will create more equitable playing conditions.
Why do I think your day job is a policy advisor for Donald Trump
Wrong. I work for Ben Carson. _________________ Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:
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