By Jim Feist

The NBA Finals shift this week from Texas to Florida as the Mavericks head to Miami for Games 3, 4, and 5. Many fans find this odd, as all the previous series are in a 2-2-1-1-1 format, but then the Finals shifts to a 2-3-2 format. It is odd, but there is a reason for the change: M-O-N-E-Y. The NBA prefers a longer series to build up interest and increase television ratings. The league won’t admit it, of course, but the 2-3-2 format was instituted because it’s theoretically tougher for a team to win the first two games at home, then win two of the next three on the road to close out a series in five games. The league doesn’t want five games, it wants six or seven.

It also hasn’t worked often, either. Granted, last season there was a Game 7 between the Pistons and Spurs, but that was the first one in the Finals since 1994. Over the last six years the Finals have gone 5, 6, 5, 4, 6, 5 and 7 games. Too many sweeps and five-game series, not exactly what television executives and ratings observers would like. It wasn’t always this way, either. The 2-3-2 format, which copies the World Series, was put into effect for the 1985 NBA Finals between the Celtics and Lakers. Before that, the Finals had always been 2-2-1-1-1, which worked fine. In fact, from 1976-84 there were three 7th games in the Finals and five series that went six games. Since 1985 under the 2-3-2 format there have only been three seven-game NBA Finals (1988, 1994, 2005).

Some players have even suggested that the team with home court doesn’t really have an edge, being forced to play three road games in a row in the middle of the Finals. Not having home court appeared to help the Pistons two years ago, as they got a split in LA in the first two games, then came home and swept the middle three for the title. When the Celtics defeat the Lakers in seven games in 1984 (the last of the 2-2-1-1-1 format), they took a 3-2 series lead by winning the key fifth game at home. A year later when the two met again, the Lakers won the fifth game at home to take a 3-2 series lead and went on to win the series under the new 2-3-2 format. After the series, Celtics star Larry Bird commented that he didn’t like the format change, and didn’t like the fact that the all-important fifth game was on the road even though his team had earned the home court edge via a better regular season record.

Not counting this current series, over the last six years the home team is 29-8 SU, 22-14-1 ATS in the Finals, while the favorite is 23-15 SU/18-19-1 ATS. Recent results show the home team stepping up and getting the money, while the favorite has won but not always covered. In fact, from 2001-2004 the home team went just 10-10 SU/6-13-1 ATS in the NBA Finals.

As the series shifts to Miami this week, keep in mind Dallas is 32-18 SU on the road, while Miami is 39-11 SU, 20-28 ATS at home. Dallas is also 12-5 ATS as an underdog this season. If a game is closes and comes down to free throw shooting, remember that the Mavericks was 6th in the NBA from the charity stripe (78%) while Miami was second to last.

Defense often rules this time of team, and note that the Heat and Mavericks finished in the NBA top 10 in defensive field goal percentage allowed. A year ago, the Pistons and Spurs finished the regular season one and two in the NBA defensively and met in the Finals. This certainly adds to the long list of teams that have won titles with defense, supporting the old adage that “Defense wins championships.” It might have been fun to have the run-and-gun Suns in the Finals, but don’t ever doubt the importance of defense this time of the year.