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Why not? Not many people would chose to let their starters remain on court in a cup or PO game when you are already 30 points up (especially if there is an increased chance of injuries), but their might be some who would because of training purposes...

Last edited by Thijs at 2/14/2009 5:15:41 AM

Frankly, of all the possible solutions proposed regarding garbage time, this would be by far the worst. Basically, if I am up by 20ish nearing the end of the third quarter, I will have to start rooting against my team in order to avoid what is a no-win situation.

Would it not be easier to just apply garbage time to both teams? While it is realistic that the team leading by 30 points would not want to risk an injury in a meaningless quarter, is it not equally realistic that the team that is down 30 would do the same?

In 2002 the Celtics were down by 21 to the Nets in a playoff game with 9 minutes left in the fourth. They came back and won.
The NBA regular season record for a 4th quarter comeback is 29 (!) by the Bucks.

When I was 10 my Little League team gave up 17 runs without recording an out in the bottom of the 6th inning in the championship game. We lost 19-18. Still haunts me.

This game was a nightmare for the loser, for sure. Probably his opponent was pretty excited.

I think that, in general in real life, when a team is in a garbage time situation early in the 4th quarter, the losing team will not put in its scrubs. Also, a coach will do one of two things- A) he will sub in his starters when the lead gets down to 12. Most coaches do not wait for a lead to get to single digits. Perhaps this could be worked into the coach's AI. leave the scrubs to sink or swim. In a playoff game this wouldn't happen but occasionally during league games a coach will leave his scrubs in to make a point of their futility. I have been part of teams that had coaches like that and seen it on the tube many times.

Lastly, check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfurCV1FDpM

Last edited by somdetsfinest at 2/14/2009 6:32:33 AM

I agree 100%. That's why I proposed using garbage time for both teams only after all other proposals (including subbing out not all the starters, making garbage time optional, having the coach re-insert the starters when the lead is down to about 15, etc. etc. etc.) were obviously disregarded.
What I don't like about the proposal is that in essence it turns what should be a favorable situation, into a situation where all you can do is sit there and pray that nothing horrific happens. I just don't see where the fun in that is.

P.S. I saw that game, but I'm not sure exactly what it has to do with garbage time.

I think your garbage time for both teams is a great idea, just not at the beginning of the 4th. I can see the team that is up emptying its bench to start, and then, if the game is still a shellacking with, say, 5 minutes left bring in the scrubs for the losing team.

I don't know about disregarded. Maybe not yet considered? I also think that Charles' point about the sheer number of simulations and the probability of all sorts of crazy things (like McGrady's 13 points in 35 seconds) happening is a good one. I can understand how if it happens to you, it would really be a drag, and that it does seem to need some AI tinkering. I can also undertand the BB point of view that it's only happening once every insert-very-large-number-here times a season across the global community.

And, the link wasn't really about garbage time at all. Just a crazy last minute that I thought was pretty cool.

Last edited by somdetsfinest at 2/14/2009 10:13:05 AM

Oh ok, I thought it was referred to the gargabe time situation, and I was kinda confused.

I don't know whether the ideas that were thrown out in this discussion and in past ones (since we've been discussing garbage time for ages now) have been disregarded or not....I just know that the solution Charles proposed was not one of the ones that were brought up by the community (at least not to my knowledge..although I could be wrong). The reason I am against it is because in essence it brings up a situation where the only thing you can do is pray that nothing horrific happens, because you are all but guaranteed that nothing positive can come from either playing an entire quarter with your subs against the other team's starters or playing a full quarter with your starters in danger of being crippled.

Onestly, if that were the case, I would just stop watching the game at the end of the 3rd quarter, and tune in for the final result.