Often near the end of a season, a game is meaningless to a certain team. But does any playoff format in a sport (pro or amateur) allow the possiblility that it would be to a team's advantage to lose its last game rather than win it? If so, please explain the situation. Has this ever actually happened? If so, did that team lose on purpose, forfeit, or still try to win the game?
2006-06-23 09:41:47 · 19 answers · asked by jeffdanielk 4 in Sports ➔ Baseball
If that were the case the Royals should be in first place by now...
2006-06-23 09:44:44 · answer #1 · answered by Dusty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Best example is the NBA this year:
Because of the current play off seed format in basketball, on the next to the last game of the NBA season, the Clippers played Memphis. If the Clippers lost that game, they would play the Denver Nuggets (a far weaker team) at home; if the Clippers lost to Memphis, they would have had to play against the Dallas Mavericks (a much much better team) in Dallas.
The Clippers lost to Memphis and then went on to beat the Denver Nuggets to advance to the next round. Since Memphis won that game, they were stuck playing Dallas and were swept by Dallas in the opening round.
Supposedly, both teams were trying to win, but its funny how losing that game would benefit the Clippers.
Another instance where losing was beneficial was in the NFL two years ago, when the San Francisco 49ers played Cleveland in the last game. Whichever team lost would get the top pick in the NFL draft. San Francisco lost that game and they picked up QB Alex Smith as the #1 pick. Both teams supposedly tried to win but no one knows what was going on in their minds, although athletes are competitive by nature, so I'm sure they wanted to win that game regardless of the advantages.
2006-06-23 10:19:15 · answer #2 · answered by dodger fan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes because it can determine who you play in the playoffs. Like just this past year in the NBA in the west coast. If the Devner Nuggets won their last 2 or 3 games they wouldn't have played the clippers but instead the spurs or something and the whole playoff opponents would have changed. So yea for some teams it is beneficial to lose some games at the end of the season of have a different playoff opponent.
2006-06-23 10:11:34 · answer #3 · answered by Joe H 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't follow sports enough to know any actual events.
However, theoretically, I can think of a situation where, depending on the playoff structure (I'm thinking NBA), you might be paired up with a different team in the playoffs.
This may benefit the team if you feel that your team cannot beat the other team, but the other team's new competitor has a good chance of beating them.
2006-06-23 09:46:21 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Houston Rockets by losing games at the end of the season, earned the top pick in the draft (Hakeem Olajuwan). The next season with Patrick Ewing as the potential first pick, the NBA instituted the draft lottery to reduce the chances of people throwing games to improve their draft position.
2006-06-28 10:35:46 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Losing a game at the end of the season could mean a first round draft pick for the next season.
I am not a basketball fan, but it is my understanding that is why the NBA went to a lottery of the bottom ranked teams to see who gets the first round draft pick so a team wouldn't throw a game for a higher round pick.
2006-06-23 09:55:01 · answer #6 · answered by George P 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, when a football team is in last place and knows that a win will put them into second to last, it is dumb for them to win. This way they get the #1 draft pick and can make their team better just by losing.
2006-06-28 22:22:41 · answer #7 · answered by Southie9 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is possible that a team on a qualification group (for example soccer) may prefer lose and pass as second place rather than first place under the assumption that they rather play Team X on another group who will end in first place of his own group.
2006-07-04 19:04:31 · answer #8 · answered by ninjadanielsan03 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. The year they drafted LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers would have gotten one more ping pong ball in the draft lottery if they had lost the last game of the season. They one and were tied with Denver. As it turned out, it didn't matter, but it would have been to their benefit to lose.
2006-06-23 12:04:18 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont think so because teams have win their division and win on the playoffs its no like basketball b/c the #1 team plays #8
2006-06-23 10:14:38 · answer #10 · answered by Vlad J 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe before the playoffs , not sure about baseball but basketball you could lose on purpose to be another seed to play adifferent team , however the top seed would get home court advantage , so the answer is no
2006-06-23 09:47:26 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋