I remember reading an article but I don't have it Central Question is why teams play BETTER AT HOME? Why do certain teams have much higher home winning records (j*zz) than road record? Is there a somewhat incisive paper written about this topic? Thanks
A layman's opinion: 1. Rest 2. Comfortable routine 3. Fan support 4. Since NBA has incentive to elongate playoff series, the "fairest" way to do that is to encourage referees favoring the home team so that it goes 7 games.
Take all the factors that would cause one team to play better at home. Then double it, because the opposing team is playing on the road. Teams tend to play more confidently and aggressive at home, and more hesitant on the road. There's more of a comfort level. And the officiating tends to favor the home team.
